Dark Titans
by Lathis
Summary: The ongoing adventures of Heroes and Martial Artists alike, as two very different worlds collide. The Story so far: It's time for Ryouga to finally begin Terra's training . . . but what's this? Looks like Jinx is back, and on a mission of her own.
1. Red XX? Prologue

Dark Titans – Arc 1 – Red XX?

Prologue

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

The dark figure knelt down, melting into the shadows, as he continued to watch his target. The gravel crunched beneath his knee, only the slightest of annoyances. In the distance, the gleaming tower stood proudly, separated from him by the water of the city's famous bay. He had been planning this heist for months, ever since his imagination had been set ablaze by that one news report, oh so long ago.

The prospect of actually breaking into Titan's Tower itself . . . it set his whole body to tingling. When he had first heard of his prize, he knew that he had to have it. It had meant weeks of research, of asking witnesses and tearing apart all the drones left behind when Slade was finally defeated, but it had paid off in spades. He had finally discovered **who** had created his latest target, and thus who possessed it and where it was being kept.

Of course, finding out where it was being kept, that was only the tip of the iceberg to this caper. Everyday seemed to bring new complications. For some reason, the Titans had vanished for over three weeks, leaving the tower on Lock-Down. Even with all of his skills, there would have been no way for him to break in then, even if his plan had been finished.

Then, after the Titans had returned, they had been dragged into some bizarre turf war with some over-blown super villain. He would never understand those people, why did they insist on making such a mess that they inevitably bring down every hero in the country on their heads? Heck, the Titans had even imported a few foreign models from what he'd seen during his reconnaissance.

He wasn't sure what had happened in the end, not really. He hadn't had any good chances to break in then either. After that big battle that the Titans ran through the city, Raven had put the Tower on Lock-Down again. Then a bunch of strangers arrived to help out, making it even less likely for him to break in. Though . . . they were kind enough to show him the Titan's back door.

Then, of course, the big finale, an entire cathedral vanishing into a glowing green tornado. Kind of hard to miss, that was. Once again, he had no idea what had happened, but it did seem to bring things to a close. After that, the new kids hung around for a few days, then most everyone went on their way. A few days later, the old woman left, which left him with only the two extra stragglers, who didn't seem to have any intention of going anywhere.

Which brought him back to where he was now, kneeling uncomfortably in the gravel of a rooftop, patiently staking out the Titan's Tower. But he was a patient guy, it came with the profession after all. He knew they were feeling very secure lately. There hadn't been any major crime to speak of since their little hissy fit rained church over three city blocks. He also knew it was only a matter of time before they left the Tower relatively unguarded. Four of the Titans, and their new Asian member still went out on patrol, leaving only an injured Raven and that harmless seeming young woman behind.

He chuckled slightly to himself . . . he was pretty sure that he could handle **those** odds. Yes, he didn't know why, but he felt that tonight was the night. He had been watching them for a solid week now, since everyone had vanished, it was only a matter of tim-

There! He pulled up his binoculars and quickly zoomed in on the tower. There, in the main living room, he could see the red lights strobing, obviously signaling some emergency or another. An instant later, he was over the edge of the roof, sliding down the rope he had positioned there days ago, for this very moment. He was only a short five-minute sprint to the secret entrance of the Titan's base, the very reason that he had chosen that particular building in the first place.

He didn't dare wait to see the Titan's leave, he knew that he would need every second to get through the tunnel and bypass the tower's security. Luckily, he knew Robin was already out of the Tower, as was the Asian boy; though he had no idea where either of them were.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, he was off running. He leapt nimbly from the fire hydrant, up to the street light with practiced ease. He then ran down the length of the lamp and jumped for all he was worth, nearly clearing the four lanes of traffic that separated him from the underbrush that surrounded the secret door.

Just as he was about to be flattened by an oncoming transport truck, he threw out his grappling hook, catching the street light before him, and swinging the rest of the way across the road and through the air. He released the rope at the apex of his leap and let his momentum carry him another thirty feet to his goal. He rolled expertly with his landing, absorbing the impact of his short flight, and came up running.

A smile wormed its way onto his face, as he continued to sprint to his destination. He was easily beating the times he had achieved in his test runs. Must be the extra adrenaline of knowing this was **it**.

Finally, his goal was in sight. He skidded to a stop, slamming heavily into the titanium door, even as he slid the probe from his hacking computer into the doors lock. A few quick number sequences and a quiet hiss indicated his success. He quickly slid his hand into the manual override panel and pulled hard on the lever, forcing the heavy hatch open several inches. It was enough for him to slide his fingers in and pry the door open.

Feeling a bit heady from his minor successes, he nearly flew into the tunnel. He waited only long enough for the lights to come on, before he started down the stairs; taking them four at a time in his haste. He completely ignored the dank, dingy look of the tunnel. The buzzing fluorescent lights, the ominously dripping water, the oppressive smell of stale air and mildew, none of it registered. The only sound that mattered to him, was the rapid patter of his feet, and the occasional splash, as he sprinted down the corridor.

He controlled his breathing as best as he could, he knew it was at least a twenty-minute trek at his current speed, judging by the distance he had estimated between the tower and the door he had entered. It was a hard run, but he had trained for it everyday for the past few weeks, he knew he could do it.

The time seemed to fly by, and soon his run across the bottom of the bay became an uphill jog as he came up to the base of the tower. Just as quickly, he pulled out his security computer and hacked the dull titanium hatch that hung above his head at the top of the staircase. As soon as the tell tale hiss of the locks disengaging was heard, he heaved the hatch open and tossed a sphere from his belt up into the room above him.

A second later, a dull boom echoed down through the hatch and on into the endless tunnel below him. He leapt up quickly, just as the silver chaff began to float down to the floor all around him. His vision was limited slightly, but he saw the lasers extend out from the walls and begin to slide around aimlessly, unable to lock onto him with the chaff in the air.

He smiled widely at that; sometimes completely automating your security just didn't pay off. He hit the massive door that sealed off this chamber and quickly pulled a tube from his belt. This door didn't have anything to hack, as the plans he had stolen indicated. Instead, he started applying the experimental thermite paste in a long strip around the entire door.

The chaff was starting to thin out already, he could hear the lasers start to slow in their frantic searches, likely in his direction. With a flick of his wrist, he ignited the highly volatile putty and dove to the side. A second later, the entire room was filled with a blinding light and the sound of a thousand thousand sparklers all being lit at the same time. A few moments later and the door slid out and crashed to the ground on the far side of the entrance.

He sprang to his feet and bolted through the molten hole, not even waiting for the glowing white metal to cool. Not a second too soon, as a laser blazed to life and fired one poorly angled shot through the hole, nearly taking his foot off at the ankle. He easily cleared the smoking remains of the door as it's molten edges melted into the floor.

Once again, he hit the ground running, this entire level only consisted of the room he had just exited, a short corridor, and the elevator door which loomed before him. He smiled again, pulling out one of the lasers he had taken off of one of the numerous drones that had belonged to Slade. This would be one of the few doors it would actually work on. A few swipes of his arm and the elevator door fell to pieces, revealing an empty shaft beyond it.

Ironically, for security reasons, the target of his search was being held in the third subbasement, only two levels above him. He didn't even need his, already discarded, grappling hook, simply jumping from wall to wall until he reached the door to that level. Again, the laser made short work of the elevator door. Without a second though, he tossed the laser down the shaft behind him and dove through the cleanly sliced hole.

The corridor before him was pitch black, but that was a minor inconvenience, as he pulled out an ultraviolet lamp and slipped on his specially treated goggles. Soon enough, the corridor lit up before him. With that, he placed the powerful lamp on the ground and carefully aimed it down the hallway, before taking in his surroundings. It was another very nondescript level, only a simple corridor and his target lying at the end of the fifty-foot hallway.

A massive vault door, built into the wall, and nearly taking up the entire end of the passage. He smiled again, his breath coming in excited gasps as he finally saw his quarry. This time he pulled a small canister from his belt and began spraying a fine mist into the air before him, letting it fill the entire corridor. As the mist spread out, it revealed an innumerable number of lasers criss crossing the entire corridor between him and the vault at the other end of the corridor.

Taking a deep breath to calm his excited nerves, he carefully took a step back towards the elevator and considered the positions of the lasers. He took another deep breath, closing his eyes and trying to find his center.

Then he was running! He ran very nearly into the first set of beams, before springing over and through the lasers. In an amazing display of acrobatic prowess, he ducked, weaved, leaped and tumbled through the countless laser wires. He pushed himself to his limit, somersaulting through the beams, rolling under them, nearly running up the very walls when he needed to.

Finally – finally, his feet touched the ground, only five feet separating him and the large titanium alloy door of the vault. The only thing between him and that was a fine grid of lasers, hovering only inches in front of the door. There was no way to squeeze between that, since the lasers were only positioned about four inches apart, running up both walls and across the floor and ceiling. And even if he could, opening the door would also set off the lasers.

Not that he was worried about tripping the alarm; he had likely already done **that** when he blew the door downstairs. No, he just didn't want to have likely twenty automated lasers popping out of the walls again before he even had a chance to open the door.

So, just as he had planned, he pulled out the tiny reflective discs which he had prepared for just this occasion. It took him a good five minutes, positioning the tiny discs with excruciating precision to divert the lasers, but eventually all of the beams were safely disabled.

A loud sigh escaped his lips and he wiped the building perspiration from his brow. Again, he pulled out his small security device and interfaced it with the computer lock that protected the vault. He tampered with the small device for several minutes, before tearing out the cord and jamming the device harshly back into his belt. As he had suspected, his hacking skills weren't nearly up to the task of opening this vault.

Luckily, he had anticipated this, and he removed the heavy pack he had been wearing on his back. Explosives wouldn't work here, not in a tunnel this small with him standing three feet away, nor would the thermite paste cut through something so thick. However, he had acquired a nifty device from a young tech head that went by the name of Gizmo that would do just the job.

He opened the pack and pulled out the large, round device. It was about a foot in diameter and a dull matte gray color. One half was smooth while the other was a shallow dome, making the machine roughly five inches thick at its center. Carefully, he placed the flat surface of the device on the very center of the vault door and pushed the large button that took up the center of the domed surface.

As soon as he pressed the button, several yellowish lights lit up on the device and it began to hum loudly. Instantly, it attached itself to the metal door with a metallic clang, as an obviously very powerful magnet flared to life in the machine. Thankfully, Gizmo had explained how the device worked, which was why he had tossed the laser away earlier. Considering just how powerful this magnet was, he wouldn't have wanted to have **any** metal on him by this point.

A second later and six metallic arms shot out of the device and extended out several feet. The arms then slammed into the wall that surrounded the massive door and began to **push**! The entire machine began to whine angrily as the arms strained against the reinforced titanium of the vault door.

He had been skeptical at first, when Gizmo had shown him the device; that something so flimsy looking could tear open a safe . . .

The machines unearthly whine continued to increase in pitch, only to be joined by the deep groan of the heavy door fighting against the impossible strength of the comparatively tiny device. The wall around the door began to crack and crumble as the legs began to sink into the building itself.

Starting to feel a bit nervous, as the whine of the machine and the groan of the warping safe door began to ring through his ears, he slid back as close to the lasers as he could, trying to put some distance between him and the looming disaster area.

Then, just when he thought the small machine was going to give itself a hernia trying to tear open the safe, a squeal of metal shredding sent his teeth to grinding and his hands flying to cover his ears. It took him a few seconds to regain his senses after the assault on his hearing. Finally, after shaking his head a few times, he looked up to see the machines handiwork.

The poor device, it was sparking and smoking, obviously it had killed itself in the attempt, but the vault door was open, only a few inches maybe, but all of the heavy bolts that had held it closed were snapped cleanly off and there was still enough of the hinges left intact that he could slide the door open.

A manic smile formed on his face now. Finally! After all of his planning and plotting, after all of this time and effort . . .

The Red X suit would be his!

Just barely retaining enough sense to be wary of the lasers that hung perilously close to him in every direction, he slid forward and pried to door open with all of his strength. He had to leap to the side quickly, when after opening a foot, the weakened metal of the hinges gave way and the whole door collapsed to the floor beside him, a massive clang ringing through the entire corridor.

He chuckled happily; not even being nearly crushed at the last moment could dampen his spirit now, not when his new suit was finally in his grasp. With a small laugh, he leapt up onto the door and pulled out a chemical glow stick. He snapped the small stick and shook it eagerly. A few seconds later, the dull green glow of the small device finally revealed the end of his long search, the interior of the safe which housed the dangerous and experimental Red X suit . . .

Was **empty**!

The glow stick dropped from nerveless fingers, as he stared in disbelief at the empty vault before him. All of his planning, all of his work, his training runs, all of the money he had paid out for the gadgets to get this far . . .

"W-where is it?"

He didn't even notice the glow stick hit the vault door, bounce several times, then gently roll towards the floor at the base of the wall. However, he did notice when it bumped into one of the many carefully placed reflector discs that he had positioned around the large door.

A second later, his reverie was interrupted by the blaring klaxons and the metallic clanking sound of around twenty or so lasers sliding out of the walls behind him. He turned to face the angrily glowing weapons, a look of panic spreading across his normally carefree features.

"Oh . . . hell . . ."


	2. Red XX? Chapter 1

Dark Titans – Arc 1 – Red XX?

Chapter One

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Ryouga leaned back, trying to get comfortable while he gazed at his lone companion. She stared back at him impassively, as she had done for all of the time he had spent with her over the past week. At this point, he was just willing her to say something to him, to tell him something, anything. But no . . . she wasn't in the mood to talk to him yet, nor would she be for the foreseeable future.

No, Terra was just not a great conversationalist . . . not that he could blame her, what with being a statue and all.

Frankly, he wasn't even sure what he was doing here anymore. He had been sitting here for a week straight, and he still wasn't any closer to figuring out what the heck Cologne had meant when she said that Terra here contained some great, world-altering secret. He hadn't been able to figure out what she had done to Terra yet either. She had done it so fast and it had been so subtle, that he had missed it completely. He was pretty sure it had something to do with the Bakusai Tenketsu, but that was about it.

Well . . . there was one reason that he knew he was still here. He was still here, everyday, almost all day in some cases; trying everything in his power to help Terra, because he knew how much it meant to Beast Boy. He shook his head slightly; he could definitely sympathize with the boy, losing a girl that he cared for so much in such a way. He knew that if anyone said they could help him find Jinx, he would do **anything **they asked, no matter what the cost.

"Heh, and I thought **I** had seen hell because of Ranma. I'm not sure I can even imagine what you must be going through now, because of that Slade person," he whispered silently.

Gingerly, he rose to his feet and moved closer to Terra, carefully examining her left hand for, perhaps, the hundredth time. Yes, this was pretty much what had gotten everything started a week ago, the very same night of Cologne's departure.

It was very hard to discern, even under close scrutiny, but it seemed as obvious as the sun to him now, just as it had to Beast Boy then . . .

A tiny spider web of cracks that had somehow spread to encompass her delicate fingers.

* * *

_The Lost Boy leaned against the counter, a bittersweet smile on his face as he shared a cup of tea with Kasumi. It had been several hours since they had dropped Cologne off at the airport and left Beast Boy with Terra back in the cavern, yet neither of them could bring themselves to sleep yet. He wasn't sure about his companion, but he was filled with a kind of nervous energy himself. _

_The prospect of starting a new life was as terrifying as it was exciting. Certainly, he was used to seeing new and unusual things on a daily basis in his travels, but the point of his travels had always been the same; to find Ranma to punish him, or to find Akane and try to express his feelings, ineffectually, yet again. But now, now that was in the past and he was trying to forge a new path for himself. For the first time, true uncertainty about what he was going to do with his life ran through his mind._

_Combine that with Cologne's departure, one less tie to his past; as well as the tragic story that Beast Boy had told him only hours ago about Terra's life . . . So many anxieties were building up, and that didn't even bring into consideration the situation between Raven and him, or the lingering question in his mind as to the fate of his lost Jinx._

_Frankly, he wasn't sure how he was going to sleep for the next week, considering all of the things running through his mind at a hundred kilometers per hour. His musings were derailed, as he felt a soft hand grasp his own. He looked up into the gentle eyes of Kasumi, as she stared at him with a world of compassion in her gaze._

"_You really need to relax, Ryouga. You look tense enough to bend steel." A quiet giggle escaped her lips at that. "This is supposed to be our chance to start new lives, and you look like your expecting the sky to start falling."_

_He smiled slightly at that, just enough for a fang to peek over his lip. He lowered his free hand to cover hers and squeezed gently, very careful not to hurt the delicate girl. Looking at the smiling young woman before him, he suddenly felt a bit silly._

"_I'm sorry, you're right of course. It's kind of ironic, isn't it? Me, the one whose life was a constant stream of pain and disappointment, am afraid to leave my old life behind. And you, who actually had a happy life, a wonderful home and a loving family, you're excited and happy to be here. It's a bit ridiculous, isn't it?"_

_She frowned a bit at his words and squeezed his hand again. "Not at all, Ryouga. It's perfectly understandable that you would be worried about this, but I know that you're brave enough to face what's coming, even if you don't have any idea what it might be." Her smile returned once more, lighting up the room a bit. "That's part of the reason that I'm so calm now, because I know that you'll be here to help me, no matter what."_

_He – he didn't know what to say to that. He felt his chest tighten slightly at her words, the only other person that had ever said anything like that to him, that had ever put that kind of faith in him, had been Jinx . . ._

_He was saved from trying to find a suitable response, when the elevator slid open and a rather bedraggled looking Robin stumbled out into room not too far from where they were sitting. The slightly younger teen looked around somewhat sleepily for a moment, before his eye mask covered eyes finally settled upon the pair of them._

"_Oh my! Are you all right, Robin?" The concerned Tendo woman quickly rose from her stool and moved to fuss over the young hero._

_Ryouga chuckled to himself in amusement as he watched Robin weakly try to ward off the lovely brunette's caring ministrations. The boy looked a bit rough, but it was obvious that he wasn't seriously injured in any way. But then, what could you expect after going a few rounds with Happosai? Not even Ranma could escape those fights without having at least a few feathers ruffled. He was just glad that Robin's persistence hadn't gotten the old master angry yet._

"_Okay, okay, that's enough. I'm fine, Kasumi, I promise, it's just a few bumps and bruises," assured the young bird. After ineffectually waving his hands a bit to shoo the young medico in training away, Robin shuffled over and pulled up a stool to sit with them. Almost immediately, Kasumi glided over and poured him a cup of tea. _

_The masked boy then looked his way, glaring slightly and pointing his stirring spoon at him accusingly. "And why is it again, that you aren't out there helping me to take that old goat down?"_

_The fanged boy shrugged and smiled helplessly. "I think it has something to do with your stubborn, martial artist's pride; the fact that Cologne told me not to interfere with your "training", and the fact that even if everyone in this tower teamed up to take him down, all we would do is make him angry? Does that sound about right to you?" he asked, enjoying himself slightly more than he needed to._

_Robin groaned slightly, before nodding. "Yeah, that sounds about right. . . . So, what are you two still doing up anyway? It's nearly morning, you know?"_

_Ryouga looked to the clock in surprise, he hadn't realized that much time had passed. "Heh, I guess I lost track of time. It's hard to sleep with so much stuff running through my head, it's a little distracting."_

_Robin nodded in understanding, only to wince slightly at the minor gesture. This, of course, brought on another set of concerned examinations by Kasumi, which the boy fended off once again. The exasperated expression on Robin's face, and the impish smile on Kasumi's, was enough to make the Lost Boy chuckle yet again._

_After finally sitting his would be savior back on her stool, Robin dropped back onto his own seat and took a sip of his tea. "I can understand how this can all be a bit overwhelming. A lot of harsh things have happened to both of you lately, most of them beyond your control. But I want you to know that we'll do everything we can to help you adjust. Both of you have friends here, never forget that."_

_Kasumi smiled sweetly at his words. She then ran a delicate hand through the boy's spiky hair, reminding Ryouga very much of a mother at that moment. "That's very sweet of you, Robin. I'm certain that we'll settle in fine, with so many caring people here to help us." For just a moment, Robin leaned into her hand, his eyes closing blissfully, but it ended just as quickly, when the boy seemed to remember where he was._

_Since he didn't want to embarrass the guy, and he wanted to add his own two cents in, he spoke up. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll be able to pull our own weight around here. If Kasumi learns how to fix everyone up, she'll be a great help. And I can train you and Starfire when we're not out fighting criminals."_

_Robin chuckled at that. "That would be a pretty good help. I'm not sure how much I'd consider chasing the old man around to be "training". It should be interesting to see how the combat training goes now that we have someone like you around," cheered the young man._

_The lovely brunette nodded to herself, seeming to come to some conclusion. "I think that I should continue my training as well, Ryouga. I don't want to be a burden if anything happens here at the tower. If it's not too much trouble that is," she asked, an imperceptibly timid tone in her voice._

_This seemed to surprise the vigilante with them, for some reason. He turned to peer at Kasumi a bit owlishly. "But, Kasumi, I thought you said you weren't a martial artist?"_

"_Oh my, no. I haven't trained seriously for a long, long time," responded the older girl._

_Ryouga decided to explain that a bit, before Robin got too confused. "Kasumi hasn't trained in her family's school, but the Hive Academy had mandatory combat classes. Heh, I was actually teaching a few of them after a bit. Kasumi might not have been in the Advanced Evil and Anarchy course with me, but she didn't have any trouble with the rest of the curriculum." He blushed slightly, as Kasumi looked his way, smiling widely at his support._

_A sudden thought struck the Lost Boy. Hmm, yeah, it had potential. He looked to Robin, a sly look forming on his features. "You know, I was planning on focusing more of my time getting Starfire up to your level, since you __**are**__ getting the added workout of training with Happosai. Maybe it would be a good idea if __**you**__ took on most of Kasumi's training. That way, I can focus on you and Starfire with more advanced lessons and you can train her how you see fit?" he suggested happily._

_His two companions considered his suggestion for a moment, both of them seeming to warm up to the idea quickly. Robin looked about ready to make a comment, raising a finger and opening his mouth, when suddenly all of their communicators started beeping at the same time._

"_Hmm, that's odd. Who else is awake to be contacting us on the communicators?" mused their, as odd as it sounded, leader._

_Curious, they all opened their communicators to see who it w-_

"_**AAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!"**_

_The high-pitched wail pierced their ears so suddenly that Kasumi actually dropped her communicator in shock. Ryouga nearly crushed his, which would have really ticked him off. The only one that seemed to keep his bearings, was the Boy Wonder. He instantly determined who it was and replied harshly._

"_Beast Boy! What's wrong? Are you in trouble?" _

_Ryouga finally regained enough of his senses to look at the tiny view screen on his own communicator. The small device revealed Beast Boy's tiny face to him, a look of utter anguish on his features. The boy's next words didn't instill him with any more confidence either._

"_You guys gotta get down here! It's Terra, there's something wrong with Terra . . ."_

_Ryouga felt his heart seize up at the look that covered Beast Boy's face, he never wanted to imagine seeing that much pain on anyone's face again._

"_. . . I think she's dying!"_

* * *

_Ryouga stood next to Beast Boy, a hand resting on the younger man's shoulder; partly to comfort him, partly to hold him back as the others continued their investigation. The boy hadn't calmed down much, not even when Robin had led Kasumi, him and the other three Titans down into the cavern that housed Terra's statue. Kasumi stood on the boy's other side, holding his hand gently while Starfire was pressed up against Beast Boy's back, her arms wrapped around him in a sympathetic hug. The look on the gentle alien's face was almost as devastated as Beast Boy's._

_Ahead of them, clustered around Terra, were Robin, Cyborg and Raven. The largest of the Titan's was scanning her statue with the various sensors housed in his arm. Raven was slowly moving her ebony encased hands over the stone surface, as if searching for something. Robin was looking over Cyborg's shoulder, contemplating the readings as well._

_Honestly, Ryouga was feeling a bit useless, watching the three Titans doing all the work while all he could do was watch helplessly. He imagined his companions felt exactly the same as he did, judging by the looks on their faces._

_Finally, after a little over ten minutes, Robin, Cyborg and Raven ceased their various scans and moved back to speak to them. The downcast expressions on their faces didn't instill any of them with confidence at that point. Beast Boy broke free from all of their reassuring holds and ran forward a few steps to meet them. He then grabbed the masked boy's shoulders and squeezed them tightly._

_"Robin, is she okay? What caused her statue to start cracking like that?"_

_Cyborg quickly grabbed the changeling's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "BB, it's alright man, she's perfectly fine. There are only a few superficial stress fractures on the fingers of her left hand, and they don't seem to go below the surface. I don't know what caused them to appear so suddenly, but they aren't spreading anymore," explained the larger teen in a soothing voice._

_Robin gently removed the boy's hands from his shoulders after that. "Aside from those small marks, we can't see anything else that has changed. We also have absolutely no idea what could have caused it either, nothings changed since the last set of tests we've run." The Boy Wonder looked just as frustrated as Ryouga himself felt at that moment. He didn't want to think how bad Beast Boy must have felt, so clouded with uncertainty concerning Terra's welfare._

_Raven nodded imperceptibly, gliding forward slightly. "I can't sense any obvious changes either. She doesn't seem to be in any danger of degenerating, but I couldn't find any possible catalyst that could have caused even this minor change," she muttered in a low voice._

_The emerald skinned teen seemed to consider her words for a moment, before slamming a fist into his open palm. "It must have something to do with what Granny did before she left! She did some weird thing where she touched Terra, but nothing happened right then." The darker Titan's eyes narrowed at his explanation._

"_Cologne, one of the most learned and wise martial artists on the planet, comes here and does something to Terra. Then, only hours later, this starts to happen . . . And you don't consider the possibility that the two events are connected until __**now**__?" she asked, disbelief lacing her words._

"_Hey, lay off the guy, Rae. BB just saw Terra's statue starting to crumble right in front of him. I'd say he has every right to be freaked out right now." The cybernetic teen glared at the Goth, while squeezing Beast Boy's shoulder reassuringly. He then looked to the younger hero himself. "Of course, it might have saved us all a lot of mental anguish if ya __**had**__ told us that Cologne had somethin to do with this, BB. Granny ain't no fool, I'm sure whatever she did was a step in the right direction . . . heh, too bad none of us have any idea how to figure out what she did."_

_Suddenly, Ryouga felt pinned down, as a pair of bird named heroes suddenly slid their gazes his way. Raven looked at him; serious consideration in her expression, while a knowing smirk began to slide onto Robin's lips._

"_Maybe none of __**us**__ can figure it out," began Robin._

"_But I'm certain that a master of the __**Bakusai Tenketsu**__ might have some ideas on how to proceed," finished Raven, beginning to smirk herself._

_The Lost Boy groaned inwardly, as he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of Beast Boy's pitifully hopeful gaze. Yeah, maybe if he was actually a master of the technique, or if he even had any idea of what the old Ghoul had done. Sure, she had said that Terra's statue contained some life-altering secret, but frankly, he couldn't see any more in the statue than Raven could at the moment. Heck, probably less than her, what with her having strange demonic powers and all._

_Still, the look on Beast Boy's face was __**really**__ pitiful and __**really**__ hopeful . . ._

_He looked around uncertainly, matching stares with everyone present. Kasumi and Starfire wore expressions that nearly mirrored Beast Boy's. Cyborg seemed overjoyed that they finally had a solid lead to helping Terra after all this time. Robin also had an optimistic look on his face, though it was a guarded optimism that seemed to suit him so perfectly. Only Raven seemed to be maintaining her carefully neutral expression._

_It's not like he didn't want to help the stone girl, he definitely did. He just didn't want to attempt and fail, he'd likely just make everyone feel even worse than if he hadn't tried at all. Still . . . one last look at the green teen's pleading expression made his decision for him. _

"_Fine . . . fine, I don't know how, but I promise I'll do everything I can to save her . . ."_

_How could he do any less?_

* * *

And that was pretty much what he had been trying to do this entire time. As gently as he could, he ran his finger over hers, trying to sense anything there that was out of place. It had taken him several days to actually build up the nerve to actually touch the petrified girl. Half out of fear of breaking her, half out of embarrassment about touching a girl like that. Still, even Cologne had had to touch the statue to sense anything, and her senses were several orders of magnitude more acute than his own.

Even with contact, he still couldn't discern anything noticeable though. Once again, he began to pace around the girl, ducking under her arms with the practiced ease earned from the hours of pacing he had done already. Hours and hours of staring at nothing but stone was starting to wear on his patience. He still wanted to help her, if only because her story was so ironically familiar to him, but his lack of progress after so long was starting to frustrate him. It hadn't even taken him this long to master the Bakusai Tenketsu!

After a time, his mind began to wander as he continued to pace around the statue. What did he know about the Breaking Point Technique anyway? How did it work, why did it work, what were the principals again? He had used the technique more on instinct than anything else for the longest time; perhaps it was time to revisit the basics.

That's what Ranma always did, wasn't it? He didn't just learn a technique, the pigtailed boy literally broke it down to it's component elements, learned everything about the technique and how it worked. That in-depth knowledge let the overly clever martial artist innovate and improve his techniques, sometimes literally on the spot. Maybe that was what Ryouga himself needed to do? He had never delved too deeply into his own techniques, really.

Heck, if he had bothered to really sit down and think about the Bakusai Tenketsu when he had first learned it, he would have realized right away that it wouldn't have worked on Ranma like he had intended. And asides from perfecting the Shi Shi Houkodan, what else had he really done with the technique since? Sure, he could always push it to become more powerful, but that was more a matter of forcing his emotions, not manipulating the technique.

He had heard that Ranma could actually perform a Dual Mouko Takabisha, something that Ryouga had never even considered. Sure, each attack would only be half power, but depending on the circumstances, it could be a very useful technique. Ranma had also learned how to perform a horizontal Hiryua Shoten Ha, his unearthly mastery also extending to that technique as well.

Yes . . . perhaps it was time that **he** took the time to analyze his own techniques in just such a manner. Sure, he had beaten Ranma in their last fight, but that had only been due to his conditioning, not to any innovative improvement in his fighting skills. He held no illusions that Ranma wouldn't be able to overcome his new level of protection by further improving his techniques, just as he always had.

He looked up, just in time to notice himself about to step out of Terra's cavern completely. He cursed himself for his weaknesses, before spinning around angrily and locking his stare onto Terra once more. Not taking any chances, he moved a few steps closer to the unmoving girl, and sat down once more.

So . . . what did he know about the Bakusai Tenketsu? Hmm, well, as everyone knew, it worked on inanimate objects, generally stone. He had managed to get it to work on wood, ironically when he was a toddler at the time, which used to be living. That seemed to contradict the first thing he knew, which meant it required more thought. He also knew that the breaking point of an object wasn't an actual, physical point. It was a metaphorical point that he could only see with his minds eye.

He remembered, keenly, his first battle with Ranma, using the technique. He had struck at Ranma a number of times, but even his missed attacks had set off explosions from where they had randomly struck. And yet, he had still **seen** the points on Ranma, hence why he had aimed at them, which also seemed to contradict that first point. But . . . those hadn't actually been breaking points, had they? No, now that he thought about it, he'd really been aiming at key points in the other boy's chi flows; places where several of the meridians crossed or joined together. None of his attacks had hit, but if they had, it likely would have been more akin to hitting a pressure point than exploding his limbs.

He also knew that the technique relied on him using his chi, of focusing a tiny amount of it through his finger and into his target. So . . . then what was the difference between injecting a sliver of chi into a rock, into a board, or into Ranma? An unliving object, a once-living object and a living object.

The answer was obvious right away, Ranma's chi flowed, much like a river does. You drop a glass of water into a river, and it is simply swept away. The meager amount of energy used in the Bakusai Tenketsu wouldn't have any effect on something with such a malleable chi flow. He briefly toyed with the idea of forcing a much greater volume of chi into the Bakusai Tenketsu . . . but the mental image of Ranma **actually** exploding wasn't nearly as attractive as it once was. Nor was the much more realistic image of his finger exploding from him trying to force so much energy to such a tiny point.

Still, the potential was there, but that was a thought for another time.

So, the thing which made the unliving stone and the once living board similar, was the fact that their chi was static. After all, a rock didn't possess any chi flow, it just possessed the same ambient chi that everything possessed. And though a board may have once possessed a chi flow, after the wood died, so to would the elasticity of it's chi. Thus, when one injects even a small amount of alien chi into the fixed chi of the rock or board, it broke. It made him think of a stone mason, even with a tiny chisel and hammer, someone that knew how the rock was formed, how it behaved, could split even a massive boulder with a single, small strike.

So it would be more accurate for him to say that the Breaking Point didn't work on inanimate objects, but rather objects that possessed a static chi. That seemed to open the technique to a much wider array of materials than just stone and wood. Perhaps he would even be able to figure out how to apply it to metal in time, though he had never considered it before. After all, metal has been refined and purified, so it doesn't possess the obvious and natural breaking points that stone would. Of course, the image of detonating a steel door, and being pelted with hundreds of shards or razor sharp steel . . . it didn't exactly fill him with confidence.

Still, the potential was there, but that was a thought for another time.

Absently, his eyes began to slide from Terra to wander around the room aimlessly. Yes, everything possessed chi; it surrounds us, penetrates us, binds the world together . . . heh, kind of like the Force. All living things generated chi, and with practice, people such as himself and Ranma could come to manipulate it . . . He was starting to drift off of his original train of thought there somewhere . . .

He looked at the ground, right beneath him, counting the number of breaking point he could see, just within his reach. This far down, it was a lot of bedrock surrounding him, so the chi that suffused the entire area was pretty uniform. He chuckled as a stray thought a stray thought flitted through his mind. Way down here, in the womb of the earth, it was almost like the whole world had it's own chi.

Hm?

Slowly his eyes slid back to Terra's statue . . . Terra . . . terra . . . stone . . . earth . . .

Gears began to turn in his head; suddenly he felt an almost oppressive weight settle on his mind. As if there was some huge, ponderous . . . thing, hanging just out of reach.

Terra . . . stone . . . earth . . . rocks . . . terra . . . chi . . . earth . . . Earth . . . Terra . . . Earth . . .

Earth?

Slowly his eyes began to slide back from her statue to the ground before him. As his eyes traveled, breaking points began to make themselves known, tiny nexi of chi, tiny points of light that symbolized the crossing of several lines of chi traveling through the bedrock. Slowly his eyes slid back to her stone feet. Did the breaking points around her statue seem to be just a slightly brighter shade than those around him . . . or was it just a trick of the light?

The overwhelming sense of impending . . . something, began to press in around him. It was almost like someone, somewhere was trying to tell him something. It was like the answer was just sitting on the edge of her perceptions, heck, on the tip of his tongue . . . it was so close he could taste it . . . Just a little . . . bit . . . mor-

His entire train of thought was utterly destroyed, when his communicator chose that very moment to begin blaring out a series of nearly deafening beeps. He literally collapsed to his side, nearly feeling his heart seize up at the unexpected sound after countless hours of perfect quiet and solitude.

Letting out a rather nasty curse at whoever it was that disrupted his work, he flipped open the small hexagonal device and glared at the tiny view screen. The tiny face of Robin appeared on the top half of the device, a rather unusual expression on the younger hero's face.

"Titans! Code Red, converge on my signal. Now!"


	3. Red XX? Chapter 2

Dark Titans – Arc 1 – Red XX?

Chapter Two

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Robin cleared the fifteen foot gap between the two towering buildings without even breaking stride. He allowed a smile borne of pride to form on his lips at that. Even a week earlier, he wouldn't have attempted such a jump without using his grappling hook. But he had learned early on that his grappling hook slowed him down too much when hunting **this** criminal.

Happosai's tiny frame was still bouncing around madly before him, the old master cackling loudly in amusement. The ancient pervert leapt into the air once more, before suddenly whipping out his pipe and using it to swing around a nearby antenna. Instantly the old man shot off at a ninety-degree angle, physics be damned, and almost seemed to fly to the next rooftop beside them.

The Boy Wonder skidded to a stop as best as he could, digging the ever present birdarang into the rough surface of the roof to slow him down. He had taken to constantly carrying a birdarang in each hand, often for his entire chases, just because of things like this. To his credit, he didn't completely wipe out, but it took him several agonizing seconds to recover enough to give chase again.

His heavy steel-toed boots hit the roof with a thunderous racket as he tore off after the old man. The next building was two stories higher, as well as fifteen feet away, he wouldn't be able to jump this one . . . not yet anyway. He whipped his right birdarang at the old man, just as he vanished over the ledge of the buildings roof. He certainly hoped he had anticipated the pervert's movements enough to give him a second's pause. A second later, his grappling hook was out and he was flying up to the next roof as well.

He flipped over the edge of the building, just in time to see Happosai leaping off of the building already. Even as he ran after the old man, he threw his left boomerang as hard as he could, forcing the old man to dodge. At the same time, he aimed his grappling hook and fired again, aiming for where he had forced the old man to evade. The gleaming blade of his favored accessory flew through the air with lethal grace, careening unerringly for the withered master.

Only to be deflected by that thrice damned pipe! Happosai then flashed the pipe out again, tangling it into the hooks trailing cord and pulling with impossible strength. Robin found himself flying forward, only to land painfully on his face and skid several very uncomfortable feet until he stopped. He grimaced slightly, before he pushed himself to his feet and began running once more. Kasumi was going to have a fit when she saw the scrapes that were likely oozing blood all over his chin now.

Note to self, don't try that again.

Thankfully, the next building was a story shorter than the building he was on. Without even pausing to worry about it, he leapt again and flew nimbly through the air over the alley. He landed from the jump with a crunch and quickly rolled to sublimate the shock of the fall. For the dozenth time that night, he came up running again, just catching a glimpse of the old man ahead of him.

It was true that he was having a much easier time of hunting the old man than he had a week earlier, but the sad fact was that he was going to lose him soon at this rate. That last boneheaded maneuver had cost him four and a half seconds that he just knew he wasn't going to get back tonight. Usually Happosai let him catch up after an hour or two of chasing and they'd fight it out a bit; then go their separate ways. But it had been at least two nights since Happi had got himself any of his precious "treasures"; it seemed likely the ancient master was just going to ditch him tonight if he couldn't keep up.

With that thought, the leader of the Teen Titans pushed his aching legs as hard as he could. He could literally feel the burn as he flew from roof to roof; hardly even paying attention to the bouncing speck that always seemed to be just one rooftop out of reach. All that mattered was keeping one foot in front of the other, getting every inch from each step, stealing every ounce of momentum from each swing of his arms.

Thus, he was pretty darn surprised, when he nearly landed on the old coot after leaping, nearly blindly, from that last building! As it was, he just managed to hop step over the, thankfully short, old man and make a rather embarrassing show of regaining his balance before he skidded to a stop and spun to face the martial artist.

"What on Earth are you doing? You wanna give a guy some warning the next time you pull up short like that?" he barked in annoyance. Heck, the old man wasn't even paying attention to him. Suddenly Robin's senses kicked into overdrive and a sense of "really bad" settled over him like a thick wool blanket. Happosai was standing before him, but the ancient master was staring past him, past him and above him actually.

Slowly, the masked boy turned and slid his gaze around to follow Happosai's curious stare. About ten feet behind the Boy Wonder, was a small structure on the roof, likely the roof entrance to the buildings staircase. There was nothing interesting there, so he allowed his gaze to crawl up the small structure, to the top of the wall. There . . .

His eyes widened in shock!

There, standing nonchalantly atop the wall, wearing the familiar black and red outfit, complete with short cape and skull mask . . .

Was Red X!

And . . . and whoever it was . . .

Damn, that suit looked good on her!

* * *

Happosai stared up at the lithe, trim, toned, taut . . . ummm, where was he again? Right! He stared up at the spandex wearing figure that blocked his path. The person, **obviously** female (the outfit hugged her generous curves, oh so perfectly.) stood confidently on the roof's entrance to the stairs, one hand resting alluringly on a perfectly rounded hip. Admittedly, the suit was a bit stark, and just a tad too grim for his tastes.

A skull face motif? Really, someone was trying far too hard to look evil. The dramatic slashes of red weren't too bad, but didn't mean too much to him. The cape actually worked though, adding a touch of mystery, as well as accentuating and concealing at the same time.

The fact that Robin was standing about five feet in front of him, a shocked expression on his face . . . meh, he'd just found a **much** more interesting playmate.

It was then, that the masked figure spoke.

"Well, Grandpa, are you just going to stare all night? Or are you looking for some excitement?" Her voice came out in an unearthly, distorted tone, obviously to hide the true voice of the suit's owner. The girl then waved him in teasingly, before turning and leaping to the building behind her.

A chase? Oh ho! It had been a long, long time indeed since he'd chased someone else. And whoever this girl was, she was in the mood to play. A second later, and ancient muscles burned to life, launching him into the air after the lovely figure of the costumed thrill seeker.

"Red X! Stop right there!" Robin's guttural yell from behind him was easily ignored, by both him and his new playmate. He could easily feel the young boy's chi though, as the youth gave chase immediately.

Ahead of him, the person that Robin deemed, Red X, leapt gracefully from roof to roof. The girl bounced off of an air conditioning unit; somersaulted over a large boxy air vent before swinging merrily from a microwave tower. Her acrobatic movements left her sailing through the night's sky, her short cape fluttering like a leaf in the wind as she soared above the city. Soon she touched down once more, before lighting off across another rooftop and jumping another alley.

The ancient master didn't have any trouble following the nimble girl. She might have been extremely agile and quick, but not so much as the boy following the both of them at that very moment. Still, he'd play along a bit longer; it wasn't like anyone in this town could keep up with him if he actually cut loose.

A few quick hops, from rooftop, to ledge, to satellite dish, and he was on the same roof as his intriguing new friend. Another, rather unimpressive leap, took him high into the air above the girl. He pulled out his pipe as he descended, maybe a little trip would do the girl some good. Just as he was about to land the strike -

The girl spun, mid leap, and aimed both of her palms up at him. Suddenly, a pair of red X's shot out from her hands directly at him! One was aimed slightly higher, the other slightly lower, trying to limit his chances to dodge.

So, this girl had some tricks up her sleeves. He smiled happily, maybe this would be fun after all. The ancient master spun quickly, and angled his shrunken body so that he would pass between the small, red projecti-

Every muscle in his body spasmed instantly, as a crimson bolt of energy suddenly arced between the two symbols, just as he passed between them. He shook uncontrollably, hanging in the air between the two weapons, the energy seeming to hold him aloft. He saw, but didn't feel, his pipe drop from nerveless fingers and could smell the subtle smell of something cooking.

A second later, he dropped to the hard surface of the roof, smoking without the aid of his beloved pipe.

Before him, the girl stared at her black clad hands, apparently in awe of what she had just done. Even through the mask, he could almost see a wicked smile forming on her face. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet and shook out his tensed muscles. He smiled himself, running his hands through his hair to smooth out the frazzled mess.

"A good trick, girl. Not many people use such clever tactics, certainly no one that I've fought lately," he praised her lightly. "Of course, I have a few tricks myself. Perhaps you'd like to see a few?"

His new friend looked about to reply, leaning back into a simple fighting stance – when suddenly she dove to the side, just avoiding the Bo staff which smashed into the ground where she had been a moment earlier. He raised an eyebrow as Robin's figure dropped to the ground between him and the girl; that attack had been rather vicious, caving in a small section of the roof.

Instantly, the Boy Wonder tore his weapon out of the roof, sending small shards of debris flying, and spun to face the black clad female.

"You give that suit back **now**!" roared the young hero. Happosai's other eyebrow raised at that. Robin's voice was filled with an anger that the vigilante hadn't demonstrated during the entire time that he had known the boy. Perhaps there was some history between these two, a jilted lover maybe? Oh, wouldn't that be delicious?

Rather than comply, Red X rested a hand on her hip, while shooing the Teen Titan away with a wave of her other hand. "Excuse me, Robin, but the adults are trying to talk now. You better run home and get cleaned up, you look a mess."

The synthesized voice sent Robin even further over the edge. The boy's face suddenly burned red and he flew toward her, his staff trailing dangerously. The ancient master considered the situation for a moment . . . then shrugged and hopped onto a nearby ledge to take a seat. Luckily, he had a few snacks for the night's trip, so he pulled a candy bar out of his pocket and started to unwrap it.

This certainly looked like it would be fun!

An instant later, Robin was on his opponent, his weapon spinning with the force of a typhoon. Red X just narrowly dodged out of the way, avoiding losing her head by a matter of inches. The swing was followed by a flashing kick, then a spinning backhand which trailed the staff only seconds behind it. Each attack cracked the air loudly as Robin nearly blurred into a raging combination of attacks, intent on taking the girl down.

It was all that she could do, nearly flailing around in panic, to avoid the flashing strikes. It was obvious to Happosai, that the girl was woefully outclassed in hand-to-hand combat. If she was to have any hope here, she'd need to gain some distance so she could pull a few more tricks out of her hat, so to speak.

As if hearing his thoughts, Red X back flipped under a horizontal slash of Robin's staff, before leaping into the air and back some ten feet. Robin charged recklessly after her, obviously sensing her intent. The ancient master chuckled; the boy really should pay more attention to his surroundings in a fight. If he had, he would have noticed the palm-sized, red X that the clever girl had left on the ground as she had back flipped away.

An instant later, Robin crashed to the ground, as he stepped on the red mark and it bonded his heavy boot to the roof. The Anything Goes Master nearly laughed out loud at the sight of the fuming boy, whose chin was bleeding all over again now. The lovely Red X took the moment to regain her bearings and dropped into a loose combat stance.

With an angry surge, the masked boy broke free of the glue like substance and ran forward again. Happosai shook his head a bit at that. The boy was obviously blinded with anger for some reason, maybe he'd been hanging around that Hibiki boy too much?

"Robin! I'm not here to fight you! I'm here for him!" stated the woman, gesturing his way.

The youth didn't even slow in his charge. "I **don't care**! You're not getting away with that **suit**!" With that said, Robin pulled out a fan of three boomerangs from his belt and threw them at the girl, following close behind. Rather than dodge, she raised her hands again. X's fired out machine gun style from her palms, filling the air between the two combatants. Robin was forced to flip back and spin his staff to deflect the projectiles. His boomerangs weren't so lucky, all three of them were hit by the X's and knocked out of the air.

A second later, Robin's staff came to a stop, though not of his volition. The ancient master cackled again! Each of those projectiles had been the same adhesive material as the one that had caught the boy a moment earlier. Now his weapon was coated with large, sticky streams of the ruby material which had stretched out to catch the roof. As soon as the weapon stopped spinning, it was ripped from his gloved hand and slammed to the roof with a wet splat.

Happosai's attention was diverted from the amusing scene, as a shadow flitted across his vision for a moment. He looked up, just in time to see Red X descending down on him. He rolled his eyes, before cart wheeling to the side to avoid the clumsy attack. He prepared to send a stinging verbal barb her way -

When, as soon as she landed, she slammed her open palm to the rooftop. Suddenly the ground split open beneath him, in fact, the roof split into four separate sections as Red X's latest attack sundered the ground open in four directions from where she landed. It happened so fast, that he didn't even have time to jump away. He fell into the rupture, a cloud of dust, insulation and whatever other bits the roof was built from floating down with him. For just a fraction of a second, his mind tripped over how silent the attack was, considering the damage it had just cause.

Of course, it was only a ten foot drop to the floor beneath him, so he was hardly worried. Then, with a sigh, he raised his hand above his head and caught the girl's foot as she dropped on him in a jump kick. A second later and she became intimately acquainted with the apartment door. With a loud crash of splintering wood, the girl flew out the door and into the hallway.

He was forced to dodge next though, as four flashing discs flew down at him through the opening above. Two of the discs exploded violently, while the other two burst into small clouds of super cooled gasses. His eyes narrowed as Robin dropped through the opening, a pair of birdarangs in his hands. The angry look on the boy's face, not to mention his obvious upgrade to more dangerous weapons, spoke of how serious the boy had become. Apparently the hero had absolutely no regard for the poor owner's of this particular apartment.

The young hero landed before him and glared heatedly. "Stay out of this, Happosai. I have to recover that suit, you don't know how dangerous it is!" He then spun and ran out into the hallway, following the retreating sound of his prey's footsteps.

Happosai's eyes narrowed dangerously. Stay out of it? Who did that boy think he was? Who was the master here, and who the student? His aura flickered into existence around him and his eyes began to glow with crimson chi. Beside him, a frozen mirror cracked ominously, before shattering to pieces from the catastrophic changes in temperature.

Robin had received enough endurance training. It was about time . . .

For a **real** combat lesson.

* * *

Robin tore around the corner, just in time to see Red X pry open the elevator door with a pair of bladed weapons that extended from the back of her gloves. He shouted angrily, before running forward once more.

Apparently yelling out wasn't the best idea though, as Red X turned his way and fired another, larger X his way. He was about to dodge, when it stopped five feet in front of him. Instantly, the four corners shot out, sticking to the four corners of the hallway and expanding to more or less block the passage. Through the gaps left by the walls, he saw the criminal girl leap down the shaft and disappear from his sight.

With a frustrated swipe of his birdarang, he slashed the red obstacle in half and leapt after her. He reached the open door a moment later and without a second though, he jumped down after her. The floors whizzed by, as he flew suicidally after the villain.

"Wrong way, Robin!" was all he heard, as Red X suddenly shot up past him, being pulled up by her own grappling hook.

Why had he installed so many systems into that damn suit? He cursed himself for the hundredth time since he had made it, then he pulled out his grappling hook and fired it up as well. He was about four stories below the girl and falling behind. Her equipment was just better than his, that's all there was to it.

Several seconds later, she was at the ceiling and using a smaller version of her earlier move to open up a path to the roof once more. Almost as an afterthought, she used her wrist blade to slash his cord, before she jumped through the opening and up to the roof.

Instantly he was falling again, as the rope from his tool began to fall uselessly around him. Rather than panic, he grabbed the elevator cable and swung to the nearby wall. He then started triangle jumping, from wall to wall, until he reached the roof as well. A moment later, he was up and through the opening.

He spun around quickly, scanning the roof as soon as he landed. There! Two roofs over and moving fast. He took off, as fast as his exhausted legs would carry him. The scenery flew by, as he nearly soared across the rooftops in pursuit of the young woman. Whoever she was, she wasn't too bad, but if he hadn't already been chasing Happosai around all night, there would have been no way that she'd have been able to get away from him. As it was, he was starting to fall behind slowly, his arms and legs burning painfully from the exertion.

At least, at least the girl didn't seem to have figured out all of the suits systems yet, relying on only a few of the abilities it had. But that likely wouldn't last long, and she'd only get more dangerous as time went by.

No! He had to stop her, here and now!

He pulled out a fan of birdarangs with his right hand and a fan of electric discs with his left. He waited until both him and Red X were leaping over alleys, before he threw the barrage of projectiles her way. The young woman landed only a moment before the whirling weapons converged on her position. She turned, just in time to give a loud squeal of panic and frantically try to dodge as the discs began exploding around her and the birdarangs slammed into her sides.

Red X landed a moment later, smoking slightly and with a few shallow tears in the suit along the torso and upper arms. It was all the time he needed to close the gap. He landed on the roof, even as she was shaking her head after regaining her feet. He smiled wickedly, pulling out another birdarang.

"I think it's about time you give up, after all . . . you look a mess," he quipped sarcastically.

He slowly circled around her, flipping his weapon into a reverse grip. Red X shook her head one last time, before she dropped into a loose stance and started to mirror his circling movement.

"You play very rough for a **hero**," she replied a bit bitingly. "Do you attack everyone this harshly?"

"Only the ones that steal dangerous and experimental technology out of my **home**. I don't care what your plans are, this ends **here**." He took a step forward, brandishing his weapon threateningly. He didn't have enough energy left for an extended fight, but she likely didn't know that.

Red X took a step back to match his. Her stance did tighten slightly, though her head tilted to the side in amusement. "But, Robin, if I give you the suit right now, whatever would I wear home? I wouldn't want to be arrested for indecent exposure, now would I?"

She could parade down the street naked, with sparklers and a parade, for all he cared. He was getting that damned suit back and that was that. He prepared to make good on his thoughts, when -

"My, my, I can't imagine what kind of degenerate person would consider your exposure to be indecent," cackled an ancient voice. A moment later, their battle was interrupted as the owner of the voice dropped down between them.

Robin actually took a step back, feeling a bit nervous for the first time tonight. Happosai had a rather grim look on his face, not to mention an unearthly aura glowing around him. Suddenly recovering the Red X suit didn't seem like such an immediate concern.

"It's about time that I taught you a lesson in manners, boy. I don't care what kind of sordid affair you two may have had in your past, but when **I'm** fighting someone, I do **not** like to be ignored. Now, it's time for you two to learn exactly why **I** am the master," decreed the old man, a threatening amount of steel in his voice.

Suddenly, Robin found himself looking to Red X again, this time seeing her as a potential ally rather than a vile criminal. Desperate times and all that. The girl looked back at him, matching his gaze. He could almost see her considering his unspoken offer. Unfortunately, it only lasted for a second.

"Sorry, Robin, but you're on your own on this one. Try not to get too hurt!" The criminally attractive girl then leapt back into the air, before suddenly vanishing into a flash of black. Damn, it looked like she found the teleportation system as well, not good.

Which left him staring at an irate Grand Master of the martial arts. With the resigned calm of a man facing a firing squad, Robin pulled out his communicator and opened it. Hmmm, on second thought . . . forget resigned calm!

"Titans! Code Red, converge on my signal. Now!"

* * *

"Thanks for coming to the cavern to get me, Raven." Ryouga looked over to the girl standing beside him, as the two of them floated over the city on an ebony disc of darkness. The dark Titan didn't return his look, focusing her attention on the task at hand. One of her graceful hands hovered before her, encased with dark energy as she controlled the disc. Her other hand held her communicator, as she homed in on Robin's signal.

"In this case, it is the most I could do. Kasumi is still insisting that I am not recovered enough for combat," she replied after a few moments. He might have been imagining it, but he thought he saw a ghost of a smile grace her pale lips. "After all, you are supposedly filling in for me, it would reflect poorly on me if you didn't make it to the emergency."

A sudden updraft sent the disc wobbling for a second. He very nearly grabbed his companion's shoulder to steady himself, but stopped himself at the last second. His callused hand hovered over the smooth material of her cloak for several seconds, before he dropped it to his side, a sigh escaping his lips.

The two of them had been getting along better lately, but he didn't want to push his luck. Though, at least she hadn't flinched this time when he had nearly touched her. It was a habit she had acquired after their encounter in the church, and he felt a little of himself die every time she did it.

The rest of the trip passed in uncomfortable silence.

Several minutes later, they arrived at the source of the signal. Raven must have made good time, while Starfire was already there, Beast Boy was just lowering Cyborg to the roof with his massive, saurian claws. As soon as they were within twenty feet of the building, he leapt the remaining distance and rushed forward to see what had occurred. He felt a strange . . . disturbance in Raven's aura behind him when he leapt, but couldn't identify what it meant.

"Yo, Robin! You okay, man?" Cyborg ran forward as well, to where their small leader was lying on the roof, his spiky haired head resting comfortably on Starfire's lap. Ryouga had to admit, the masked vigilante looked pretty roughed up. The boy's outfit was trashed, his face was covered in bruises and some nasty scratches covered his chin. Even the boy's cape was shredded in half, a worrying fact, considering it was a flame resistant, titanium material.

"**Dude**, what happened? You look like you got run over . . . twice!" came Beast Boy's unnecessary comment. Both boy's quickly stopped at their leader's side and started hovering over him. Ignoring all the commotion, Raven glided past all of them and knelt beside the injured boy. Rather than ask any inane questions, she simply started to pass her azure glowing hands over Robin's injuries.

Robin looked at everyone present, a serious expression on his face. "Happosai happened, but that's not important right now."

Starfire apparently thought otherwise, as her eyes began to glow with a passionate emerald energy. "The Happosai person injured you so grievously? I will not **stand** for it! We must find him and punish him. **Now**!" she all but demanded. The Lost Boy was pretty sure the only thing stopping her from flying off, right then and there, was Robin's head on her lap. Not that he disagreed with her at all. He'd gone along with this because he knew that the old pervert was usually pretty harmless. But to see his new friend brutally beaten . . .

The Tamaranian's rant died out, as Robin's hand came to rest on hers.

"No. Happosai doesn't matter, he's nothing compared to our real problem." Robin's intense stare filled them all with confusion . . . or maybe just him. No, no, one look at Beast Boy and Cyborg and he was pretty sure they were confused as well.

"What could possibly be worse than an underwear stealing gnome, that just happens to be one of the most powerful martial artist's on the planet?" Raven asked, a bit of disbelief in her voice as well. Ryouga understood her annoyance with the old man only too well. It was unfortunate, but the list of people that Happosai refused to target for his raids consisted of only three people: Kasumi, Jinx and Starfire. The first time that the Gothic girl had returned to her room from the med lab, she had found it very lacking in certain . . . accoutrements.

Needless to say, that had been the day that Ryouga had started camping out in Terra's cavern.

"Red X."

The two syllables cut through his thoughts and silenced everyone present. The tone with which they were delivered was deadly serious, and the effect it had on all of the Titan's present, was instantaneous.

"It cannot be!"

"But, dude, I thought **you **were Red X!"

"How the heck did they get past my security?"

He could only stare in confusion, at the shocked and panicked looks that now covered his friends' faces. He suddenly felt on the outside looking in, as he tried to figure out why everyone was so put out by this latest threat. Beast Boy's comment didn't help his confusion either, what had the boy meant by that?

Raven's flat stare matched Robin's gaze. "Do you have any idea who it could have been?"

The young leader shook his head harshly. "Not a clue, but whoever it was, she was pretty good," he offered grudgingly.

That brought everyone up short.

"Um . . . she?"

"A **girl** stole your suit?"

And, the inevitable, "Snnk, heh, Robin, I didn't know you wore unisex outfits!" Beast Boy followed up his nonsensical comment with a hail of boisterous laughter. At least until a pair of glaring females silenced him painfully.

It was about then, that he decided to force his way back into the conversation. He cleared his throat loudly and took a few steps forward to join the group. He waited until all of their gazes slid his way before he began. "Um . . . I'm sure this is all a very dire emergency, but . . . "

" . . . but who the heck is Red X?"


	4. Red XX? Chapter 3

Dark Titans – Arc 1 – Red XX?

Chapter Three

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Starfire did her best to ignore the flashing lights, as she gazed longingly at the back of her very closest friend. She disliked, very much, seeing him in such a state of self anger. Even injured, the proud young man refused their help. He stood ram-rod straight, staring intently at the elevator door as they rode up to the Tower's main room. To anyone but his closest friends, which was nearly everyone present in the elevator, he might have appeared detached and in control. However, she knew better; she could see the tightly coiled muscles in his arms tensing as he tried to contain his emotions.

She wasn't sure if anyone else noticed, they were all lost in thoughts of their own. To her rear, Beast Boy, Raven and Ryouga were standing in relative silence. Her emerald companion was shifting back and forth anxiously; a nervous expression on his face. Ryouga was glaring at the wall of the elevator, as if blaming it for his current situation. Ever since they had begun speaking of Red X, the young warrior had started to withdraw, perhaps feeling left out of their discussion. Between the two boys, and leaning against the back of the elevator, was Raven. The pale young woman wore an, almost excessively so, neutral expression on her face. It was obvious that Red X was the last thing on her mind though, considering the extremely brief and secretive glances she continued to cast at the bandanna clad boy's back.

Beside her, Cyborg was busily reading a series of readouts on the view screen mounted in his forearm. The small screen was still flashing and emitting small beeps, informing them of the security breech which had occurred in the tower shortly after they had convened with Robin. As soon as they had learned of the incursion, they had made their way back to the tower as quickly as possible.

When they had gotten there everything appeared to be normal. Aside from the alarm lighting, there was nothing out of place or damaged. Robin's first reaction, though, had surprised them all greatly.

"Kasumi is alone in there. Our first priority is making sure she's safe. Then we'll find out what the alert is."

It had shocked them all quite a bit, the realization that someone helpless, like Kasumi, was in the tower during a possible enemy attack. It was also the reason they were riding up the elevator to the main room, since Kasumi's room was on the same floor, rather than going to the basement to determine the source of the alarm.

It was also likely a part of the reason that the Lost Boy, as Ranma had been constantly calling him, was still glaring at the wall. Ryouga took his role as Kasumi's guardian very seriously, and he was obviously annoyed that Robin had thought of her welfare before he had. She would have felt bad for him, except that his total obliviousness to Raven's attention was starting to annoy her.

The near silent swish of the elevator doors opening heralded their arrival to the main room. As a group, they rushed out into the room, prepared for anything. Robin flashed out, bo staff leading the way. Cyborg barreled past him, Sonic Cannon glowing threateningly. Raven and herself flew up as soon as they exited the door, while Beast Boy and Ryouga moved out to flank the two other boys. The flashing red lights and the blaring alarms nearly overwhelmed her senses as she surveyed the room . . .

"Oh my!"

What she saw was unusual, even for her sensibilities. There, sitting calmly on a stool by the kitchen counter, calmly sipping a cup of tea, was Kasumi . . . being calm. In fact, the young woman appeared to be more surprised by their rapid entrance into the tower, than by the loud sirens or strobing lights.

Immediately, Ryouga rushed forward to check on the Tendo woman. "Kasumi, are you alright? Did anyone attack you?" he asked, speaking loudly to be heard. Her friend wore a mask of fear and concern on his face, and she could sense his anger bubbling just beneath the surface. His desire to lash out at whatever caused this was nearly palpable; she could practically feel it in his soul.

To the side, Cyborg powered down his sonic cannon and moved over to the control panel by the elevator. Several deft movements of his fingers and the room was returned to blessed normalcy.

"I'm perfectly fine, Ryouga. I'm not sure exactly what is happening, but the computer was kind enough to explain some of the situation to me," Kasumi replied to Ryouga's worried inquiries.

Hearing that, Robin moved over as well, deftly maneuvering around the island counter that separated the kitchenette from the rest of the room. "What's the situation, Kasumi?"

Kasumi turned to regard their young leader, and gasped in surprise when she finally saw the condition the boy was in. Starfire could sympathize with the gentle woman's concern, she had hardly been consolable herself, when she had seen what that Old Man had done to him. The brunette looked ready to bury Robin under a wave of medical care, but the deadly serious look on the boy's face stopped her instantly.

The older girl regarded Robin for a few moments, apparently torn between helping him and answering his question. However, a moment later she looked down and away, a slight frown on her lips. "The computer said that there was a forced entrance in the basement. Apparently it happened a little over twenty minutes from when you sent out your call to everyone's communicators."

Cyborg smacked a fist into his open palm, resulting in a metallic clang. "Dammit! Whoever did this must have been planning this for weeks. They hit us as soon as we went to help you out, man." The titanium teen then raised a hand to his chin in consideration. "And twenty minutes . . . into the basement . . . Ah, man! Whoever it was, they must have found the emergency entrance! But how would they have known about that?"

It was Raven's turn to look surprised. Her dear friend floated forward to join the group, an odd look on her features. "It's my fault . . . When Cologne and Ranma arrived to help me, I directed them to the emergency entrance, so they could enter undetected."

"That means that whoever did this, they were spying on us for at **least** two weeks," theorized Robin. He then continued. "What else did the computer tell you?"

Kasumi looked back to the serious young man, her saddened look still present. "Apparently they only made it up to the third subbasement, before they set off an alarm and activated the security measures. That was all that it told me, and I wasn't able to go and see for myself, since I don't have any access to restricted areas."

Robin nodded, deep in thought. "That's for the best; you shouldn't be putting yourself into that kind of danger anyway. Thanks, Kasumi, you've told me everything I need to know about what's happening."

The Tendo woman smiled at that, then moved forward and placed a delicate hand on the boy's face, checking his injury before he could argue. Starfire felt an odd twinge pass through her at the gesture, seeing someone else act so familiar around Robin. It was not jealousy . . . was it? How could she possibly be jealous of Kasumi? Kasumi acted more like a mother than the attractive young woman that she was.

Another odd thought struck her, derailing her rather unpleasant train of thought.

"But, Robin. Is there not only one device stored in the third subbasement?" she asked.

Robin nodded, politely ignoring Kasumi as she began fussing over his injuries. Strangely enough, a small smile was forming on their leader's face, despite the raw and scabbed skin that covered his abused chin.

"The only thing stored there, was the Red X suit."

Beast Boy's sudden bark of laughter rolled over everyone, drawing all their gazes. "Dude, that is **so** awesome! Someone just went to all that trouble, to steal somethin that's already been **stolen**! Oh man, Cy, tell me you got cameras down there," crowed the changeling.

The look of joy on Beast Boy's face was contagious as he continued.

"I have **gotta** see the look on that guy's face when he finds out!"

* * *

Yet another intolerably long elevator ride and they were finally at the scene of the crime. Ryouga growled to himself again, probably for the tenth time that night. How could he have **forgotten** that Kasumi was alone in the tower? What the hell had he been doing? While he was out sitting in some cavern looking at a **rock, **the most gentle, sweet and caring woman in the entire world was at the mercy of some random criminal.

Once again, the elevator doors slid open. This time all that was revealed was a narrow corridor. All of his companions rushed out past him to examine what had happened.

"You can't blame yourself for this."

Almost all of his companions. He turned to regard the cloaked girl; he seriously doubted that she needed her empathic powers to guess what was on his mind. Mindful of the elevator, he stepped across the threshold and waited for her to join him. A moment later, the elevator door slid close behind them.

He contemplated the dispassionate gaze on the lovely young woman's face, before grunting derisively. "I don't see why not. I'm supposed to be protecting Kasumi, and the first time that something happens, I'm not even within ten **kilometers** of her."

Raven's eyes narrowed at his words. "We were **all** away; we all went to help Robin. Are you saying that it's more important to watch over Kasumi, on a one in one thousand chance that something like this happens, than it is to help someone that you **know** is in trouble?"

He opened his mouth to bark a response . . . but then her words echoed across the reason center of his brain. So instead he stood there for a moment, mouth hanging open like a gasping fish. When she put it like that . . . "Damn! Why do you have to be so **smart** all of the time?" he barked irritably.

So much for his self loathing inner monologue. Her superior smirk wasn't helping at all, as it was obvious who had won that exchange. Sure it was cute, but that just made it that much more irksome.

"Well, considering the competition here, it's not too difficult," she said, her smirk widening into a small smile. "Besides, if you hadn't been with us helping Robin, you would have been with Terra, trying to help her. Now you can't tell me that helping **her** isn't just as important as helping Kasumi, can you?"

Again, he opened his mouth to respond . . . but nothing cutting or witty sprang to mind. Why did his brain always fail him in these situations? He'd definitely need to work on his banter if he wanted to bandy wits with the likes of her. So instead of standing there like a fool, he spun on the ball of his foot and marched off down the hallway. He made sure to arch his back fiercely to make his annoyance obvious to her. He could sense her float after him almost immediately.

"You're not really angry, Hibiki, and you're not going to get any sympathy by pretending," her muttered voice traveled over his shoulder, a teasing tone flowing in it.

He didn't bother turning, he just continued to trek down the hallway, carefully stepping around the smashed laser cannons on the floor. At least five of the devices had been destroyed when the culprit had made their escape.

"I am angry, I'm always angry, just ask anyone," he barked back, barely holding in the small chuckle that threatened to destroy his posturing.

He could feel her close the distance between them, just hanging a few scant inches behind his shoulder. Another odd ripple ran through her aura, different from the last one as they flew over the city. "You'd be more convincing if you weren't smiling, you know."

This time he did stop, suddenly. He enjoyed a minute of spiteful glee, when she bounced into his back . . . well, actually the soft and warm contact that her gently curved body produced when she collided with him elicited more sensations than just the spite, but he focused mainly on that. He turned to look over his shoulder, smiling at the annoyed frown on her lips now. "Hey, since when did I start receiving the Beast Boy treatment anyway?"

She glared at him for a moment, before she floated past him. "I wasn't giving you 'the Beast Boy treatment', but if you ever do that again, I'll do something that makes 'the Beast Boy treatment' pale in comparison." Her warning given, the darkly clad girl floated to join her friends at the end of the hall.

He mentally kicked himself for that. Why had he done that? He knew that she still wasn't comfortable with him touching her in anyway. How could he blame her, considering he had nearly killed her...? Gods, for just a moment, he had forgotten that, he'd been so caught up in her gentle teasing. As much as he wanted to, he knew there was no way he could ever truly be her friend again, not after what he had done to her.

A quiet sigh escaped his lips, as he finally caught up to everyone at the end of the hall. It appeared that most of the wall they were examining was taken up by a large vault. The massive titanium door of said vault was currently laying flat on the ground. All around the door, along the floor, ceiling and walls were dozens of tiny reflective devices, carefully placed. At the moment, Robin was inside the vault. He was examining a large metallic slab which seemed to possess a strange indent, as if someone had lain down in the molten metal when it had been forged. Starfire and Beast Boy were both playing around with some of the reflective discs.

After finishing some scan or another, Cyborg finally moved over to the fallen vault door and casually lifted it up and leaned it against the wall. "Ah ha! Here's the culprit!" he exclaimed, pointing to a large metal dome that still clung to the front of the large door. Several spindly arms protruded from the circular device, but had mostly been snapped off when the door had fallen . . .

Hey!

"Hey! That's Gizmo's old safe cracker. He showed it to me over a month ago, back at the academy. He said it was one of his first year projects, but that he never ended up using it, since he could hack any security system anyways," Ryouga said, happy to finally be able to add something to the investigation.

Cyborg nodded slowly in agreement. "Yeah, it's definitely Short Stuff's tech."

"Does that mean that Gizmo stole your suit?" Beast Boy asked; a slightly puzzled look on his face.

Robin stepped out of the vault and shook his head slightly. "It's possible, but it seems a bit crude for him. It's possible that someone else might have bought the device from him, if what Ryouga says is true."

Ryouga rolled his eyes in annoyance at that, but held his peace. Admittedly, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to him. Someone using Gizmo's technology to steal something that had already been stolen. That didn't help them figure out who **actually** stole the suit. After all, the door was obviously still in place and functional when they had left to get Robin, or else there would have been no reason to rip the door off like that.

That seemed to indicate that whoever had **really** stolen the suit had been a much better thief. They had to have been, to get in, get the suit and get out, and leave the vault locked back up behind them.

Hmm . . . that was an interesting thought. Apparently Cyborg was way ahead of him, already accessing the vaults electronic lock. The larger teen considered the information on his arm for several moments, before finally coming to a conclusion.

"Dawgs didn't just hack this door once, they did it twice! Once tonight, but it looked like it failed, hence the overkill. The second time, though, was **two** days ago, and it was successful. Whoever it was, they were good, cut through the encryptions like nothing. I have no idea who it could have been, or how they got past everything else so easily, but they cracked this safe like an egg," said the Cybernetic hero, a mix of anger and awe in his voice.

Everyone seemed to lose themselves in thought at his explanation. Ryouga, however, was on a different train of thought. After Cyborg finished his scan and moved off to think it over, he moved in to examine the lock himself.

Ah ha again! It had been a long shot, but there they were, as plain as day. Ryouga couldn't be sure who had hacked first or second, but he had a strange feeling that the people he was considering were the ones that had been successful.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think I can narrow your list of suspects from **anyone** down to about five or so," he muttered cryptically. He ran his fingers over the input port on the lock, smiling slightly at his discovery.

Almost instantly, Robin was at his side, glaring at him intently. "What do you mean?" he nearly demanded.

He rolled his eyes slightly, but decided to let his friends insistent attitude pass. He knew that the young hero was very angry about this whole issue, though he still wasn't a hundred percent sure why. So rather than argue the merits of polite discussion, he pointed to the input port on the vaults lock.

"I can't be sure who hacked the lock first, but if you look carefully around the input, you can see four tiny scratch marks," he said, indicating the marks with his finger. Robin leaned in eagerly, carefully examining the marks. After a moment, the teen hero nodded and stood back up.

"I see them, but what do they mean?"

His smile grew slightly at that, it was always fun to be the one that knew the answer to something. "Those are the marks left by the computer hacking probe which is standard issue in all Hive communicators."

He quickly followed up his explanation by pulling out his own hexagonal communicator. He carefully flipped oven a panel on the bottom of the device, then pulled out a long cord and moved it towards the lock.

"Since most Hive students, like Jinx, Mammoth, or myself, never carry around any technical gear asides from our communicators, the Headmaster made sure that they could do as many things as possible. Not only do they have the communication and tracking ability that yours do, they double as memory sticks for downloading stolen data; and a hacking device for taking out security systems." He carefully maneuvered the tiny probe to the input and touched it to the opening.

Instantly, four tiny hooks swung out from the sides and scratched lightly into the titanium of the vault door. "Heh, normally, those would dig into the metal of a computer panel. They're meant to hold the probe in place, in case the communicator is dropped because of a fight or some other kind of disturbance."

Since the hooks couldn't gain any purchase on the solid metal of the door, he carefully slid it in the rest of the way. A moment later, a series of algorithms were displayed on the tiny screen of his communicator.

Robin stared in interest, while everyone else gasped in shock at his demonstration. The fanged boy looked over the display for several moments, before grunting in dismay. "Hmm, man, this is some complicated stuff. There's no way that I would have been able to pull this off. There were probably only one or two people in the entire academy that could have hacked this," he muttered in disbelief. Man, no wonder this last guy had just resorted to tearing the door off.

Cyborg glared angrily, cracking his knuckles as he stared at the communicator. "Three guesses as to who one of those people were."

"Dude, I only need one. Looks like Gizmo actually got to help out on **both** safe crackings. On the same safe no less," growled Beast Boy.

Starfire nodded, a thoughtful look on her features. "And if it was Gizmo whom stole the suit, then it is most likely that the female who was wearing it was . . ."

They all nodded in unison, as the answer became glaringly obvious to them. It was Robin that finally voiced the name that hovered on all their minds.

"Nabiki."

* * *

Nabiki spun around before her full length mirror, marveling at her new suit once again. She had asked Gizmo to hook her up with a little something to help her keep up with her boys and all of the enemies they were going to start racking up soon, but this exceeded her expectations. She looked down again, running her hands across the smooth, body hugging material that now covered her body. Not only did it look good, it felt great.

She noticed Gizmo still standing behind her, looking a little hot under the collar. It would be cruel of her to tease the boy, especially after he had just given her such a wonderful gift. Which, of course, was exactly why she decided to do it. Arching her back innocently, she then leaned forward as far as she could, running her hands down her legs and pretending to inspect her new boots.

A strangled gasp and the hurried sound of her favorite little inventor quickly turning away gave her a boost to her ego that she surely, surely didn't need. Suppressing the wicked smile that wanted to bloom on her ruby painted lips; she stood straight once more and looked in the mirror again. If those were the kind of reactions she was going to get, maybe it was about time that she rethought her stance on not wearing spandex in public.

The suits capabilities were pretty impressive as well, Gizmo had given her a rundown of what it could do, and she'd feigned understanding most of it. She'd read the manual later. She was sure that she'd figure out all of the less understandable systems later on, as she got more used to the suit. She definitely had to admit it though; this suit was a marvel of technology. With her limited understanding of the mad sciences (as she loved calling it around her little inventor) she had no idea how a skin tight suit could even do any of the things it did.

There was one thing that was bothering her though. She turned to her companion, an upturned eyebrow displaying her concern. "Gizmo?"

The young, young man turned back to face her, digging his toe adorably into the carpet and trying desperately to hide a blush. "Um . . . yeah, Boss?"

"I don't want to complain, but this suit is just a _little bit _tight," she stated calmly. An instant later, she intensified her glare, as Gizmo's face suddenly bloomed a bright red again. "I can only assume that there is a **good** reason for my outfit being so tight and not some immature, hormone driven reason . . . can't I?"

The poor boy looked like his head was about to explode for a moment there, when, "Um – It's new! Yeah, it's new, so it needs to be broken in! I'm sure you'll stretch it out in no time!"

Her brow arched dangerously at his choice of words.

"Wait! Not stretch out . . . um . . . work in! Yeah, you'll work it in, in no time, all comfortable-like, like a body glov- I mean, like a glove . . . ah, I'm gonna shut up now . . ." he finally muttered in humiliation.

Only to be difficult, she held her imperious glare for another moment, before finally smiling happily. Then she leaned forward and patted him affectionately on the head. "Oh, Gizmo, you're such a boy. But you try so hard, so I'll let it slide this time. Now, tell Billy to get me a coffee, I'm dying of thirst in here."

The look of relief on the young boy's face was hilarious, as he scrambled off to get someone else to do something menial for her. Ah, she loved her boys; they were just so much fun! Well, except for Billy, she was starting to wish that she'd taken See-more instead. Not only was Billy a sexist jerk that was stupid enough to hit on **Shampoo** of all people, but she was starting to realize the synergy that See-more and Kyd Wykkyd possessed when they combined their powers. She groaned loudly in disgust, why had she let the appeal of an infinite number of henchmen fool her?

"Yeah, I'd be groaning too if I had to wear a full body corset like that. Sheesh, I had no idea that Giz was so shameless," came a lyrical voice from the doorway.

At that, Nabiki turned to see her impromptu guest enter the room. She looked the girl over once before letting out a dismissive huff. "Shameless or not, I look **gooood**. And I hardly think you should be giving out fashion advice at the moment, Jinx," she fired back, gesturing to her companion's outfit.

Jinx leaned casually against the doorframe, her outfit consisted pretty much entirely of a fluffy cotton bathrobe. It was such a bright pink, that the girl's flowing locks seemed to melt into it where they fell around her shoulders. Nabiki noted, idly, that Jinx had yet to put her hair back up into its usual upturned style, and frankly, she looked a lot better with it down like this. Of course, her grayish, pale skin and pink cat-like eyes still made her stand out from a crowd, but she definitely didn't look like a villain at the moment.

Especially not with the absolutely adorable shade of pink that she'd painted her toenails.

Oh, and then there was the tub of triple chocolate fudge ice cream lodged in her arm like a long lost child. The young sorceress casually scooped out a spoonful of the tasty treat and ate it with passionate abandon.

"Mmmmm . . . That's sooo good. Anyway, it doesn't matter what **I'm** wearing, Biki. I don't have anyone to impress. Besides, we both know that I don't have the body to pull of something like **that**." Jinx punctuated her point, by draping her spoon bearing hand across her brow dramatically. "Oh, woe is me, a scarecrow that can't even get Happosai's attention."

Nabiki rolled her eyes, trying to bury her amusement. "Do you have any idea how many women would **kill** to have **that** particular problem? Besides, I know **one** boy that likes your body just the way it is. I'm sure if you gave him a proper test drive, he'd appreciate you in a whole new way," she suggested in a sly voice.

Her little jab worked, as Jinx's face suddenly blushed as red as a tomato. The girl then narrowed her eyes and pointed her spoon threateningly. "Don't get started on **that** again, Biki. I told you why I let Raven have him. I've done too much wrong to deserve him, and I don't need you constantly dredging up the past like that, thank you very much."

Yet **again**, Nabiki rolled her eyes. "And I told **you** how **I** feel about giving! It's just wrong, on so many levels. And really, would you listen to yourself talk? 'Oh, I'm not worthy of the Lost Boy, he's ever so perfect and kind.' I hate to burst your bubble, Jinx, but Ryouga ain't no saint. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that he was a psychotic maniac when he first arrived on the scene. Trust me, you are _exactly _the kind of girl that he deserves, and I only partially mean that in an insulting way."

Her irate companion glared back at her, angrily devouring another spoonful of gooey ice cream. "Yeah . . . well . . . well-shut up!"

The Ice Queen of the Hive Five smirked happily. "Oooh, nice comeback, Jinx. Is that the same witty banter you pull out for the super heroes? Heh, well, I can't blame you, there hasn't been a person born yet that can get the better of Tendo Nabiki," she proclaimed happily.

The annoyed sorceress turned to leave, but then stopped suddenly. Jinx turned to look over her shoulder one last time, a wicked smile on her face. "Yeah? Well that suit makes your butt look **huge**."

Jinx then vanished out the door, leaving her to stand there, staring blankly after the departed girl. Quickly, Nabiki turned back to the mirror, eyeing her reflection critically. She then turned to glare at the empty doorway angrily.

"Yeah . . . well . . . well-shut up!"

* * *

Left jab, right jab, left cross, uppercut. The punching bag reverberated with each meaty smack of Robin's fists colliding with its leathery surface. He repeated the combination again, and again and again, faster, harder and faster. He had already been at it for half an hour straight, and had long passed beyond the point where he was actually training.

Now all that remained was his anger and the intense need to vent it.

How could he have let her escape? The worst part was that he had **had** her! He had had her right in his grasp. She wasn't bad, but she wasn't great either. The suit made her dangerous, but she hadn't known how to use it very well yet. If Happosai hadn't interfered . . .

He jumped back and spun into a brutal spinning sidekick. The entire bag swung back from the impact and the chain creaked out a tenuous warning. As soon as it swung back, a crushing elbow met it and he flowed into a new combination of attacks.

No, Red X, whoever she was, she didn't know how to use the suit fully yet, but that would change quickly. Anyone clever enough to steal it in the first place likely wouldn't have too much trouble deciphering all of the systems given some time. And the more she learned, the more dangerous it would get. The worst part was that he knew if they didn't get it back soon, their chances of getting it back at all would decrease rapidly.

After all, he had designed it specifically to take down the Titans. With its power, he had been able to outmaneuver all of his friends, despite their super human abilities. Their only real advantage at the moment was that he hadn't known Ryouga when he had made the suit. As it was, there weren't any systems intended to take down either of the Titan's resident martial artists.

Of course, if it was Nabiki that had taken it, which all of the evidence pointed towards, then she already knew every single weakness that Ryouga might possess. She had been an extremely sharp female, even from his short interactions with her, and he doubted that she wouldn't take advantage of any advantage she could. Heck, he was actually pretty impressed by her. The fact that a high school kid could outwit and outmaneuver a seasoned team of super heroes . . . yeah, that one was definitely worthy of a wary respect.

"Oh my, I hope I'm not interrupting." A gentle, nearly musical voice derailed his train of thought. The masked vigilante ceased his near mindless destruction of the punching bag and turned to face Kasumi.

Even after a week, he still had a hard time reconciling the woman before him with the Kasumi that he had come to know. Seeing her dressed for training, dressed in a loose pair of gi pants and a black sports bra under a snug white t-shirt . . . it was a little distracting. Which was odd, especially considering it wasn't risqué at all, and in fact, more than either Raven or Starfire wore on a daily basis.

Maybe it was just the shock of the fact it was Kasumi dressed like that. He chuckled lightly, he had spoken to Ryouga on the subject, and the older boy had said that he had been just as disturbed when he had been subjected to the sight when they had started training back at the Academy. Of course, then Ryouga had started babbling some nonsense about nose bleeds and fainting spells, but he was pretty sure he was just teasing him.

"Not at all, Kasumi. You aren't scheduled for another lesson today though," he said politely.

She nodded, and then walked over to join him. The young woman took a short moment to check his injuries, running a soft thumb over his chin, before turning his head left and right so she could inspect him better. He took it with resigned patience, it had been easy to wave off her ministrations when he hadn't really been hurt, but after the working over that Happosai had given him . . . Well, he had soon found that she possessed a will that would not be denied.

After a moment, she turned to look at the target of his frustrations, and ran a gentle hand down the dented leather surface of the punching bag. "You really shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard. After what Happosai did to you last night, you should still be resting," she stated mildly.

He nodded slightly, but then smiled broadly. "I'm fine, Kasumi. You know just as well as I do that Happosai didn't hurt me that bad. He may be a panty stealing pervert, but he is a great master of the martial arts. Sure, I was in a world of pain last night, but it turned out that he had mostly just hit a lot of my pressure points and nerve clusters. He didn't do any actual or lasting damage. Heh, I have to admit though, seeing him go full out like that, it was a pretty humbling sight."

The lovely brunette nodded at his prognosis, though she obviously wasn't happy about it. "Perhaps, but just because you weren't hurt as much as you thought you were, doesn't mean that you shouldn't rest. You're just as bad as Raven, Ryouga and Ranma." A sudden look crossed her face, as she thought about what she said. A small giggle escaped her lips after a moment. "Oh my, isn't that a funny coincidence? Ranma, Raven, Robin and Ryouga, each one just as proud and stubborn as the next."

"Heh, yeah, that is a little funny when you think about it like that," he agreed, smiling widely. His smile dropped a bit, when she turned back to him, a tiny frown on her lips.

"And speaking of that, you might be well enough to train, but Raven is still far too injured to be going out on missions. I would like to know what one of my patients, who is under specific orders not to go on missions, is doing going out on missions," she asked as pointedly as was possible for the poster woman of sweetness.

The leader of the Titans tugged at his collar a bit nervously at that. "Eh heh, well, she wasn't **actually** on the mission. She was just making sure that Ryouga got there, she was only there in a transportation role."

His taller companion considered his words for a moment, before nodding slightly. "I suppose that makes sense, but I would prefer it if you would discuss her situation with her. I know she heals faster than normal, but her arm and ribs were broken quite badly. It will be at least another three weeks before she will be able to remove her casts," she explained calmly.

He shrugged. "Sure, I suppose I can do that. But I thought you said Ranma was only going to need his cast for two weeks at the most. Didn't he have nearly a dozen broken ribs? Raven only had three. I know Ranma is a fast healer, but that much faster?"

"It's not just a matter of that, Raven is actually an amazingly rapid healer, easily on par with Ranma and Ryouga. However, her physical conditioning is much less than theirs. While Ranma had nearly half of his rib cage fractured, his naturally denser musculature held them all nearly perfectly in place. Raven on the other hand, the force of Ryouga's attack nearly pushed one of her ribs directly into her lung. I would just feel much better if she refrained from entering dangerous situations like the one you were in last night." The young doctor in training spoke with a silent conviction that moved him.

"All right, all right, you win. I'll talk to Raven about it. Now, back to my original question, why are you here today? I thought you would be working with Cyborg."

She shook her head slightly at that. "I was, but he is understandably preoccupied with locating both Red X and Happosai. After last night, I believe that everyone has had a change of heart about letting you hunt him down alone."

"I guess I can understand that. But it's not him that we need to worry about. He may be powerful, but he's not really a danger to the city, just an annoyance. Red X is the real threat. She's a dangerous criminal and we **will** take her down," he promised darkly.

Kasumi regarded him strangely for a moment. "I know that you think Nabiki is Red X, but you seem to be much angrier about this situation than that would warrant. Just . . . just why does Red X make you so angry? To be honest, from what you've told me so far, she hasn't done anything to warrant such anger . . . yet."

He let out a beleaguered sigh. She did have a point. Whoever this new Red X was, Nabiki or not, the only thing she had done yet was attack Happosai, and he'd been doing that for a week straight himself. No, he wasn't even that mad about the suit getting stolen, though it was a thorn in his side. No . . . no, it was the reminder of **then**, of what he had done to earn Slade's trust. He had done terrible things then, broke the law, attacked his friends . . . no, the last thing he needed was some leggy vixen running around reminding him of his own shortcomings and running his reputation even further into the ground.

With that in mind, and suddenly feeling a strange urge to unburden himself, he led Kasumi over to one of the benches that ran down the walls. "Well, Kasumi, it's a long, dark story . . ."

"Slade, it all started with Slade."


	5. Red XX? Chapter 4

Dark Titans – Arc 1 – Red XX?

Chapter Four

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Cyborg flopped down onto the long, semi-circular couch that took up the center of the main room. He let out an explosive sigh, mentally exhausted after a night of trying to piece together the puzzle that had been handed to them. On the couch to his left, Raven and Beast Boy sat; Beast Boy was nearly passed out and only Raven's insistent pushing kept him from falling all over her. To his right, Starfire and Ryouga sat, leaning comfortably against each other and looking a bit sleepy themselves.

"C'mon, Ryo, you know that Nabiki girl better than anyone here, why would she steal the suit?" muttered the Titanium Titan.

Ryouga didn't bother to move from his enviable position, he just swiveled his eyes in his direction. "Well, asides from the obvious, she might be a bit insecure about not having any ability to defend herself. If that thing is as powerful as you're all making it out to be, I don't doubt she'd make good use of it. The only thing that I can't figure out, is why she'd cross paths with Happosai. There have to be better ways to test it out."

With one last shove, Raven sent her emerald tormentor flopping off of the couch and onto the floor. She then turned her attention back to the conversation. "It does seem slightly odd. I only met Nabiki for several minutes, when she revealed her betrayal of the Headmaster. She didn't seem like the kind of person that would willingly enter into personal combat herself. Certainly if she wanted additional protection, Gizmo would be more than able to create something more suitable to her mindset."

On the ground, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Beast Boy sat up. "What are you talkin about? That Red X suit is the ultimate. Robin sure pulled out all the stops when he made it, heck, it was even good enough to beat Cy's tech."

Hey now! "Hey, watch it, Grass Stain. I'm still tryin to figure out how he made such an advanced suit. No offence to our leader, but he just isn't that smart. There's something . . . something key that I'm missing, but it just shouldn't be possible for a suit with no visible power sources to be able to do all that stuff," he explained in annoyance.

The changeling just waved him off dismissively. "Pfft, and I thought **I** was the green eyed kid. Don't be jellin just cause Robin is the new Techno Wizard of the Titans. You had a good run, dude."

Oh, that was it. "Good run? Good run! Dawg, I am the **master **of technology! I could design circles around Robin. And Gizmo's tech is at least as good as mine. There's no way that Mighty Midget would resort to stealin **Robin's** tech, either one of us could make something ten times better than him!"

By the time he finished, he was huffing mightily, and all of his friends were leaning away from him with nervous looks on their faces.

"Um . . . eh heh . . . whatever you say, dude, you're the master . . . heh." Beast Boy's weak agreement didn't seem quite as sincere as it could have, but he'd take it.

To his side, Starfire and Ryouga disentangled themselves and the Lost Boy leaned forward. "So what the heck does this suit do anyway? I mean, if we're going to go after Nabiki, I think I should at least know what it's capable of."

Cyborg flopped back into the couch once more. "That's just it, we don't even know all of it's abilities. Heck, some of the things it can do don't even seem possible. Suffice it to say, if you see a red X comin your way, you'd best be getting outta said way."

Ryouga's nonplussed stare signaled his lack of satisfaction with that answer. Luckily, Raven decided to pick up the slack. "We don't know all of its abilities, but the ones we do know are impressive. Short range teleportation, adhesive attacks, explosive attacks, energy redirection projectiles, wrist blades. I also believe the suit grants and increase in both strength and speed, though not agility. It was designed by Robin, for Robin and it perfectly complimented his fighting style."

This time, Ryouga's nonplussed stare signaled something entirely different. "Oh, is that all . . . I feel soo much better now."

"Yeah, I know how ya feel. If only our overly paranoid, spiky haired leader would just give me the plans for the suit, I'd be able to figure out what it does, but he don't share nothing he doesn't think he needs to," muttered Cyborg, in disgust.

Starfire sat up at that. "Please, friends. I am certain that Robin has a most exemplary reason for not informing us as to all of the capabilities of the Red X suit. We must believe in him, for he too is our friend."

"Yeah, yeah, Star. Big trusting family here, we know Robin wouldn't do anything to hurt us," mumbled Beast Boy, though how sincere his statement was, was a bit in doubt.

A rumble in his titanium stomach grabbed his attention. Hmm, food didn't seem like a bad idea. With that in mind, he hopped over the couch and made his way to the kitchenette. "It's all good, Star. I know that we can take down Red X. I just wish I knew **how** Robin managed to make a suit with all of those capabilities without a ton of supporting equipment to power it . . ."

Apparently Ryouga seemed to have something in mind as well, as he stood up and flipped over the couch, following him to the kitchen. The martial artist yawned loudly and stretched as he walked. "Feh, you know what? Who really cares? Whether it's Nabiki or not, this Red X girl hasn't done anything worse than attack the Old Pervert, and really, who hasn't done that? I don't know why you're all so worked up over one of Robin's old toys, if it was really that great, he'd still be using it."

That struck Cyborg as strangely true . . . The Red X suit was incredibly useful. Sure, Robin claimed that it reminded him too much of his time with Slade, but a minor cosmetic change could fix that easily. Was there another, more logical reason that the masked hero refused to use the suit?

"Well, as exciting as all of this sitting around and griping is, I think I should get back to Terra. Hey, whose turn is it to take me back down?" asked Ryouga, looking around the room.

Cyborg quickly lifted his hand and started counting the days on his fingers. Oh, damn! It was Tuesday, that meant he was on Ryouga duty. Man, how could anyone get that lost that easy? He raised his hand further and was about to bite the bullet, when something stopped him.

Said something being the twin glares of Starfire and Raven willing him to silence. Ryouga was staring in his direction, so he didn't see the girls' heated stares behind his back. Rather, Ryouga looked at him quizzically, since he had raised his hand.

He needed an out, quick!

"Um . . . i-it's my turn to make dinner tonight! Yeah, that's it. So you better not spend all night in Terra's cavern **again,** Ryouga. You're a growing boy after all, and you need to eat," he spat out, pretty unconvincingly.

"Sheesh, Cy, what are you, the guy's mom?" barked his best bud from behind the couch.

Ryouga just shrugged, accepting his words at face value. "Fine . . . just, no pork, right?"

Cyborg rolled his eyes. Fine, cow was good enough. Still, dealing with BB's odd eating habits was bad enough, now he had to make the Tower into a Kosher deli?

"I'll be glad to take you down to the cavern today, Ryouga." Raven's quiet voice floated across the room.

He chuckled to himself, yeah, that wasn't a surprise at all. Those two had been acting pretty awkward around each other lately, they definitely needed to hash things out. He still kind of hoped that she was only interested in him as a friend, though. His conversation with Jinx, so long ago, still echoed in his memory from time to time. Jinx and Ryouga had been crazy about each other, mind control or no, and Cyborg was pretty sure that the Lost Boy was still reeling from that emotionally.

"Hey, thanks, Raven. Come on, we can hit a restaurant on the way and catch some breakfast," offered Ryouga. The guy then turned and headed straight for the closet, totally missing the light blush that formed on Raven's cheeks.

Uh-oh . . .

A moment later, the depressive duo got themselves sorted out and vanished down the elevator. He could only shake his head in worry.

"Excuse me, but do either of you know where Robin is to be located now?" asked Starfire, politely.

He struggled with that for a moment. "Oh yeah. He's down in the gym. I sent Kasumi down to train with him, since I'm gonna be too busy tracking the suit today to go over the medical equipment with her."

Beast Boy jumped onto the top of the couch, a dreamy smile on his face. "Heh, talk about one lucky dude. I still stand by my original statement, that girl is an angel."

The sudden surge of red to their resident Tamarian's cheeks piqued the resident cyborg's curiosity. "Somethin wrong, Star?" he asked innocently.

"No, of course not, friend Cyborg, for what reason do you inquire?" she fired back in a hurried tone.

That only made him more suspicious. Heck, even BB was catching on. The other boy leaned over on the couch towards the girl. "Are you suuuure, Starfire? It sure seems like something is bothering you."

"You are gravely mistaken, Beast Boy! I most assuredly do not believe that Robin is spending far too much time with the Kasumi person. That would be a most foolish and immature assumption for you to make!" The girl's heated denial was followed by a rapid exit, as she literally flew out the window, blushing as bright as the sun.

Cyborg watched the spectacle blankly before turning to face Beast Boy, who wore a matching expression. The younger boy looked back at him, a little embarrassed. "I'm guessing this is the part where one of us says 'but no one mentioned Robin'?"

He could only shrug in response. "Man, we've seen her get jealous before, but over **Kasumi**? I mean, sure, she's super hot and super nice and a great cook and . . . and . . ." he trailed off uncertainly.

Beast Boy's head shot up at the sudden revelation. "Umm . . . dude? You think those worries of hers might not be totally unfounded? I think I'm gonna go after her, see if I can't talk her down," offered the emerald youth. He followed his statement with action, heading for the window.

The Titanium Teen sighed loudly. "Yeah, you do that. I better get started on this scanning stuff."

If Beast Boy heard him, he gave no sign. Instead, the other Titan just dived out the window . . . hopefully turning into a bird or something before he hit the pavement below. Sure, the guy did that on a daily basis, but it always weirded him out, just a bit, to see his best friend jump out of a fourteenth story window in his elf form.

A quick head shake to clear his mind of disturbing and morbid thoughts, and he made his way to the fridge and prepared to get himself a little breakfast to start the day -

A loud beep from his arm mounted communicator nearly made him drop a plate full of bacon on the ground. A quick bout of curses and some dramatic acrobatics saved his meal, but ruined his mood. And if he found out that Beast Boy and Ryouga switched his bacon out for tofu bacon again . . . heads would roll!

His arm beeped again. Oh yeah, incoming call and all that. "Man, this better be good. Don't these people realize that they're infringing on Cy-time?"

He did his best to paste a neutral look on his face and activated the view screen on his arm. The sight he saw, was quite surprising indeed.

"Hey, Sparky! How are things lookin out there at Titans West?"

His neutral expression melted into a genuine smile. A call from Bumblebee was always welcome.

"Things just started lookin real good from where I'm sittin, girl. How are things goin in Steel City?"

The dark skinned girl's pretty face broke into a wide smile as well. "Hey now, you know flattery will get you everywhere. And things are actually goin pretty well out here. I just wanted to call you to thank you for all of the help you've given us."

He made a show of scratching his head in mock puzzlement. "Help? What're you talkin about, girl? I haven't seen you since you guys took off. And there ain't **no** way that I'm haulin my butt all the way across the country to help you move into your new place."

The super heroine rolled her eyes in amusement. "You know what I mean, Sparky. I wanted to thank you for designing our tower for us, and for sharing all of your vehicle designs with us. With Tatie's financial backing, we're gonna be up and running in a month or two, barring a few . . . small problems . . ." she trailed off uncertainly for some reason.

His human eyebrow arched curiously at that. "Small problems? What problems could you have? My plans are fool proof."

As if in answer to his question, the sound of an automatic door sliding open on Bumblebee's side of the conversation heralded the arrival of a familiar pair of voices.

"Cease thy mad rantings, Chef! I absolutely forbid it, it is unseemly and impractical." Kunou's voice, obviously, rang out across the communication feed.

"Mad rantings? Oh, come on, Kunou. I'm just saying that we should open up an Okonomiyaki restaurant on the ground floor. There isn't even anything there in the blue prints, it's wasted space," came Ukyou's (also obviously) reply.

Bumblebee let out a sigh of resigned patience, while he struggled to hold in his laughter. "Does that answer your question? Man, it was bad enough with Tatie wanted to call us his "Kunou's Angels"! Now Baker Brain wants to open the first floor of our top secret and highly secure facility to the public as an eatery!"

He couldn't help himself, he just had to laugh. Man, why hadn't he ever thought of that? There sure was a lot of wasted space in Titan's Tower. Maybe if they leased out some space, him and Beast Boy could bring in a little extra money and, oh, pimp out the T-car or something . . .

The loud ring of spatula meeting head cut through his laughter pretty quick. A moment later, the communicator that Bumblebee was using was plucked from her unresponsive fingers and a new, though equally pretty face filled the screen. "Baker Brain! Well let's see who's laughing now, concussion girl. Hey Cyborg! How are things goin with you? The Lost Boy isn't causing too much trouble is he?"

Cyborg smiled nervously, only partially secure in the knowledge that this cutely smiling engine of destruction was thousands of miles away from him. "No way, Ukyou. Things are goin fine here, just some super villain troubles. Nothing we can't handle though."

"That's great! Hey, Cyborg, since you're all second in command and stuff, can you tell these guys what an advantage it would be to have a restaurant running out of our tower? I mean, from a public image standpoint alone, we'd be doing great!" she prattled on excitedly.

Again, his reply was interrupted as another hand descended on the communicator. This time there was a small tug of war, but eventually a new face filled the screen. This one wasn't very pretty at all, he thought glumly.

"There will be **no** common eatery within the noble walls of the new and illustrious Kunou Towers!" Kunou barked at the girl, before turning his attention to the communicator. "Please, excuse my companions, noble contemporary. I would ask you a question though."

Cyborg shrugged, suddenly quite happy that Kunou was taking care of the construction effort on the East coast. Suddenly the thought of having to go over there and help them in the building . . . it secretly terrified him. Not even all of the relationship trauma going on around him could possibly be as bad as it seemed Bumblebee was dealing with.

"Um, sure. Ask away, buddy."

Kunou nodded sharply. "I would ask if there have been any reports of my sister since last we left your company. I spoke with Saotome back in Japan, but she has not yet returned there to torment him, as deserving as he is."

Oh yeah . . . he'd completely forgotten about that. Which was a kind of jerkish thing to do. Forgetting that a guy's sister had gone missing, right after a major catastrophe . . . at least Kunou seemed to be handling it well. "I'm sorry, dawg. No one's seen her since we all escaped from the Hive Academy, just before it blew. We know she made it out with everyone, but no one remembers seeing her at all after that tornado thingy went off."

Kunou nodded again, though this time with a hint of melancholy softening his features. "I thank you, my friend Cyborg. I am certain that she is unharmed, though I would be more at ease if I knew where she was. But enough on that. I wish to reiterate Karen's thanks to you. You're plans and designs have been most helpful to our cause."

Suddenly, the aristocratic young man looked away, to something off screen. He then looked back, a slightly hurried look on his face. "Unfortunately, I must bid you adieu, as a certain **commoner** is currently in to process of altering said plans and designs!"

Then, without a further word, the communicator flashed to black, effectively ending the communication. He stared at his arm for a long moment, counting his blessings silently. He . . . he was sure that Bumblebee was alright. They wouldn't drive her mad . . . would they?

Nah, she was a tough girl, she could handle them.

"Still, looks like the grass is definitely greener on **this** side of the fence."

* * *

He wasn't trying to drive her mad . . . was he? She stared uncertainly at the Bandanna clad boy's back, as he led them to Terra's cavern. Well, perhaps 'led' was a bit of a strong word for what he was actually doing, but a few flashes of ebon energy here and there managed to keep him on the right track. Maybe he needed blinders, to stop getting distracted, or maybe a chip implanted in his brain, or something like that.

Of course, all she needed to do to fix the problem, was just pick up her pace and start walking beside him, but a number of flimsy reasons were preventing that. First, was the fact that she was in civilian clothes, since Ryouga had suggested that they go for breakfast together. She admitted, now, that perhaps she had been more eager than she should have been when he had made the offer. And frankly, the navy blue blouse and knee length black skirt, while fashionable, didn't exactly lend itself to flying over crowds.

That tied directly into the second reason. Ryouga walked **fast**. Obviously a life on the road hadn't accustomed the boy to enjoying a leisurely stroll with friends. And since she was limiting herself to walking as well, due to her thrice-cursed apparel, she was having a bit of trouble keeping stride. Not that she minded the view from her current position . . .

She shook her head harshly, banishing that rather random thought. No, no, nonono! She had already been over all of this in her head, with Starfire, even with Ranma. She could not afford to let herself get involved in such a way with anyone. It was bad enough that she had friends in the first place, considering her destiny, but something told her that taking that extra step would be an extraordinarily bad idea.

For that matter, even if she could get involved with someone, Ryouga had been sending off such mixed signals to her for the past few days, that she had no idea where he even stood on the matter. At times, he was almost randomly forward, such as asking her out to breakfast this morning . . . or at least that was how she viewed it. But other times, he became unbearably uncomfortable around her for no reason, like the incident last night, when she had been flying him across the city.

The breakfast had been enjoyable too; she had chosen a quiet little bistro that she frequented in her free time. She had enjoyed a light meal of tea and some fruit, while Ryouga had . . . what was the term, 'bulked up'? They had engaged in some small talk, a little on the pointless side, but pleasant. The fanged boy had even covered the entire bill, despite her rather meager protests. Overall, she would have called the situation promising.

But then the boy completely flip-flopped on her! As soon as they started walking again, he seemed to get lost in thought. Honestly, the way he was right then, she wondered if he even noticed that he was leaving her behind? She didn't even have the courage (why was she never around when she needed her?) to ask him what was on his mind. It seemed like a fifty fifty chance of her to guess what he was thinking about. The first thing, of course, was Terra. Which made sense, considering where they were going.

Of course, there was an equal chance that he was thinking about Jinx. And that was the reason she couldn't ask him. As much as she disliked thinking about it, she knew how he felt about the vanished sorceress. Though she had a hard time understanding why. Jinx had abandoned him when he had needed her the most. It was Raven that had been there, that had fought by his side against the Headmaster. Well, her and Ranma, but he didn't count.

She let out a small sigh. Yes, without even trying, Ryouga was driving her crazy, just by being himself.

Her train of thought was derailed, when she nearly walked right into the human wall's back for the second time in as many days. She prepared an acidic glare and a biting comment reminding him about her earlier threat, but then he turned to face her, a serious look on his face. Absently, she noticed that they had arrived at the entrance to the cave which led to Terra's cavern.

"Raven, can you tell me what Terra's name means?" he asked cryptically.

Her entire angry rant flew out the window at that. What an odd question, and so seemingly random. "What do you mean, Ryouga?"

He stared at her intently. "Well, I was just wondering if her name meant something in another language. Or if it signified something about her, like Cyborg, or Beast Boy."

Hmm, an interesting direction he seemed to be taking, but then, almost any direction he chose ended up being extremely interesting she bet. "In Latin, the word terra literally refers to the earth itself."

At that, Ryouga began to walk down the tunnel again, though more slowly. He nodded slowly to himself as he went, apparently mulling over her answer. "Yes . . . that's what I thought. It is very fitting . . ." he muttered, more to himself than anyone.

She almost wanted to ask him if something had occurred to him, when he suddenly turned on her again. This time, though, she didn't nearly walk into him. Again, his intense stare seemed to pierce her soul. Why did he have such amazing eyes? Starfire had gone on and on about Mousse's eyes, but frankly she didn't see the appeal herself. Ryouga's were just so deep and soulful . . .

"Raven, can you tell me about Terra?" Another cryptic request.

She stared at him oddly. "Didn't Beast Boy already tell you everything about her? Why would you need me to tell you about her?"

He shrugged absently. "I'm not sure, actually. I just feel that if I know more about her, it might help. Maybe you got to know a different side of her than Beast Boy. Maybe you might have some key piece of information that can help me, that he didn't."

She nodded, despite the fact that it didn't really make sense to her. How would knowing her better help him reverse her petrification? Didn't his knowledge of the Bakusai Tenketsu tell him what he needed to know? Still, he seemed interested in knowing, and it was certainly an improvement over the silence they had been walking in.

"I'm . . . not really the best person to talk to about Terra. We never really got along, even before she betrayed us to Slade. The two of us did nothing but argue and snipe at each other," she admitted, a bit sadly.

Ryouga nodded slowly. "You two must have been very different."

A small smile formed on her lips at that. "We were, but I believe it was actually our similarities that caused so many of the problems between us. The two of us, we both shared the burden of power, the endless struggle to contain and control it, lest it hurt those around us. I think that you and Ranma might be beginning to understand at least a small part of that, after . . . the Academy . . ."

Her companion didn't even bother to answer. Instead, he only nodded again, a slightly haunted look in his eyes as he recalled the event. Despite all of his training and skill, for just a moment, just a fraction of a second really, his power bloomed beyond his power to control it. And the result was the destruction of an entire cathedral, though that was quite minor compared to what it could have been. It was at that moment, she liked to believe, that he had come closer to truly understanding her than any of her friends could ever hope to. True, that had been an extreme case, but it was something that people like her and Terra lived with on a daily basis, except the consequences of their failure would make the Lost Boy's slip seem quite minor indeed.

"Terra never had very good control, though she tried so hard. I never gave it too much thought, but perhaps that was one of the reasons I never liked her. She shared my burden, but never seemed consumed by it, like I am. I spend so much of my effort to maintain my control, that I have become . . . somewhat socially inept . . ." she stated, a touch ironically.

A gentle hand on her shoulder brought her gaze up to match Ryouga's. A sympathetic smile was given to her, free of charge. "I'd hardly call not laughing at Beast Boy's jokes socially inept. That's just common sense, really."

Her weak smile grew slightly at his support, and his touch. "Thank you. But, as I was saying, where I was withdrawn, Terra was alive. She enjoyed every small thing in life, she reveled in the idea of helping people with her powers. She even laughed at Beast Boy's jokes . . ."

"Heh, well, no accounting for taste I suppose. But then, it sounded like she brought the best out in our little shape changer," he said.

"If only that had been true for all of us. I was so . . . so jealous of how happy she was, that it blinded me. I didn't see how hard she was struggling, just below the surface to control her power. Maybe, if I had been more supportive, rather than so suspicious of her, she wouldn't have fled to Slade . . ."

Ryouga's grip on her shoulder tightened slightly, but not painfully. His control seemed to be as excellent as always, and she didn't even feel the need to recoil anymore. She knew how much that her reactions had been affecting him, but getting the image of his snarling face out her dreams was not as easy as she wished it would be.

"You can't blame yourself for that. Trust me, if anyone can understand her desire to run away from her problems, it's me. But one thing that I've learned, after a life time of running from my own demons, is that no matter how much I blamed other people for my problems, it was **always** my choice on how I lived my life. Admittedly, like Terra, I made a lot of stupid choices and hurt a lot of people, but I have no one to blame for that but myself." He paused for a moment and looked to the side in thought. "And Ranma, but most everything is actually his fault anyway."

She didn't know if he was serious about that last part or not, but a small giggle actually escaped her lips, a giggle! Raven did **not** giggle! Rather than dwell on it, she decided to push past it and bury it. "Maybe, but I find I have a hard time blaming Terra either. She was frightened and alone, it was Slade that came in and took advantage of that. He offered the one thing that she had always wanted. Imagine if someone offered you a cure for your curse, or to make certain that you never got lost again . . ." she asked quietly.

"I . . . it would be very tempting . . ."

"But even turning her against us wasn't good enough for Slade. Even though she followed him willingly, he took advantage of her trust with a cruelty that I had only ever attributed to my father before. He tricked her into wearing that vile suit, used it to control her actions, nearly forced her to kill Beast Boy," she spat, still horrified at the scene she had stumbled into when she and her friends had arrived at this very cavern so long ago.

He nodded, a grim look on his face. "Beast Boy mentioned the suit, said that it did something that let that bastard control her . . ."

"Yes, it was sick. The suit actually assimilated into her skin, forming a neural link. From what Cyborg learned of the technology, he doubted that she would ever have been able to remove the suit without crippling herself," she explained darkly.

Rather than comment on the cruelty of the suit, the Lost Boy suddenly looked down, walking on blindly, lost in thought. "Assimilated into her skin . . .?" he muttered to himself absently.

It struck her as odd, why did he find that so interesting? "Do you think you've found a way to help her?"

"I'm . . . not sure . . . Last night, just before Robin called us back . . . I felt like I was on to something . . . something – something fundamental. I just wish I could **remember** what it was!" he growled in frustration. A moment later, the two of them looked up, to see that they had finally arrived at Terra's cavern. It had seemed like a remarkably short walk, but she supposed the conversation had been somewhat deep.

"Thanks, Raven. I'll call you up again, when I want to come back to the tower," he said amiably.

She looked at him oddly. "Perhaps I should stay? I might not have your specialized knowledge, but I have learned a lot about chi and energy from Cologne. I might be able to help you."

He nodded. "Maybe . . . but I think I have an idea where I'm going now. If you stay down here with me, it would . . . distract me," he admitted.

She felt a small blush forming on her cheeks, thankful for the poor lighting of the cavern. She was about to reply, when-

"I mean, no offense, but your aura is huge. I can barely even see any of the breaking points around here with your energy filling the cavern."

An icy claw pulled the blush from her face. Her aura was **huge**, was it? Why, the nerve of that boy! Well fine then, if she was such a **huge** problem, then she **would** leave. "Hmph, if that's the way you feel, then I'll leave," she replied in a huff.

With forced calm, she twirled around, her skirt flaring out daringly, and started stalking back up the way she came. She ignored the strangled protests of the Lost Boy, who seemed to catch on to what exactly he had said and left him in the dank cave.

How could any boy possibly be that clueless? She would hardly call herself a normal person, but she was still a woman. And he hadn't even complimented her on her outfit, considering she had picked it out just to go out with him. She glared down at the offending piece of material that kept her land bound.

She was just glad that she was the only empath in the group. She was pretty certain that she was maintaining her composure on the surface, and acting normally for the most part. But if any of her friends realized just how off she was thinking on the inside, because of Ryouga's presence . . .

He wasn't trying to drive her mad . . . was he?

* * *

Robin shot up from his dreamless slumber. The Tower's obnoxiously loud alarm was blaring, yet again. God, it was days like this that he wished he had vacation time. He looked over to the clock beside him.

Oh, for crying out loud! It wasn't even midnight yet! He wasn't even planning to wake up till one in the morning, so he could have a good crack at catching Happosai. With some grumbling and bumping around, he grabbed the communicator from his nightstand. As an afterthought, he also grabbed his eye mask and carefully placed it over his sensitive eyes. Appearances had to be maintained, after all.

"Cyborg, what's the situation?"

"Reports are coming in about a fight between a midget and a skeleton. I think it's pretty obvious who's out there," came the larger Titan's reply.

He nodded in disgust. "Get everyone together and lets go."

With that, he deactivated the device and threw it onto his bed. He looked over to his closet, deciding which of the dozen perfectly identical suits he would wear that night. Really, Red X was out, flaunting her ill-gotten gains, for a second night in a row?

She was just **trying** to make him mad, wasn't she?

* * *

Happosai was starting to get mad. Here he was, perhaps the greatest martial artist on the planet, and he was being thwarted by some adolescent female. And it wasn't even Ranma this time! Of course, he wasn't actually trying to defeat her or anything, women were weak and defenseless after all and needed to be protected. No, what this spandex clad girl was doing was much, much more reprehensible than simply imparting physical violence on him.

No, he had been battling her for twenty minutes now, and had **yet** to get a good grope in!

The indignity of it all. How was he supposed to properly enjoy himself, not to mention replenish his chi, if she wouldn't let him cop a little feel? He even had a technique picked out to purloin her undergarments, despite her skin tight body suit. The ancient master cackled happily, he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he pulled **that** one off!

He spun his pipe again, blurring it to speeds that most aircraft propellers would envy. The small wind funnel he produced blew the adhesive red projectiles away and into a nearby parking lot. He didn't envy those overnight parkers the mess they had to clean up come morning.

"Ha! You'll have to do better than that, sweety. Those sticky attacks might be useful against someone of Robin's caliber, but they won't help you against me," he gloated wickedly.

He leapt into the air, angling himself for Red X's lithe form. The nimble girl dove to the side, barely clearing his attack in time. His pipe crashed into the asphalt, destroying a small area of the city's infrastructure.

Indeed, those adhesive X's were a useful gadget, but not a real weapon. As soon as she fired them, they began to lose cohesion, so they were easily deflected by a simple gale force wind.

Red X rolled to her feet several meters away and spun to face him again. Immediately, the girl raised her hands, palms forward and fired off yet another salvo of X's at him. He nearly sighed at the girl's predictability, he really didn't understand why Robin considered this purloined suit to be dangerous at all. It didn't seem to be able to do very many things at all.

With bored ease, he spun his pipe again knocking the useless projectiles away like the last batch-

What! He nearly missed it over the sound of his own attack and the sound of the first dozen projectiles splattering away! The deadly whirring sound of a metallic blade flying through the air!

He looked forward, just in time to see the lethal crimson X cutting through his wind tunnel, not slowing down in the least. Instantly, he cut off the ineffective defense, a small smile forming on his lips. The girl was learning.

It was too late to dodge, so with a flick of his trusty pipe, he casually defl-

Happosai snapped back to consciousness a fraction of a second later. A cursory examination seemed to place his smoking body embedded into the wall of a nearby building . . . very, very nearby now.

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry, Grandpa, I didn't think it would do that!" yelled his annoyingly sarcastic attacker. Once again, she stared at her hands, apparently in awe of yet another newfound ability.

"Heh, heh, heh. It's been awhile since I've been exploded. But I think we've had enough fun, it's time for me to claim my prize!" The masked girl didn't even have time to react, when he exploded from the wall. The flimsy brick and mortar shattered around him and rained over the street, trailing him like a comet's tail as he flew through the air. His only hint of Red X's shock was the shocked widening of her mask's eyes.

His hand shot out, viper-like, in search of his, hopefully lacy, prize. His cry of victory, though, turned into a gasp of shock. Just as his hand began to touch the zipper of the costume, Red X vanished! He flew through the air wildly, it took him three whole tenths of a second to reorient himself and land safely on a nearby mailbox.

How had that happened? She had just vanished under his fingertips. No one was **that** fast, and he should know, he had battled some of the fastest people on the planet!

He looked back to the street, to see Red X, standing several yards from where he had seen her last. The girl was wavering slightly, pressing a palm against her forehead; appearing to fight off the signs of dizziness.

"You are just **full** of surprises, little lady. I can't remember the last time I've fought someone so unpredictable. I almost don't want to beat you down now, if only to see what you'll pull out next," he said, praising her excitedly. She might not be a great fighter, not even in Robin's league, let alone Ranma's, but she had a variety in her tricks that even that blind Amazon boy would kill for. He was also starting to think the suit was giving her a bit of a bump in her strength and speed, since her physical conditioning and skill level didn't seem to mesh with the acrobatic feats she'd performed so far.

"Ugh . . ." She let out a quiet cough before continuing. "Soo glad to know that I'm entertaining you. It's just a matter of time before I learn enough to take you down, Old man. Don't you worry about that," she muttered weakly. Apparently that hyper speed trick of hers took more out of her than she had anticipated.

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't. Far, far better than you have tried and failed, sweety. However, I think it's time to finish things for the night." He advanced a step in her direction, flexing his nimble fingers excitedly.

"Oh, it's over all right."

The grand master let out a sigh of annoyance, as the familiar voice flowed out of the darkness above them. Both him and Red X looked up, just in time to see Robin drop down from a nearby rooftop. A moment later, the orange skinned alien girl dropped from the sky as well, landing beside the small boy. Behind him, a large figure dropped from the sky and landed on the ground with a mighty crash. A green blur landed beside the armor clad giant and reformed itself into a green skinned boy. Then, a disturbance in the air to his other side heralded the arrival of the demonic Titan. She rose from the ground in an ebon shroud, and when it parted, it revealed Raven and Ryouga, both glaring at him dangerously.

Red X took a few steps closer to his position. "Um . . . you don't suppose that these guys are all here to catch you . . . do you?" she asked, perhaps slightly nervously.

He looked to the six Titans again, as they spread out to surround the two of them more fully. Ryouga and Starfire were assuredly glaring at him, but everyone else seemed to be mostly glaring at his latest dance partner. "I'm afraid not, girly. Whatever you did to tick these kids off, it must have been quite the doozy."

An explosive and distorted sigh burst through the girl's mask. "I didn't think so. So, how about a temporary truce? I'm sure the two of us together could get away from these kids."

He nearly laughed at the suggestion, seriously considering it for a moment. Offering to team up with the person you were just fighting, now that took some nerve. "Heh, I'm afraid not, my lovely young maiden. I can get out of here fine myself. And I'm sure these kids will be coming after me sooner or later, I don't want to give away any of my tricks too soon. Besides!" Suddenly, he leapt high into the air, angling himself for the roof of the five story building a few dozen yards away.

"Consider this **advanced** **training**!"

* * *

Robin glared heatedly at the masked villain that had stolen his greatest failure as a hero. The six of them surrounded the young women completely. Even with the short range teleportation abilities of the suit, she would have a hard time getting away without a fight. If she was as canny as he thought, he suspected she would head for Beast Boy and try to outmaneuver him. That's what he would have done, after all.

"Surrender, Red X, **now**! You aren't getting any more warnings," he barked out threateningly.

The masked girl stared at him for a moment, then turned to regard all of his companions. Almost agreeably, she began to nod to herself. "I'll admit, things do look a bit . . . unpleasant at the moment, but I'm sure we can talk this out like civilized people, can't we?"

Screw the witty repartee, this ended here.

"Titans **go**!"

As one, Robin and his six teammates charged the villainess. He drew out his bo staff, Ryouga drew back his fist, Cyborg and Starfire started glowing with azure and emerald energy, Beast Boy charged ferally while Raven simply glided in.

When suddenly, Red X raised her hands into the air.

What the . . . was she surrendering? No, it was obviously a trick! Even as his friends pulled up in confusion, he continued forward. As such, he wasn't surprised when she suddenly swung her arms down, a pair of X's shooting into the ground at her feet and bursting into expanding clouds of thick, red smoke.

He cursed again, he should have seen that coming! It was what he would have done if he had been in her position as well. He quickly pulled his breather mask from his belt and put it on, even as he ran to where she had been standing.

A sudden yelp from his left told him that she was no longer there. "Dudes! I'm totally stuck to the gr-mmph!" The changeling's cry of warning was cut off abruptly.

"Raven! Disperse the smoke!" he yelled as loudly as he could, hoping she would hear him.

A moment later, and a wave of black energy filled his vision. It retracted again, almost instantly revealing the street once more. He spun around quickly, to find out what had happened. There, on the ground to his side, Beast Boy was covered in adhesive red material. Ryouga was nowhere to be seen, he better not have gotten lost already. Damn, his direction sense was a massive liability!

"There!" Starfire's shout drew his attention to her. The pretty alien girl was pointing down the street, to the fleeing form of Red X. He didn't bother barking orders to anyone, all he could do was give chase. Behind him, he heard Cyborg stop to help Beast Boy.

Raven and Starfire flew off past him, he hoped they would catch the thief in time. All Red X needed to do was find an alley, and she would likely vanish for the night.

And, just as he feared, Red X did just that. He cursed loudly as the black clad form of the criminal came up to the nearest alley and ducked in like a black flash -

Only to nearly stumble in shock, when almost immediately, Red X rebounded out of the alley, landing painfully on her bottom. He staggered to a stop, not quite sure what to make of it, when suddenly Ryouga took a step of the alley! The fanged martial artist glared down at the prone figure of Red X, cracking his knuckles ominously.

"Oh, please, Nabiki. The old smoke screen trick didn't work when Ukyou tried it. You should know better than that," bragged the fighter mercilessly.

Red X stared back at him for a moment. "You're right, I should know better. Of course, if I was Nabiki, then wouldn't I know about **this**?" In a flash, crimson blades shot out from the girl's gloves and she swiped fiercely at the fire hydrant that she had nearly landed on.

"Oh, crap . . .," was all the poor fool had to say, before the horizontal geyser of water engulfed him and sent his now significantly smaller form flying back into the alley.

With that, Red X flipped back up to her feet and ran around the spraying hydrant and began sprinting down the street.

Only to collide with a wall of ebony force. Red X spun again, quickly avoiding Starfire's right hook, as the three females entered into close combat.

Robin began running again, he trusted his two friends implicitly, and they had progressed a lot over the past months, but that suit had been designed to take them down specifically.

Ahead of him, Starfire and Red X started fighting back and forth, even as Raven floated around looking for a good angle of attack. The black clad girl had retracted her wrist blades, and the two were exchanging rapid kicks and punches. It was obvious, that with the suits help, Red X was faster and naturally more nimble, but Starfire was definitely the stronger of the two.

Starfire blocked a kick easily with her forearm, and fired back with a rapid jab. Red X just narrowly slid out of the way of the attack, turning her torso to the side. Then, with criminal grace, she grabbed the Tamaranian's extended wrist and, using all of her weight, suddenly dropped and slid between Starfire's legs. The move was so unexpected, that Starfire actually bent over as Red X dragged the girl's arm with her.

Suddenly the grounded girl's hands flashed back and forth from Starfire's arm to her legs, and when Red X rolled away, Starfire's left arm was hopelessly bound to both of her legs but several adhesive bands. A second later, as Red X jumped to her feet and started running, the bands contracted, pulling Starfire's legs together and trapping her arm between them. The alien girl flailed helplessly with her free hand for several seconds, before crashing painfully to the ground.

He winced at the painful crash, but continued running. As long as Raven could hold her for a few more seconds, he would catch up.

Rather than run away, Red X ran directly in Raven's direction. She jumped into a flying kick, aimed directly at Raven's chest. The dark Titan simply raised a black dome over herself, essentially making herself immune to Red X's attack. Robin smiled at that, he knew he could count on Raven -

Except that instead of bouncing off of the black dome, Red X landed on it and slammed her slim hand against its black surface. Instantly the black force field split open before her, revealing Raven's shocked face! Before the Titan's sorceress could even react, Red X thrust her other hand through the opening, aimed directly at Raven's chest.

Robin pulled out an explosive disc, he couldn't let Red X hit her ther-

Red X's hand hovered over Raven's chest for what seemed like an eternal moment, very nearly caressing the girl, then suddenly shot up to her face. A second later, a wide X shot out of Red X's hand and wrapped around Raven's entire head. Instantly, the remains of the ebony shield dissolved away and Raven collapsed to the ground, clawing at her covered face.

Robin roared in anger! "Raven!"

He flew into the air, leveling his own flying kick at Red X. Predictably, she teleported just out of range and appeared several yards away. Robin landed harshly and slid back to Raven's side, glaring angrily at the thief the whole time.

"Well, what's it gonna be, Robin? Chase down the lovable prankster, or save your friend?" she asked casually.

He growled furiously, even as he pulled out a birdarang and leaned in to carefully begin freeing Raven. Luckily she calmed down at his touch, rather than continue to thrash around.

"You just crossed a line, Nabiki. For what did to Raven, I'll never forgive you. You are **going** **down**!" he promised her.

Red X stared back at him, tilting her head curiously. He couldn't read her expression, because of that damned mask, but something seemed odd about her reaction. A second later, when Cyborg's angered yell could be heard coming in their direction, Red X turned away.

"Whatever, Robin. Goth girl shouldn't have been out like that anyway. I'll see you when I see you." That said, Red X leapt into the air and pressed the button on her belt buckle.

Only to land on the ground again, as the belt sputtered angrily. Robin cursed mentally. The suit was running out of power! All he had to do was reach out and grab her! But . . . but Raven was still in his arms, and if he wasn't extremely careful in cutting away the material covering her mouth and nose . . .

Damnit!

"Oh heck!" Red X cried, hitting the belt hastily, even as she turned and began running down the street. Several hits later, Robin could hear the belt energize again, and Red X vanished once more. He glared after her angrily for several moments . . .

Until an insistent arm began tugging at his sleeve. He looked down in shock, to see Raven waving at him, only slightly frantic, considering she hadn't exactly been breathing for a minute at that point.

He glared at Red X's last location for one last second, before he leaned in and carefully began to cut away the red goo covering Raven's mouth.

"This isn't over, Nabiki . . ." he swore softly.

"Not by a long shot."


	6. Red XX? Chapter 5

Dark Titans - Arc 1 - Red XX?

Chapter Five

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Starfire did her best to ignore her grumbling companions, as she gazed longingly at the back of her very closest friend. She disliked, very much, seeing him in such a state of self anger . . . again. Even though he wasn't injured, the proud young man wore a pained expression. He stood ram-rod straight, staring intently at the elevator door as they rode up to the Tower's main room. It would have been obvious to anyone, not just his closest friends, that he was no longer cool and detached. She could see the muscles in his jaw clenching tightly as he tried vainly to contain his emotions.

An odd thought struck the Tamaranian girl, this all seemed eerily familiar for some reason . . . Almost like they had just gone through this not too long ago-

"DAMN!"

Robin's yell broke the uncomfortable silence, as the young man slammed his fist against the elevator door. The sudden outburst caused her to jump. She wanted to reach out to her friend, to comfort him somehow, but he had been inconsolable ever since Red X had made her escape.

She had been partly responsible for letting Red X escape as well . . . If only she had not let herself be tricked so easily . . . perhaps Robin would not be so angry now. Starfire turned to regard the rest of her friends, all of whom seemed to share Robin's sour mood.

To her rear, Beast Boy, Raven and Ryouga filled the back of the elevator. Beast Boy was somehow managing to pace angrily in the small space that he had staked out as his own. Red goo still clung to his hair and would likely need to be cut out . . . again. Beside her, still caught up in his adorably cute cursed form, Ryouga stood, his face an angry red. The only thing that seemed to be stopping the tiny terror from venting his fury was the young woman he cradled to his chest. Raven lay in his arms, only her nostrils and mouth visible through the red mask that covered most of her head. Her breathing was controlled, but shallow.

The flame haired alien briefly considered reminding Ryouga that Raven was perfectly capable of seeing, even blindfolded as she was and didn't need to be carried . . . but then discarded it out of hand. Not only did it fit nicely with her most devious and underhanded plot of making-matches, but his presence seemed to calm her friend. Even though she was no longer in danger of suffocating, Starfire imagined that Raven must have been fairly shaken up by the experience.

Beside her, Cyborg was busily reading a series of readouts on the view screen mounted on his arm. The small screen was showing a stream of data that he had collected during their brief skirmish with Red X. How much said data would actually help, that was anyone's guess.

The near silent swish of the elevator doors opening heralded their arrival to the main room. As a group, they trudged out into the room. Unsurprisingly, Kasumi was awaiting their arrival, she had taken to the habit of awaiting their return from missions, in case of any injuries; a most wise precaution. The young woman sat at the kitchen counter, a cup of tea to one side, a tall stack of medical texts on the other.

Apparently their most recent entrance was not nearly as explosive as their last; it took the older girl several moments to realize they had returned before she turned to greet them.

"Oh my!" Kasumi's shocked cry was not shocking in the least. Starfire could very well imagine what her companion's and herself must have looked at that very moment. Raven incapacitated, Ryouga cursed, Beast Boy covered in goo and Robin ready to explode . . . it was likely not a pleasant sight to witness.

"What happened to you all? What happened to Raven?" Kasumi asked, worry and concern battling for dominance in her voice.

Rather than answer her, which was odd considering Robin's respect for Kasumi, Robin ignored her completely. It was rude, but a small, small part of Starfire rejoiced at the gesture.

"Ryouga, lay Raven on the couch. I have the formula for the solvent in my lab, I'll prepare some and bring it up," ordered the masked youth. Ryouga simply nodded and moved over to the semi-circular piece of furniture. However, for some reason Beast Boy's head shot up at the statement.

"What? Solvent? Why didn't you get some of that out when **you** were Red X, instead of makin Star massacre my hair to get it out the first time?" growled the emerald shape changer.

Robin simply glared at Beast Boy. "I don't have time for this. I'll be back in an hour, make sure Raven's airways don't get blocked again." The Titan's leader then spun quickly on the ball of his foot, his cape flaring out angrily, and he stalked out the nearest exit.

Beast Boy grumbled loudly to himself, muttering various angry comments about Robin, but did little else.

"Please, tell me what happened here," Kasumi asked again, her voice straining slightly.

Cyborg crashed onto the end of the couch, a few feet down from where Ryouga had gently deposited Raven. "Red X happened . . . Man! I can't believe she **beat** us!" he barked angrily.

"Please, friends. The Red X, she did **not** defeat us, she merely escaped us. I am most certain that had her actual goal been to battle us, that we would have defeated her easily," she pleaded with her friends. She disliked seeing the rest of her friends grow angry with themselves as much as she disliked Robin doing so. Her words did not seem to be having a noticeable effect though.

Ryouga snorted loudly. "It sure felt like a loss to me. I mean, there were **six** of us! How could she get past us all?" The young, young boy rapped a heavy knuckle against his head. "If it wasn't for this **damn** curse, I would have had her."

"Pfft, at least you **saw** what happened to you," spat Beast Boy. "I got taken out like a rookie on his first day. Dudes, **how** did we let her **play** us like that?"

Starfire felt her heart drop as her friends looked at each other sullenly, until a new voice broke the silence. "We underestimated her. None of us believed that Nabiki was capable of standing against us, so we let our guards down," Raven stated, though her voice was slightly muffled by the red material that surrounded her lips.

They all stared at the girl and she saw her friends begin to nod slowly in agreement. Until Ryouga suddenly hopped off the couch, annoyance on his features. "Damn, this is getting repetitive! Weren't we just arguing about Nabiki yesterday? There's gotta be something better we could . . . be . . . doing?"

Ryouga's question trailed off uncertainly, his annoyed expression melting into a confused one. Slowly, the boy made his way to the kitchen. The sound of running water heralded his return to near adulthood and the now uncursed boy rejoined them. The uncertain look on his face remained however, only hardened with age.

"You know, I only really had a chance to see her for a second, before she soaked me . . . but something seemed off about Red X. For just a fraction of a second, I sensed her aura. It – it felt familiar, but dark, twisted somehow. You don't think the suit is doing something to her, do you?" Ryouga asked, actually sounding slightly concerned.

Cyborg seemed to consider the question for a moment. "I . . . man, I have no idea how that suit works, but I can't imagine it would have any kind of effect like you're talkin about. Robin wore the suit, and it didn't bother him at all."

Raven nodded shallowly from her position on the couch. "If I had possessed the training then that I do now, I likely would have been able to see through Robin's ruse immediately. However, I never sensed any gross corruptions in his spirit in the times before or after he wore the suit." The girl paused for a moment, her head tilting to the side in consideration. "Though you are correct, I too only had a fraction of a second to focus on Red X's aura. What I felt was familiar, but not familiar . . . how did you put it? It felt . . . twisted?"

That seemed to bring Ryouga up short. A far away look entered the boy's eyes and he looked out over the bay to the city outside the window. Then the boy asked a most unusual question, his tone of voice almost absentminded in its detachment.

"When was the last time that anyone saw Kodachi again?"

* * *

The door opened before Robin, revealing the Main Room once again. All of his friends were still present, Cyborg was plugged into the main computer, Starfire and Ryouga hovered over Raven and Kasumi and Beast Boy sat together on the kitchen counter, the young woman trying vainly to clean the gunk from his hair.

He looked to the tiny red vial in his hand, he hoped it would be enough, he couldn't make any more. As soon as he entered the room, everyone began to look in his direction. Rather than address them, he simply walked over to Cyborg and handed him the vial. "This should dissolve the material on Raven. Be careful with it, anything that isn't removed will need to be cut out and I can't make anymore," he explained quietly.

Cyborg eyed him curiously for a moment, then nodded and moved over to Raven. Robin turned to join him, only to find Beast Boy in his face. "Well, dude, where's my bottle of that solvent junk? How the heck am I supposed to get this goo outta **my** hair?"

Robin stared back at the boy, eyeing him seriously. Slowly, he reached behind his back and into his utility belt, as soon as he found the item he was looking for, his hand flashed out . . .

Revealing a pair of scissors.

He handed the scissors to the glowering Beast Boy, a small smirk forming on his lips. "I'm sorry Beast Boy, but saving Raven's face is more important than saving your hair. And like I said, I can't make any more, I used the last of my reserves to make that and I'm not even sure it will be enough."

The changeling glared at him heatedly for a moment, before snatching the shears and stalking back over to Kasumi, muttering the whole way. The younger boy then settled in, as Kasumi prepared to give him a very severe hair cut.

Cyborg looked up curiously from his work, carefully applying the solvent with a medical swab. "Used of your last reserves of what? What could be so hard for you to get more of?"

Robin considered his friends question for a long time. Cyborg and Starfire were the only ones that seemed interested in the answer, Ryouga was too busy worrying over Raven, Beast Boy was still cursing about his hair and Kasumi was busy cutting said hair. Still, it was something he had never planned to tell them, and he knew that none of his friends would take it well. Still, he had to trust his in them; his lack of trust was what had led to the creation of the Red X suit in the first place. It felt somewhat ironic that this second occurrence of Red X should remind him of that.

"The base of the solvent is a very rare element; it's also the same element I used to power the Red X suit . . ."

Cyborg's human eyebrow rose in interest, it was obvious that he had been struggling with this very question ever since Robin had first created the suit.

"Xenothium, I used Xenothium to fuel the suit," he muttered in a low voice.

Starfire gasped loudly in shock. Beside her, Raven nearly sat up, a sharp gasp of, "No!" on her lips. Ryouga just looked across the room to Beast Boy and shrugged his shoulders in complete ignorance. Beast Boy returned the blank look, before crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. He followed it with a disgruntled whine.

"Aw, man, I never understand **anything**!"

It was, of course, Cyborg's reaction which was the most predictable. "**Xenothium?** You powered that suit with **Xenothium** Are you crazy, man? That stuff is dangerous—and unstable! Tell me you were not stupid enough to go messing with it!"

Robin ground his teeth slightly in frustration. "Like I said, it was a mistake," he bit out sharply.

Suddenly Cyborg raised his hand to his chin, a look of inspiration lighting his features. "Xenothium . . . That explains how you could generate so much damn power . . . just a small quantity would . . ." The boy trailed off for a moment in his contemplation. "The **belt**! That was the power source . . ."

Suddenly Cyborg spun on him, clawing the air angrily. "Do **not** tell me that that entire dang **belt **was filled with Xenothium!" Robin could only look away in shame. He had realized what a risk it was when he had made the suit, but he had been so blinded by his obsession that he had ignored it completely.

Cyborg took his silence as consent. Immediately, the much larger boy spun around again, clutching his cybernetic skull in disbelief. "Man! Are you **nuts**? That's enough Xenothium to level half the city if it goes critical! What in the name of all that is holy in this world were **you** **thinking**?" bellowed the massive teen, still flailing in disbelief.

Back on the couch, Ryouga turned to Starfire and commented very conversationally, "Oh . . . so that's why he doesn't wear it anymore." The alien beauty didn't even register the boy's comment, still staring at him in shock herself.

Robin's shoulders slumped. "You think I don't know that? Why do you think I've been so determined to get it back? However, as bad as things look right now, we're actually very lucky at the moment."

Starfire stood slowly and moved toward him, wringing her hands in worry. "What do you mean, Robin? Our beautiful city is in a terrible amount of danger now. If for some reason the Xenothium were to detonate . . ."

A weak smile formed on his face at that. "If the Xenothium were to detonate now . . . not much at all would happen." He allowed a moment for everyone's shocked and confused reactions to pass. "The Red X suit is nearly out of power. I estimate that the suit only has a few more hours of power left at the most, and considering how volatile the power supply is, it's performance will probably get more unpredictable the longer it runs," he explained. It wasn't great news, but it was good news.

"Hey, that's great! All we gotta do is wait for the suit to run outta juice then. Sure, Red X will get a few last kicks in, but then problem solved. And the best part is, we don't even gotta lift a finger," cheered Beast Boy, whose hair was very nearly goo free by that point.

Cyborg shook his head at that. "No way, BB. If this actually **is** Nabiki in that suit, then she'll probably have Gizmo trying to find more Xenothium for her already."

That struck Robin as an odd statement, not the part about finding more Xenothium, but rather the uncertainty about Nabiki. He thought it had been pretty well established that it had been her by this point? She had the motive, the opportunity, the access to technical expertise. She also possessed the knowledge of Ryouga's curse and the mile wide devious streak to pull it all together. Why would they be starting to doubt that now?

Be that as it may . . . "Cyborg's right. Gizmo will be scanning for Xenothium, probably already is scanning for it. We have to find any possible sources before they do."

"X isn't the only one with a scanner," stated Cyborg. The larger teen then reeled a cable from his chest panel and plugged it into the computer. "I'm downloading the molecular signature and transmitting to your communicators."

Robin shook his head at that. "Thanks, but I won't need it. I already know where to look first."

Starfire stated at him in confusion. "But, Robin, how will you find the Xenothium without a scanner?"

"The same way I found it last time." He paused for a moment and looked over his comrades. Ryouga was carefully using the solvent to continue freeing Raven from her molecular confines, since Cyborg had started ranting. It looked like he would be at it for some time as well. Starfire had a nasty set of scratches on her perfect face, from when she face planted into the road. Cyborg was still downloading the signature to his friend's communicators.

He let out a long, tired sigh. "I want everyone to take the rest of the night off to recover. I don't care how good Gizmo's scanners are, Xenothium is extremely rare. The only person I know that even handles the stuff is Professor Chang. I'll go cover that angle myself tomorrow. Cyborg, you can use the time to calibrate the scanners in case that angle doesn't pan out, instead of us all running out half cocked tonight."

Starfire looked at his, slightly worried. "Are you certain that is wise? What if Red X is to find a source of Xenothium before us?"

He shook his head to dismiss her worries. "Don't worry Star, Nabiki is good, but she's still new to this, there's no way that she would even know who Professor Chang is. That gives us a large advantage to finding anything before her. And giving Cyborg more time to fine tune the sensors will only help us out in the long run as well."

His closest friend finally smiled, confident in his decision. He smiled back and dropped a comforting hand on her shoulder. He hadn't spent nearly as much time with Starfire lately as he would have like to . . . maybe he would ask her to train tomorrow before he went after Chang.

"But first, let's get that cheek looked at."

* * *

Cyborg smiled at his progress with the scanner. He had spent all night and most of the morning on it, but he was fairly certain that in a few more hours, and if he sent his team mates to strategic locations, he'd be able to blanket most of the city in one fell swoop. Robin had made a pretty smart move letting him take his time like this. If they had just ran back out again last night, their communicators would have only been able to sense Xenothium within several hundred meters. Pretty much a needle and haystack scenario right there.

"Excuse me, Cyborg, I hope I'm not interrupting you," came a pleasant voice from behind him.

He spun around in his seat, doing his utmost to appear as casual about it as possible. He smiled the most confident and mature smile he could manage, in the face of the lovely young woman that stood before him, her hands clasped together in front of her. Ryouga had mentioned that Kasumi preferred older, more mature men after all.

"Not at all, Kasumi, how may I assist you this fine morning?" he asked suavely.

Her giggle rang like little angelic bells in the morning sun. He sure hoped he didn't make himself look like a shmuck here, it was a long shot, he knew, but he was pretty sure that he wasn't **too** much younger than her.

"Actually, I was hoping that we could continue with my medical training. We have been putting it off a lot lately, due to this little Red X problem," she said, tilting her head to the side cutely.

His almost knee-jerk reaction was to agree immediately. He had come to enjoy his time with her quite a lot, and the times when he was teaching her were some of the few times that he got to interact with her without Beast Boy around to cramp his style. However . . .

"Maan . . . I'd love to, Kasumi . . . but I have to work on this scanner thing." He gestured to the screen behind him. Displayed on the screen was the scanner information, as well as a map with several locations that he had marked as having a high probability of possessing Xenothium, just based upon the kinds of work they did. S.T.A.R. Labs was one such building and he had thrown Professor Chang's observatory up there, since Robin had mentioned it. He planned to check those two places first when he sent his friends out.

The stunning Japanese girl nodded in understanding, though she did look a bit disappointed. Absently, he fantasized that she was disappointed about not getting to hang out with him, but then dashed the daydream quickly. "Don't you worry though, as soon as this whole Red X thing is outta the way, then I'll make it up to ya, big time," he assured her.

Kasumi smiled brightly at that, which made him smile again as well. "That sounds lovely, I look forward to it. But . . . what should I do today then?" she asked.

He scratched his head at that. He'd love to ask her to help him here, but there was a world of difference between his med tech and the tech he was using here, she'd likely just feel like a third wheel. "Um . . . you could go train with Robin again."

She shook her head slightly. "He's training with Starfire at the moment. I'm afraid that she's much more skilled than me, I'd only hinder her training," admitted the Tendo girl.

He nodded absently, Starfire was Ryouga's pet project; it was no surprise that she was progressing rapidly. "Hmm, you could always go chill out with Ryouga; I don't think he's up to anything."

Again she shook her head. "Ryouga and Beast Boy went down to Terra's cavern early this morning. I would hate to disturb them when they are bonding; those two haven't spent much time together lately."

He looked at her a bit strangely for a moment . . . but then let it drop. Only Kasumi would be concerned how much her friends were hanging out together. "Well, then you and Raven could . . . could . . . Hey! Ya know what? Why don't ya take the day off? You could head up town and do some shopping or something, I'll give you the account card that Robin gave me," he offered desperately.

Kasumi considered his generosity for a moment. "I couldn't possibly impose upon you like that. I'm still you're guest here, that would be terribly rude of me."

He just shook his head. "Naw, don't worry about it. Robin gives these cards out to everyone in the tower, there's a pretty low daily limit, to make sure we don't go crazy, but you are a member of the team now. I'll remind him to set up an account for you later as well."

She stared at him hesitantly, as he ejected said card from his arm and offered it to her. "Are you sure that this is alright? I wouldn't want to get you into trouble with Robin."

He gently took her hand and nearly forced her to take the card. He knew that Japanese people were polite, but this was ridiculous. What girl refused a free shopping spree . . . asides from Raven? "No, it's all good, now please, go; enjoy yourself." With that he rather brazenly placed his hand at the small of her back and gently began to shepherd her to the elevator. He allowed a small smile to form on his lips at the fact that she didn't object to his gesture.

When the reached the elevator, Kasumi turned and beamed him a brilliant smile. "Thank you very much for your generosity, Cyborg. I think that I will go into town today . . ."

"There is something that I need to pick up."

* * *

Now, to the many people that knew him, it would be a fair and frankly, quite honest statement, to say that Ryouga Hibiki was an irritable kind of guy. To be fair, Ryouga Hibiki had several very valid reasons for this, as well as a number of completely petty and in some cases, completely unfounded reasons. This being said, asides from a very specific and pigtail wearing boy, who will remain nameless, most people were relatively careful to avoid angering him.

Unfortunately, his current companion did not appear to be one of those people.

Ryouga idly wondered, if his first major act as a super hero was to brutally murder one of his teammates in cold blood, just what kind of irony would be used to describe it? Not that Beast Boy was actually **trying** to make him angry, but the younger boy's constant chatter about video games and movies and girls, and a dozen other things that Ryouga had next to no experience with, was starting to wear thin after the sixth hour in.

Did Beast Boy actually not **want** him to save Terra? Because, at this point, he was actually further away from remembering what he had almost stumbled across the other night, than he had been before he had even thought of it in the first place!

"Dude, I so cannot wait for you to bring Terra back," babbled the young man. Apparently Beast Boy was running out of things to talk about and was coming full circle to his earlier topics. Hmm, maybe it would make him that much easier to tune out so that he could get some actual work done. "Yeah, I had so much fun with her. We got along great, from the very first minute we met."

Ryouga stopped his irritated pacing and sat down in front of Terra's statue, doing his best to ignore the boy behind him. He stared up at the stone girl, silently mouthing a prayer for her to save him. "I know it sounds corny, but I think Terra and me could have really worked out in the long run, just like you and Raven," continued the changeling in his endless spiel.

Ryouga shook his head in boredom, would this boy never shut u-

"What?" he barked in disbelief. He spun to gawk at the boy behind him.

Beast Boy gawked back at him. "What, what?"

"What about me and Raven?" he asked seriously.

Beast Boy shrugged, suddenly looking a bit embarrassed. "Um, nothin I guess. I just figure that you and Raven make a good couple. You two got a lot in common, dude."

He stared at the younger boy oddly for a moment. "Beast Boy, Raven and I are **not** a couple. I nearly **killed** her; I'm still just working on being her friend. Besides, I'm still not sure I'm completely over Jinx yet . . ."

It was Beast Boy's turn to stare oddly back at him. "What? Why are ya worried about her for? She totally ditched you, man. Raven was there for you, heck, she's here for you now. Why would you wanna moon over some girl that's gone, when you could probably actually get something going with someone that's actually here?"

He let out a long sigh, he'd like to just state angrily that Beast Boy didn't understand, but unfortunately there was a monument roughly six feet to his rear that stated otherwise. "It's not something I can just turn on and off like a switch, Beast Boy. Besides, Raven can't even stand it when I touch her, how could she possibly think of me like that?" he asked in a tired voice.

His companion just snorted loudly. "Dude, you might have gotten to know that girl a bit, but **I've** known her for years. She is so totally into you, you just aren't seein it. Heck, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw that outfit she wore out with you yesterday. I've never even **seen** her dress up to go out before; I didn't even know she **owned** any real clothes!"

He shrugged dismissively at the boy's wild claims. "You're reading too much into things. And since when is my love life of interest to anyone?"

Beast Boy smiled wickedly at that. "Dude, inquiring minds want to know!"

Ryouga could only wave off his friend's crazed mutterings. "Just how many boulders did Cologne smash your head against back in the village anyway . . ."

"Absolutely no one cares who I end up with."

* * *

Starfire and Cyborg chatted amiably while they washed the dishes. Robin and Raven had already long vanished and none of their other companions had even returned for the midday meal. Starfire let out a wistful sigh at the thought of a very certain pair of her friends. "I do hope that our dear friends, Raven and Ryouga can once again become romantically involved. They make a most wonderful relationship unit."

Cyborg turned to regard her immediately, a look of surprise on his face. "What do you mean 'again'? They never got together in the first place. Besides, Jinx was absolutely crazy about the guy, I'm sure she'll be back for him soon enough."

Suddenly, the water in the sink began to bubble around her hands as she turned to glare at her companion with emerald glowing eyes.

"You make that sound like a **good** thing . . ." she trailed off menacingly.

Cyborg just matched her gaze. "What if I am?"

In this confrontation, the only real winners were the dish manufacturers.

* * *

Akane leaned back on the porch, enjoying the setting sun. She giggled lightly, the breathtaking sight putting her in a strangely romantic mood. She stared idly at the boy sitting on the grass to her side, a number of tools strewn about him. She decided to try subliminally planting a few ideas in his head.

"Ryouga sure is a lucky guy, being in such a wonderful relationship, don't you think?" she asked slyly. She knew any subtle undertones would fly about a mile over his head, but that was part of the reason she lo- umm liked him so much.

Ranma just nodded absently, as he picked up a wrench and began adjusting some part or another on his new motorcycle. "Yeah, I guess he is pretty lucky to have a girl like Jinx. She's really dedicated to that guy."

That brought her up short. "What? That hussy? I was talking about Ryouga and Raven. Those two belong together," she stated forcefully.

Ranma just snorted. "Humph, not if I got anything to say about it," he muttered, nearly under his breath.

What had that jerk meant by that? How could he possibly think a villain like Jinx was better for Ryouga than a sweet and pretty girl like Raven? Now her good mood was completely forgotten. Leave it to her insensitive fiancé to utterly ruin the moment.

"Ranma!"

* * *

Happosai sat lounged back on his pile of stolen lingerie. In an oddly sentimental mood, he fondly remembered two of his favorite students. He remembered the fun he had had teaching both of them, and how far they had progressed under his training.

"Ah, yes. Ryouga and Jinx would make a wonderful pair," he murmured fondly.

* * *

Cologne sat lounged back in her imported leather chair. In an oddly sentimental mood, she fondly remembered two of her favorite students. She remembered the fun she had had teaching both of them, and how far they had progressed under her training.

"Ah, yes. Ryouga and Raven would make a wonderful pair," she murmured fondly.

* * *

Jinx looked up from her hand and glared at Nabiki. "I'll take three cards. And would you give it up already? I told you, Ryouga belongs to Raven now."

Nabiki dealt her the three cards, before returning her glare. "Did you get brain damage when you jumped into that tornado? You and Ryouga would make a much hotter couple!"

Around the table, Mammoth, Gizmo and Kyd Wykkyd just shrugged and threw in their chips. As much as they loved them, these two girls were just plain crazy.

* * *

Ryouga nearly doubled over in a sneezing fit. Angrily he waved his hand around him, dispersing the dust particles that hung in the air. When he finally recovered, he glared at the laughing form of the emerald teen behind him.

"I don't remember it being this dusty before **you** started hanging out."

* * *

Robin dropped to the catwalk as silently as death itself. Nor did he produce even a single sound as he began to stalk around the interior of the massive observatory. Down below him, nearly hidden by a number of haphazardly placed crates, containers and equipment, was the target of his search.

Professor Chang was an older man, wearing an oversized biohazard suit. He was also completely clueless to Robin's entrance. The masked boy smiled grimly, he wasn't sure whom he should thank more for his greatly improved stealth, Cologne or Happosai. He took another soundless step forward . . . then stopped suddenly.

Something seemed . . . wrong. The room looked to be in rough shape, almost like a fight had taken place. A sudden sinking sensation in his gut, he jumped onto the railing and leapt towards the shady merchant, all worries of stealth forgotten.

He landed with a quiet thump, but just enough to alert the nervous scientist. Immediately, Chang reached out to his side and grabbed a long, staff like weapon. The end of the forked device began to glow dangerously as he spun in Robin's direction. The Boy Wonder wasn't in any mood for playing though, so he simply snapped the weapon in half with a lighting fast snap kick. He then snatched the flying half out of the air and pressed it against Professor Chang's neck, pushing the old man into the stack of crates behind him.

"Professor Chang. Remember me?" he whispered dangerously. Up this close, the Professor was much less easy to look at. The man had snaggled and yellowed teeth, and wore a strange breathing device in his nose. At least the top of his face was completely covered by a pair of large goggles.

Professor Chang looked back at him, before gathering his wits once more. "Ah. The good little boy who likes dangerous toys." The old man giggled in delight. "How could I forget?"

He decided to cut to the chase. "Xenothium. Where do you get it?"

Chang smiled wider at his question. "Nowhere. Suppliers skipped town months ago. That stuff—there's no way to get any. Unless…"

"Talk!" The masked hero was tired of playing games. He pressed the weapon harder into the man's throat.

If Chang was intimidated, he hid it well. Instead, he continued on in that highly amused tone of voice. "There's a tech company on the south end. Legend has it that they keep a generous supply of Xenothium ore in their vault. But it's not for sale—and it's locked up tight. You'd have to **steal** it," drawled the old man, obviously amused with himself.

"Not interested." With that, he threw the galling pseudo criminal to the ground and began to walk away. "But I know someone who is."

Behind him, Professor Chang began to laugh, slightly manically, even as he rubbed his throat. "Yes, yes, I imagine you **do** at that, boy. In fact, as you can see, she was already in to see me. Lovely young woman, absolutely stunning. And what an interesting suit she wore. I wonder, just what kind of recklessly brilliant mind would think to power a suit with _Xenothium?_" the man asked leadingly.

Immediately, Robin spun back to the man and grabbed his lapels harshly. He then lifted the man to his toes and slammed him back against the boxes. "What did you tell her?" he barked out angrily.

The deluded old man never lost his gruesome smile. "Nothing I didn't tell you. Of course, she seemed to be in quite a rush. She's likely breaking in at this very moment, if she hasn't stolen the Xenothium already, that is."

Robin didn't even bother tossing the man to the ground this time. He turned and fired his grappling hook into the ceiling, cursing himself the whole time, and flew out the massive opening in the roof. He didn't have any time to lose! He pulled out his communicator, even as he flew through the air.

"Titans! I know where Red X is going to attack, I'm sending coordinates!"

* * *

Cyborg jumped up from his seat at the main computer and cursed loudly. The coordinates placed the location that Robin indicated near the south end of town. It would take him forever to get there, even in his beautiful baby! Regardless, he spun around and made his way to the elevator.

Raven rose up from the couch, wincing gingerly as her chest brace dug into her side at the motion. Her arm was still strapped to her chest by the techno-sling and didn't help her rise at all. "It will be faster if I fly us there. Let's go."

He held up his hand defiantly at that. "The heck you are. Kasumi ordered you to stay in the tower after what happened to you yesterday, there's no way that you're goin on this mission."

Raven glared at him angrily. "Kasumi doesn't give me orders, I don't care how well intentioned. We have to capture Red X at all costs."

He nodded. "And **we** will. Robin backed up Kasumi one hundred percent; he was there when he saw you nearly get shot right in the chest. Do you have any idea what would have happened if you had?" he asked seriously. Silently he pressed the elevator button and started counting the seconds in his head. "Listen, I'm not gonna argue with you, so instead, I'm gonna slip into the elevator and ditch you while you sputter angrily!"

And he did just that, as the elevator slid open behind him precisely when he calculated it would. Instantly he slammed his finger onto the close door button, even as Raven began to float after him, sputtering angrily. He knew he was going to pay for that move later, but hey, it was for the girl's own good . . . that and it might get him a little more into Kasumi's good book.

He just hoped he lived to enjoy it.

* * *

Robin landed on the rooftop of the tech company Professor Cheng had told him about. He was wary of a trap, but his gut told him that Red X hadn't waited for him. A quick check of his communicator revealed that Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Ryouga were all en route, but that it'd be a few minutes before any of them arrived on the scene.

He spat out a small curse. He couldn't afford to wait for them; he had to stop Red X before it was too late, if it wasn't already. Decision made, he made his way to the edge of the roof. Several stories below was the main research branch of the company, covered by a massive domed roof. Even from the distance, he could see a small opening had been cut into the very center of the roof.

Cursing again, he leapt down to the dome and sprinted for the opening. It was obvious now, that Red X was already there. With hardly a thought, he jumped through the opening, just catching the edge with his grappling hook as he fell through. He could only hope that Red X hadn't already come and gone. Who knew what Nabiki would be able to do if she got her hands on the amounts of Xenothium that were available here? God only knew what her plans wer-

Damn! His hurried pursuit came to a screeching halt, as he suddenly found himself at a crossroads. Quite literally for that matter, he dropped to the ground after a hurried descent, only to find himself standing in a massive circular chamber with four obvious exits.

If he chose the wrong one . . .

If only his teammates were here, at least then they could cover all of the exits! He let out a sigh of impatience. He just had to go with his gut and hope for the best. Hopefully everyone would arrive soon and they could cover the other paths.

Robin spun around quickly, and more or less at random, picked the exit that he hoped was right. He sprinted through the door and found himself running down a grayish hallway. The hall ran on for several dozen meters, before his chase ended.

He nearly let out a laugh of relief. Standing before him, open wide, was a massive security door. Beyond the door was a long hallway which curved around so the end wasn't even in sight. His relief was short lived though, as the entire length of the hallway, from ceiling to floor and from wall to wall, was literally packed with crimson laser beams. The fact that they were visible like that told him that if he came into contact with them, setting off an alarm would be the least of his worries. What on earth was a company like this doing with such a deadly line of defense?

Still, it was obvious that Red X had made it through unscathed, so he had to go through as well. With that in mind, the Boy Wonder took a deep breath and shook out his limbs. One slip up and it was all over, luckily he never slipped.

With one last deep breath, he ran forward and began the arduous process of tumbling through the lasers.

* * *

Starfire landed gracefully in the large circular chamber. This room seemed to be where Robin's last coordinates were, before his signal had been lost. She stared around in indecision. She had no idea which way Robin had gone. Wherever he was, the building was obviously too well shielded to allow his communicator to work.

Perhaps she should await the arrival of her remaining companions. Before she had entered the building, she had seen Cyborg's vehicle arriving in the parking lot. It seemed unlikely that he would be too far behind her. As well, she did not believe that Beast Boy and Ryouga were far off either. They had come directly from Terra's cavern, and had had the least distance to travel. Unfortunately, as quick as Ryouga was, he lacked both the ability to fly and the ability to drive, so he was forced to leap across the rooftops.

No, Robin was already here, and likely in peril. She could not afford to await the rest of her companions. Her only option was to make a guess as to which direction to go. She spun quickly in mid air, and flew towards a door, more or less at random.

She found herself wandering down a grayish corridor. The entire facility was eerily quiet, not a sound was to be heard. It was slightly heartening, since she could not hear the sounds of combat, but the dead silence was somewhat unnerving as well. Now she wished that she had waited for Cyborg.

A sudden sound drew her attention! It had come from down the corridor ahead of her. It had been faint; the sound of a shoe scuffing the floor, but it had been enough. Perhaps she had found Robin already! With that in mind, she flew down the corridor in pursuit of the sound.

Just ahead of her was a junction; she could see a shadow play across the far wall of the left branching hallway. She poured on more speed and flew on to investigate the disturbance. A moment later, she turned the corner, expecting to see Robin, Red X or both . . .

Who she saw was neither!

"Who-who are you!" she cried in surprise. Her only answer was a spray of blue liquid . . .

. . . and then she knew no more.

* * *

Cyborg lowered himself through the opening in the roof with the winch located in his arm. After the longish descent, he found himself standing in the middle of a massive circular chamber. The room had four obvious exits, but no markings of any kind to tell him where each one led.

He let out a minor curse. His scanner had shown this to be the last known location for both Robin and Starfire, before he'd lost contact with both of them. Damn, this place was obviously protected from outside signals and such, a pretty intelligent precaution if they were doing research into something as dangerous as Xenothium.

Still, that left him with only a twenty five percent chance of choosing the passage that would take him to Red X, if she was still even here . . .

According to his scanner, Ryouga and Beast Boy were pretty much right on his heels. They'd likely be here in a minute themselves.

Hmm, you know what . . . he was pretty sure that one more minute wouldn't hurt. He'd just wait for his two friends to join up with him; then they'd have a way better chance of finding either Red X, Robin or Starfire. Besides, Robin and Starfire could take care of themselves, so there was no need to charge off after them half cocked.

Decision made, he lifted his right arm up and started to tinker around with his scanner. Maybe he could figure a way to cut out the buildings interference and locate his friends. A few moments later, and a small beeping sound told him that he had met with partial success, as his scanner picked up a signature not far from his location.

"Hey, wait a minute . . . Why the heck is there a Xenothium signature right behind me?" he cried in shock. Instantly, he spun around, converting his arm into its sonic cannon configuration and brought it to bear on whoever was behind hi-

A blinding flash of red light was the last thing he saw.

* * *

Ryouga and Beast Boy dropped to the floor easily, only to find themselves in the center of a massive circular chamber. The two of them looked around, counting the four exits to the room.

"Damn, which one do we take?" muttered the Lost Boy.

Beast Boy ran a hand over his chin in thought. "Man, knowing our luck, whatever one we pick will be the wrong one. Dude, if only there were just two exits, that way we could let you pick which one to take. Then we'd automatically know that was the wrong one and we could take the other one."

Ryouga glared at the younger boy and just barely fought back the urge to club the guy across the back of the head. The fact that his friend had sounded completely serious didn't make it any better.

"Shut up! Look, the obvious choice is for us to split up, if we take two doors, that doubles our chances of finding someone else," he explained carefully.

Beast Boy eyed him warily, perhaps wondering if he had lost him mind. "Umm, dude, you want me to let **you** wander around by yourself? No offence, but unless Red X is gonna make a break for Siberia, I don't think that's a good idea."

Immediately, he grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and forced his clenched fist back to his side. "That's enough about my direction sense, thank you. Look, it's not great, but I still have my communicator, as long as I have it, I'll be able to tell if I'm getting too far away from you guys. Now let's go, we have no idea what Red X might be doing." It was true for the most part as well, splitting up was the best way to increase their odds.

Of course, normally he would **never** offer up such a suggestion, but at this point, he would give **anything** to get away from Beast Boy's incessant chatter, even if it meant getting lost in Zimbabwe again.

He didn't give his companion any more chances to argue the point either. A single leap took him to one of the exits and he started sprinting down it as fast as his legs would carry him. He wasn't overly impressed by the facility's drab, grayish walls, but at least it was a nice change from the stone walls he had been staring at for the past few weeks.

The sound of Beast Boy's cursing faded into the background as he continued to run down the corridor. After several more moments, he finally slowed down to a walk, he didn't want to **actually** get lost in Zimbabwe, but if he kept running like that, who knew what would happen? He took the moment to open up his senses to the world around him. Maybe if he could pick up on Starfire's unique chi, he could follow it to her.

Of course, by choosing that very moment to tune into his surroundings . . . he was completely unsurprised when a shadowy figure jumped around the corner ahead of him and started unloading a stream of thick, red liquid right into his face!

* * *

Robin exited the end of the laser trapped corridor, sweating slightly from the exertion. It appeared his ordeal wasn't over with yet though, as set into the ground before him was a massive shaft that sank down into the ground.

Carefully, he stepped to the edge and looked down the wide, circular tunnel that led down to the lower levels of the facility. The drop was at least fifty feet and a glowing white force field hung between him and the facilities bottom floor.

He let out yet another sigh, as he hooked his grappling hook to the ledge and leapt down again. Using his grappling hook to slow his fall, he reached behind his back and pulled out an Electro-magnetic Pulse bomb. It wasn't something he used often, especially when Cyborg was present, but it would short out the force field instantly.

He threw the device down below him, even as he slowly descended to the force field. The EMP grenade hit the shield and bounced several times, before a series of beeps and a high pitched whine heralded its activation.

Rather than explode, the device just gave off a sound like a dull 'thud' and suddenly all the lights within two stories died, taking the force field with them. A second later, the device landed on the floor with a ring of metal.

He joined it a moment later. He took a moment to retrieve the weapon, before he started running down the hall. His next destination wasn't very far away, though, as the corridor opened up into a large square room before him. This room definitely took him by surprise. The entire floor was covered in black tiles that looked suspiciously like sensors. At least they would have, if the entire floor hadn't looked like it had been torn apart by a massive laser weapon.

He made that last guess based on the fact that there was a massive laser weapon collapsed in a heap on the floor, sparking dangerously and with several cables still running to the ceiling, apparently from where it had been hanging. It appeared that Red X had already dealt with this obstacle for him; he'd have to thank her with a light prison sentence.

At the far end of the room, was a massive vault door, also hanging open. Beyond the door, he could see a massive storage room, with dozens of circular doors adorning the walls. He couldn't see anyone through the door, but he could hear movement coming from the room.

Robin made his way across the ruined floor of the laser room, moving as silently as he could. Several moments later, he slid up to the side of the large vault door and peeked around the corner and into the room.

There! He nearly sighed in relief. Red X was still there, the girl was loading several small tubes of Xenothium into a larger yellow containment device. Her movements were precise but hurried. Obviously she was expecting company any moment. He smiled to himself vindictively; it would be a shame for him to not live up to her expectations.

With casual ease, he swaggered through the doorway and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. Red X still hadn't noticed his entrance, which he found to be a very amusing piece of irony. "Looks like you're getting ready for a long trip. Do you need a hand packing your things?" he asked casually.

Instantly Red X spun around to face him, a startled gasp escaping her mask. "Heh, of course, I don't think they allow their guests to bring suitcases full of Xenothium with them to prison," he finished snidely.

Red X composed herself quickly; then leaned back confidently, resting a hand on her hip. "Oh, Robin. I was expecting you to drop by earlier. I suppose that children like you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, though."

The masked Titan let the rather weak insult roll off his back like water. "Give it up, Nabiki. You can't escape this time."

"And what makes you think you can stop me all by yourself?" she asked in an amused tone of voice.

This time he did smile a very malicious smile indeed. "I made that suit, remember, I know what it can do. I also know that I'm a way better fighter than you. In fact, now that you've lost the element of surprise, I doubt there's anyone on my entire team that couldn't beat you in a straight up fight," he explained eagerly.

The girl's eye slits narrowed dangerously at his words. "Strong words, kid, considering I outmaneuvered your whole team just last night. I suggest you make like a good little boy and walk away right now," she replied.

His smile only widened at that. "Or what? You'll spank me? Face it, X, you're out of your league here. Now just surrender, before things get ugly."

Red X nodded slightly. "I am out of my league . . . for now, but that will change with time. Of course, for that to happen, you need to get out of my **way**!" Instantly, the girl kicked the yellow containment unit up into her hand and charged right at him. She raised her free hand in mid run and started firing whirring red X's at him as fast as the suit would allow.

He ducked and dodged around the projectiles, then quickly pulled out his Bo staff and used it to deflect the rest. Luckily, not even Red X was foolish enough to use explosive weaponry in a vault filled with Xenothium. He then charged in to meet her, his weapon flashing back and forth in an intricate pattern of attacks. The girl flipped back out of reach and fired a number of adhesive shots at the ground, trying to catch him again.

He nearly chuckled; instead he just flipped over the sticky floor and pulled out a fan of birdarangs. He let the weapons fly, even before he landed and chased them in. It was Red X's turn to dodge frantically, the girl extended the wrist blades of her free hand and used it to deflect the three razor edged weapons.

She finished just in time to swing around and catch his Bo staff in the crook of her wrist blade. She held him back steadily, her augmented strength more than a match for his. She then lashed out with a rapid kick. Rather than break off, he used her strength against her and lifted all of his weight up onto his staff and rose up into a perfect handstand, balancing perilously on the girl's wrist.

He smiled widely at the shocked look on the girl's face. She didn't even have time to retract her arm, before he swung down into a massive double kick directly to her chest. The attack landed home with a massive crunch and it sent the girl skidding across the floor to slam into the heavy metal of the wall. The containment unit skittered off to the side, as she lost her hold on it.

Robin dropped into an aggressive stance then, his left hand held horizontally before him and his staff held ready behind him. He was prepared for her next move, he didn't care what she did when she sprang back to her feet; there was no way she was going to surprise him again . . .

Except . . . except she wasn't springing to her feet. In fact, Red X had curled up into a fetal position against the wall, clutching her chest and breathing in ragged, pained gasps.

Oh, hell . . .

"**Please **tell me that isn't the first time that anyone has actually hit you . . ." he trailed off uncertainly. Suddenly a very unexpected feeling hit him, the insidious tendrils of guilt and embarrassment wormed their way into his soul. He had forgotten that Nabiki wasn't really a fighter, she wasn't conditioned to handle pain like him and his friends were . . .

The girl couldn't even answer his question; all she could do was whimper as she struggled to draw in breath. He winced at that, he'd obviously knocked the wind right out of her. He knew what an unpleasant experience it was to suddenly feel like each breath might be your last. Of course, he was more than used to it, but he had a feeling that the Tendo girl before him was rather new to the experience.

He shifted out of his combat stance, suddenly feeling like a bit of a heel as the girl drew in another long, wheezing breath. The poor thing was practically shaking and he could just feel the fear in her shaky gasps. Were . . . were those tears soaking through the mask?

Ah, hell . . .

Either Nabiki was the greatest actress in the history of the world and he was about to be in a world of pain . . . or he was about to give comfort to the enemy . . . Why did neither of those alternatives sound like something that an intelligent, rational hero would ever consider?

With a loud sigh, he took a step forward and reached out his hand to comfort the panicking girl, when-

A flash of red light filled the room behind him! Instantly, his world dissolved into pain and he crumpled to the floor, only inches away from Red X, who was still huddled against the wall. He turned his head, struggling to stay conscious every second, to see what was happening.

He wondered if his pain rattled senses were failing him . . . as a number of bizarre looking beings entered to room. To his agony laced brain, it looked like the march of astronauts strolling on the moon. A number of men, each wearing bulky hazmat suits, entered the chamber and started to open the small storage bays, one after another. In each of the small bays, was a canister, just like the one Red X was filling earlier. The men removed each and every single one, handing them back, from one pair of hands to another, before they closed the bays again behind them.

Still fighting the pain, Robin tried to drag himself towards one of the men, but he could barely even get his muscles to respond at all. Then, a pair of booted feet came to stop, just before him. Robin felt a shiver of terror run down his spin, as the space suit clad man pulled a lunchbox-like piece of equipment from behind his back. If he knew his villains, than this was likely an explosive device . . . and he could still barely move a muscle! Without a word, the man simply set the device on the ground before him, then turned and followed the rest of the men as through the exit, carrying the remaining containers of Xenothium with them.

With a groan, he forced himself up to his elbows. "The Xenothium!"

His attention was suddenly grabbed, though, as the box before him flashed to life. He prepared himself for the inevitable blaring red countdown, when-

"Yes. And I do so appreciate it," sounded a familiar voice.

"Chang!" Robin gasped in shock. The petty arms merchant's face filled the tiny screen of the device the man had placed before him.

Chang's wicked smile filled most of the screen, as the man continued to speak. "Since you two were doing the break-in, I decided to cash in. I'm sick of selling to bad boys. I'm ready to be one. And now that I finally have enough Xenothium to power my disintegrator cannon, I can be very, very bad."

As if to prove his point, Professor Chang then pointed to his side and whoever was holding the camera swung to reveal the massive tarp covered telescope that Robin had jumped on when he had entered Chang's observatory earlier that night. Or at least, that was what it appeared to be, until a pair of the suit clad men tore away the off-brown tarp to reveal the monstrous disintegrator cannon that actually dwelled beneath.

Almost immediately, Robin dropped back into his stock hero dialogue. "I won't let you get away with this!"

Chang only smiled wider at his empty words. "Oh, I think you will, because, my good little boy, I didn't just steal the ore . . ."

Again, Chang's cameraman swung away from the maniac, to focus on four cylindrical glass tanks. Three of the tanks were occupied . . . by his friends! Beast Boy was in the first tank, Starfire in the second and Cyborg in the third. Robin cursed loudly to himself, likely the only reason that Hibiki wasn't there, was because he had managed to get himself lost again.

Chang's voice continued from off of the tiny screen. ". . . I stole your friends. Stay out of this . . . or I'll test my cannon on them!" Then, without another word, but with a massive grin sprawled across his face, Professor Chang cut off the communication, leaving only a dead, black screen before him.

Robin cursed himself again, for the . . . damn, he'd lost count of how many times he had cursed himself that night. That couldn't be a good sign, not at all.

Eventually, he managed to work the electrical pulses out of his system and regain control of his agonized muscles. Unfortunately, the process took a number of minutes, and he just knew that the lackeys would be long gone by the time he started to chase them.

So instead, he turned to regard Red X. The young woman was on her knees now, finally beginning to breath normally again. She stared at him, still clutching her chest protectively. "Who . . . who were those men . . .?" she asked in a pained voice.

He glared down at her. "Criminals, just like you," he uttered seriously.

Her head snapped up at that, and she stared at him with wide eyes. "I am **not** a criminal! I . . . I didn't mean for things to go this far . . . it's all gotten so confusing," she muttered, an oddly sad note in her voice.

His serious glare softened somewhat, though he wasn't sure why. "Not a criminal? Then how do you explain all of this? You **stole** that suit, you broke into a top secret facility, then you were **about** to **steal** a dangerous and unstable compound." He shrugged casually. "If it looks like a thief, and it acts like a thief, then the logical conclusion to draw would be: thief."

"**I am not a thief**!" Her desperate denial sent him back several inches in shock.

". . . I'm not a thief . . .," she repeated, as she started hugging herself and rocking gently from side to side.

Robin could only stare at the girl, total confusion on his features. What was going on here? This wasn't like any of his other encounters with the brash and confident girl he had dealt with earlier. Something very strange was struggling to gain his attention at the very hind end of his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"You – you're not Nabiki . . . are you?" he asked curiously.

He wasn't sure if she registered his question or not, as she just continued to rock back and forth in a most worrying fashion. "I – I didn't mean to steal anything . . . I just . . . just needed this suit, needed the Xenothium. I needed them so **badly **that I just took them . . .," she muttered to herself quietly.

Slowly, he moved forward and knelt before the girl. Then he rested a calming hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes. "Who are you?" he asked soothingly.

Red X looked up at him then, and actually giggled, though a bit sadly. "Isn't it a bit silly to ask a person wearing a mask who they are? I – I can't tell you, Robin, not yet . . ."

For some reason – for some reason, her answer placated his burning curiosity. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Red X, my friends have been captured by that mad man and he has enough Xenothium to disintegrate the entire city. Will you help me? Help me save the city? Help my save my friends?" he asked.

His companion stared at him for a long, long time, before she finally nodded in agreement. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt. It's my fault that Professor Chang has the Xenothium, it's my responsibility to stop him," she decreed finally.

Robin smiled widely at that, who knew that the mysterious and frustrating villain known as Red X had a sense of responsibility under all of her sass and cocky dialogue. He stood up then and lowered a hand to help her up as well. She was just about to her feet –

A shout of pain, quickly followed by the sound of a body crashing into a wall, caused them to spin around. As one, the hero and villain ran to the entrance of the vault. They arrived just in time to dive to the sides, as the body of another hazmat suit wearing lackey went soaring through the air between them and into the vault.

There! At the far end of the room that had once housed the massive energy weapon a small fight was taking place. Strewn around the entrance to the corridor that led to the force field were five unconscious men and two of the stolen containment devices. Standing amidst the pummeled forms, his back to them and breathing heavily, was none other than Ryouga Hibiki!

Robin rapped a knuckle against his forehead. Either he was going to have to stop mentally berating the boy for getting lost, or start doing it all the time! It seemed that every time he did it, the Lost Boy seemed to appear at just the right place at just the right time.

With a smile on his lips, Robin picked his way across the debris field, Red X by his side the whole way. A final leap later and he landed by the boy's side. He dropped a companionable hand on Ryouga's shoulder, more than happy to see the older boy.

"Hey, Ryouga, how did y-"

He gasped in shock, as did Red X, when Ryouga spun around to face him, an angry growl rising from the fighter's throat.

The entire left side of the martial artists face was covered by thick, red goo! A stream of the same adhesive material also ran down the older boy's shoulder to his stomach, before it suddenly cut off to the side. It was obvious that that had been exactly when Ryouga had started to dodge whatever attacker had caught him so.

As soon as Ryouga saw that it was him, the angry growl disappeared and a relieved sigh escaped his lips.

"Ryouga, what happened to you?" asked Red X in a concerned voice from her position behind the fanged fighter.

The fighter spun around again, apparently he hadn't noticed Robin's companion until she had spoken up. As soon as he saw **her** though, his growl returned full force. Instantly, the boy's hand fired out and caught the girl around the throat. Her weight didn't even slow her, as he ran forward and slammed her into the wall behind her.

"I've got you, Nabiki! You'll have to do better than this to stop me!" barked out the teen angrily.

"Ryouga! Let her go!" Robin ordered quickly. Ryouga spun quickly, a questioning look on his features . . . his visible features anyway. "Ryouga . . . Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg have been captured, Red X is going to help us save them. That . . . and I'm pretty sure that isn't Nabiki in there."

Ryouga looked at him for a moment longer, digesting that particular piece of information. Slowly, he turned back to his captive, and stared at her intently with his uncovered eye. "Kodachi . . .?" he asked, very warily for some reason.

Rather than answer, Red X just shook her head in a negative. Ryouga scratched his head at that; then looked at her even more intently. " . . . Mr. Saotome?"

At that, Red X glared at the Lost Boy and bonked him across the back of the head. "Hibiki Ryouga, now you're just being silly! Let me go right now, we have to go save your friends," she ordered him.

Instantly, Ryouga released the girl and took a few steps back, smiling weakly. The Lost Boy then turned to face him and shrugged. "Well, my only other guess after that little rant, would be my mother . . ."

Robin just rolled his eyes at that. "How the heck did you get past those lasers in the condition you're in, anyway?" he asked curiously.

Ryouga shrugged again. "Hey, if you two could make it through, it would obviously be even easier for someone of my skills to make it through," bragged the taller boy smugly.

Robin looked over to Red X, a look of skepticism on his face. The taller girl looked back and crossed her arms over her chest in a patronizing manner. She then looked back at the fanged boy. "Ryouga . . ."

Ryouga looked back at both of them for several moments, before suddenly slumping over guiltily. "Okay, okay, I blew it up, are you happy now?" he replied in a surly voice. Rather than berate the boy, Robin just smiled.

"Yeah, that means we can get out of here that much faster," he explained. With that, he led the way down the corridor, led them to the rescue of their friends. Behind him, Ryouga hesitated for a moment.

"Um, I don't suppose you have any of that solvent on you . . . Robin?"

". . . Robin . . .?"

* * *

Robin stared at the young man to his right and the young woman to his left. The three of them were perched carefully on the edge of the massive opening on the dome of Professor Chang's observatory. His cursory scan of the buildings interior revealed a number of things: the disintegrator cannon (now fully charged), his friends, Professor Chang, and probably a dozen or so henchmen armed with unusual weapons.

At the moment, Professor Chang was looming before the cylinder that contained Starfire. For some reason, though they all appeared to have been frozen, the Tamaranian's head was free of the ice. Of course, this only subjected her to the disturbing advances and rants of the deranged man before her. A low growl from his right drew his sympathy and he dropped a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Robin considered his resources and his enemies. There were three obvious objectives, and three rescuers, a most fortuitous occasion indeed. If they were in the Matrix, he was sure that some person or another would have droned on about how it was fate. First, was disabling the disintegrator cannon. Obviously Ryouga was not the best suited for that mission, so it would be either himself or Red X. Second was rescuing the frozen and trapped Titans down below. He dearly wanted to do that himself, but found that as much as he wanted to trust Red X, he wasn't about to give her access to a death ray full of Xenothium either. The third and final objective was to disable all of the guards below so that they could complete the first two objectives.

With a wicked smile, he squeezed Ryouga's shoulder. "The guards are yours, feel free to indulge yourself," he whispered conspiratorially. The feral smile that bloomed on Ryouga's lips exposed his lengthy canines for all the world to see.

Robin then turned to Red X. "With the suit you're the stealthiest, I need you to free the other Titans while Ryouga distracts the guards," he suggested very seriously. Luckily, the girl nodded immediately, not even putting up a slight argument. He looked back down at the disintegrator cannon, his target.

"The cannon is mine, luckily we got here before he could get in the driver's seat."

He then turned to face the bandanna clad boy beside him.

"Ryouga . . . go."

* * *

Starfire stared angrily at the man before him. Even though she was frozen completely in place, she could still hear his deranged ranting as he danced around happily before her cylindrical prison.

"Tell me, pretty girl, have you ever seen something ripped apart, molecule by molecule?" asked the Madman, likely rhetorically. The man then slid away from her cell, sighing in contentment. "It's breathtaking."

Unable to contain her righteous fury, her eyes lit up with emerald energy. A small burst later, and her head was freed from her icy confines. Unfortunately the rest of her body was not so fortunate. Despite, or possibly because of, her rather dire situation, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"You are a bad man!"

Again her eyes lit up with emerald energy. Then she unleashed her optical fury upon the cylinder which contained her. Despite her best effort, the twin beams of energy just bounced off the cylinders interior, doing no visible damage.

Apparently eager to mock her, Professor Chang leaned closer to her cell, cupping a hand to his ear as if he hadn't just heard her comment. "Oh, if you think I'm bad now, you're going to be really impressed once I finish with your city-and move on to you," he threatened menacingly.

Again, she replied by rote. "Your plans shall fail! Robin will-"

"-not be joining us," Professor Chang interrupted her. He then turned away from her, eyeing his cannon longingly. "Not with your lives on the line. Far too risky for a good boy like him."

"You will be surprised at the risks Robin will take," this time it was her voice that held the deep menace.

If he registered her threat, he did nothing to indicate it. Instead he just walked towards his massive cannon, towards the long ladder that led to the controlling seat of the weapon. She continued to glare angrily at the man's back, desperately trying to think of something to shout to distract the man. If only she could distract him for another moment, perhaps Robin would arrive to save them. All she had to do was shout **something** – something like–

"**Shi Shi Houkodan**!"

What? Why on Tamaran would she shout tha-

Her train of thought was demolished, as an angrily glowing sphere depressive chi plummeted down from the ceiling and smashed heavily into a small cluster of three men. Instantly the chi blast exploded into an azure fountain, sending men and debris flying like so much chaff in the wind. It was quickly followed by the falling form of a very, very angry young martial artist.

Ryouga slammed into the ground like a meteor; the floor buckled wildly under him as metal panels warped and twisted and the stone beneath crumbled into gravel. A second later and the fanged boy nearly vanished into a blur of yellow, green and red and flew into the nearest collection of henchmen.

Starfire winced at the scene of brutal violence that unfolded a moment after that. It was hardly even worth her describing, considering that the battle consisted of Ryouga Hibiki against a mere dozen poorly trained and ill-equipped underlings. Suffice it to say, the battle was so one sided that if ever she was going to feel sympathy for a band of vile criminals that had captured her and threatened disintegration upon both her, her friends and her home . . . this would be that time.

Thankfully, her attention was drawn away from the borderline massacre, by the sound of Cyborg's startled gasp. She turned quickly; it was obvious that while Ryouga was distracting the guards, that Robin had snuck around to free them. She beamed a brilliant smile as she finally caught sight of her closest frie-

"Red X?" Cyborg gasped in shock. Her large teammate stared down in surprise at the black clad girl that had just freed him from his prison. Red X had apparently used some gadget or another to cut a large hole out of the cylinder; then used another to melt the ice around Cyborg.

Rather than hesitate, Cyborg reached down to catch the elusive villainess. "What the heck is a criminal like you doin helping us?"

Unfortunately, the cold was still slowing the boy down. Red X ducked back out of his reach easily, and then looked at him rather coyly. "Criminal? Me?"

Cyborg began to stagger out of the cylinder to catch her, when suddenly she shot forward and pressed her, rather generous . . . 'assets' to Cyborg's chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. The effect was instantaneous, as Cyborg suddenly froze up as if he had never been freed in the first place. The large boy's face instantly blushed furiously and he began to stutter incoherently as Red X rose up on her toes till their faces were nearly touching.

"The only crime here, cutie, is that we haven't gone out on a date yet," she whispered teasingly. After that, the villain giggled lightly and pressed a single finger to Cyborg's forehead. The hormone stricken boy collapsed like a sack of Earth potatoes, Starfire rolled her eyes in disgust at the pitiful display.

A moment later, Red X was in front of her container, the girl's dangerous wrist blades extending once more and rotating rapidly into a deadly cutting tool. Several swift swipes and Starfire was free from her prison as well. However, before Red X freed her from the ice, she stared at her seriously.

"I'm on your side this time. Robin sent me to help you," explained the young woman.

"Where is Robin?" she asked desperately, not caring about anything else.

The cocky villainess just pointed over her shoulder with her thumb, to the controls of the disintegrator cannon. Starfire followed the girl's rather haphazard gesture, up the long ladder . . .

To the sight of Robin, casually sitting on the back of a hog tied Professor Chang. The masked hero was happily watching Ryouga tear through the remainder of the henchmen. As if by fate, Robin chose that very moment to look back in her direction. The smile that bloomed on his face when he saw her being freed warmed her heart in a way that her icy prison could never cool.

Then the masked boy waved happily to her. A moment later, the boy pushed himself and his not-so-noble steed over the edge of the control seat some fifty feet above the ground. The evil professor screamed in terror, even as Robin rode his back down to the ground. The boy's manic smile only widened, as he pulled out his grappling hook and fired it into the ceiling far above.

They stopped roughly seven inches from the ground. Luckily for the criminal man, not that he deserved such fortune, he had already passed out from fright. Robin dropped the unresponsive man to the ground and made his way over to her. Thankfully Red X had already freed her by that point and moved on to Beast Boy, so she moved forward to greet him.

"Are you alright, Star?" he asked in relief.

She nodded happily. "I am, friend Robin. You appear most jubilant at our timely rescue."

Robin nodded, casually ducking under the flying figure of a henchman. "Just glad that you're alright, Star. I was really worried about you," he admitted, a slight blush on his cheeks. It was soon mirrored by a matching rush of blood to her own cheeks.

The sound of a pair of hands dusting themselves off heralded the arrival of Ryouga. The young man, half covered in red goo for some reason, was patting his hands against each other, as he approached them. "Well, I have to say **that** was anticlimactic. Maybe we should have held off for a few more minutes so they could have used that big death ray thing on us too. I bet that would have made it more exciting," complained the unbelievable boy.

She let out a huff of displeasure, half at his flippant attitude and half at his interruption. Robin just laughed weakly in disbelief. A moment later, they were joined by Beast Boy and Cyborg, both finally recovered from their ordeals. It looked like one, big, happy reunion, when suddenly Robin turned to face the exit.

"Leaving so soon, Red X?" he asked in a loud voice.

The black clad girl stopped in her tracks, only several feet from the observatories clearly marked exit. She turned to regard them, settling into a relaxed stance, on hip jutted out alluringly and a hand resting on it.

"Well, you all looked so happy together, I would just **hate** to interrupt your victory dance. Don't worry though, I'll let myself out," she replied agreeably.

Robin just smiled confidently. "I don't think you're going to make it too far, not with a practically dead power core at any rate," he stated a bit smugly.

Red X nodded at that. "And you'd be right too, if it weren't for the fact that the first thing I did back at the depository was refill my belt! Now it's time for me to take my leave, goodbye Titans, we'll meet again!" With that, the spandex clad female ran forward and kicked open the door. A second later, and long before any of them could hope to do anything at all, she vanished into a black blur of motion out into the early morning light.

Starfire suddenly bit her knuckle in worry and turned to face her masked companion. She dreaded the imminent explosion of self doubt and recrimination that was going to be the end result of Red X's escape . . .

Except that Robin was not frowning . . . why was Robin not frowning? He hardly looked upset at all, which did not make any sense to her at all! "Robin, are you well? The Red X has just escaped us, are you not terribly upset by that turn of events?" she asked in a concerned voice.

Robin turned to face her and shrugged lightly. "We'll get other chances to recover the suit, Star, don't you doubt that. And besides . . . I think it could have ended up in much worse hands, all things considered," replied the boy, making absolutely no sense to her whatsoever.

Rather than argue the point, though, she decided to take his explanation at face value. Instead, she just shrugged happily and latched onto the shorter boy's arm and started to drag him from the observatory. Ryouga and Beast Boy just looked to each other as she walked past and shrugged in total incomprehension. A moment later the rest of her friends joined her procession back to their home. Everyone except for Cyborg that is.

"Ya know something, guys . . .," muttered the boy, sounding somewhat confused.

". . . I'm startin to think that wasn't Nabiki at all!"


	7. Red XX? Epilogue

Dark Titans - Arc 1 - Red XX?

Chapter Epilogue

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

Red X smiled a brilliant smile, the snug material of her mask stretching and conforming to her lips in a nearly sensual manner. She was still flush with the exhilaration of her night's activities. Her mind kept replaying each second over and over again, every moment of her break in, every movement of her battle with Robin, every instant of Chang's defeat. It had all been so . . . just so . . .

Words failed the young woman, as she continued her trek down the pitch black tunnel. The complete darkness didn't bother her at all, though. Her suit was, obviously, equipped with both low light and infrared capabilities, so traipsing around in the darkness was as easy as traipsing around in the day. A small giggle escaped her lips at that thought. Four or five months ago, the very idea of doing this, walking down an abandoned and unlit tunnel in the heart of a bad neighborhood . . . she wouldn't have even considered it.

Of course – of course a lot had happened in those past months, more than she would have dreamed possible, really. There were a lot of things she never would have considered doing back then; battling a madman against the backdrop of a disintegration cannon disaster . . . well, that was just the tip of the iceberg. True, that was a bit of an extreme case; she was still enjoying even the simple pleasures of walking around the city after dark, of soaring through the air like a certain martial artist or two.

And it was all thanks to this wonderful, wonderful suit. Her next step flowed into a graceful pirouette, as she danced down the rough floor of the tunnel, only to pause suddenly several steps later. She raised her gloved hands before her face, studying them intently.

It was still somewhat troubling to think about what Robin had said, though. She wasn't a thief . . . was she? How could something like that even be possible? She had never even littered before, let alone broken an actual law. It wasn't like Robin was actually **using** the suit . . . it was just going to waste . . . Wasn't it? She'd had a good reason to take it as well, a very good reason indeed. Was it her fault if she happened to . . . to get a little overexcited when she went out on the town?

And she had actually fought Happosai! And she'd done really, really well, too! There were likely only a handful of people on the planet that could make the same claim. Even then, she'd never meant to keep the suit, really. She'd only meant to borrow it, just to help . . . but how could she have returned it after doing something like that? Could she have actually just given up the suit . . . all the power . . . all the excitement . . . just because Robin told her to?

She giggled again: obviously not! Now that she thought about it, it had been a good thing that she'd robbed that facility! After all, Professor Chang had been planning to steal the Xenothium himself for some time. If she hadn't done it, then **he** would have, and he likely would have made just a **terrible** mess of it. Guards likely would have gotten hurt, and then the Titans wouldn't have been right there to stop him either! Yes, yes, it definitely made up for her little . . . acquisition; she hadn't taken very much anyway. That facility had had far too much on hand anyway, didn't they know how dangerous and unstable Xenothium was?

Suddenly a blush burned her cheeks, as another thought randomly surfaced. The image of Cyborg, fainting like . . . well, like Ryouga, when she had wrapped her arms around him. It had been so adorable . . . and so easy . . . so very easy. She remembered learning about taking advantage of males back at the academy, but it had seemed like a completely alien concept to her then. But . . . it had been so **easy.**

She had never really thought of herself as being attractive before, not really. Certainly, people had always told her what a pretty girl she was, or how lovely she was, but it had never been the same. She had never thought in terms of being **desirable** before. The thought that she could suddenly have boys wrapped around her fingers . . . She'd seen other people do it back home, and often as well. After all, many of the girls back home were very pretty, and many of the boys were oh, so shy, but it was never anything she had done.

Hmm, with just a few gestures she remembered seeing the other girls do from time to time, she could easily reduce Cyborg and Ryouga to gibbering wrecks . . . that would make it so much easier to beat the Titans the next time she fought them . . .

She shook her head harshly at that.

. . . Not that she ever planned on fighting the Titans again. That wasn't the reason that she'd sto . . . borrowed the suit, after all. Quite the opposite really. Just because it had been thrilling, and nerve wracking and utterly, deliciously terrifying when she had faced them down, all by herself . . . That wasn't any reason to keep fighting them, one would think quite the opposite . . . really.

With a confused sigh, she sat down, finally coming to the end of her long walk. Without a second thought, she flicked her wrist, casually letting a small X fly to the floor. As soon as the small letter hit the ground, it began to glow with a crimson glow, shedding a modest amount of light into the chamber around her.

As soon as the light came on, Red X looked up at her silent companion and smiled again.

"Hello, Terra. I hope you don't mind my coming to visit," she asked politely. Of course, her companion didn't respond, but then, that was a part of the young girl's charm. "I know I don't visit nearly as often as Ryouga, but do you think I could still ask you a favor?"

Again, Terra's silence spoke volumes. Red X smiled again, taking that silence as consent.

"Wonderful, I'm sure you won't mind keeping this little visit between the two of us, you know, just us girls?" She patted the stone girl's knee affectionately. "Thanks, Terra, that means a lot to me."

Finally, secure in her companion's confidentiality, Red X reached up . . .

And removed her mask.

* * *

Kasumi gasped for breath, as if she'd just broken the surface of an icy pool after a dive several seconds too long. She took several more long, shuddering breaths as she stared at the piece of material in her hand . . . before a rather harsh reality made itself known to her.

The young woman spat out a pained gasp and collapsed against Terra's leg, as the pain in her chest bloomed like a flower of flames. For several moments, the gentle woman clutched her agonized torso, trying to fight down the pain. Eventually . . . eventually, her breathing slowed to a more normal pace and she slowly sat up once more.

With reluctant hesitance, Kasumi touched the release button at the neck of her suit and gingerly unzipped the front of the suit down to her navel. She flinched slightly at the sensation of the zipper running across her skin, then cringed as she opened the top of the suit to reveal the massive expanse of bruises that covered her breasts and the space between them. Not feeling up to zipping the suit back up, she just leaned back against Terra's leg once more, breathing as shallowly as possible.

What had she been thinking, fighting Robin? She was no fighter, not really. She might have learned some of the skills and techniques, but she had never actually _fought_ anyone before. It was hard to believe that she'd been lucky enough to avoid an injury like this so long. What if it had been Ryouga that had actually hit her . . . or heaven forbid, if Cyborg had? The young homemaker held no illusions of her ability to actually survive something like that.

How had it come to this? How had everything gotten so confusing?

* * *

_For perhaps the first time in her life, Kasumi was completely frozen with fear. She could feel the Headmaster's claws hovering just over her neck, an uncomfortable energy trying desperately to consume her delicate skin with its hateful heat. The worst part was that she knew he would do it; he would kill her without hesitation if he felt the need. It was all she could do to keep her neck as still as possible, even as her hands trembled like leaves in the wind._

* * *

She felt hot tears spill down her cheeks as the terrible memory tore through her mind. The heart killing fear she had felt, the utter helplessness, the certain knowledge that she lived only at the whim of a psychopath . . .

* * *

_The tension in her chest became nearly painful as she watched all of her loved ones close in around the Titans, preparing themselves to do what they felt needed to be done. All around the chamber, energies began to flare, pink, green, golden, black. She wanted to close her eyes, to squeeze them shut and block out the violence that seemed only moments away, but she just couldn't. In a matter of seconds, this room would be thrust into a brutal battle . . ._

_And it was all because of her!_

* * *

Kasumi spun around, wrapping her arms around Terra, more desperate for companionship in that moment then she had ever been before. The fear and helplessness had been horrible, but it had been nothing compared to knowing that her weakness had nearly forced her family, her friends . . . to kill each other . . .

Never again!

Her shoulders hitched painfully and the pale stone of Terra's waist darkened under the gentle rain of her tears. It had been weeks ago that it had happened, and yet the memory of it still felt as fresh as a newly turned grave. It was several long minutes, like so many of the long, lonely nights she spent in the tower, that she allowed the bitter and shameful tears to flow.

Finally . . . finally the tears stopped, as they always did. She let out one last sniffle, before looking up in embarrassment.

"Oh, my! I'm so very sorry, Terra. This must be terribly embarrassing, having me crying on your shoulder when you hardly even know me. It was terribly rude of me to put you in such an uncomfortable position . . ." She trailed off at the absurdity of the situation.

Never again . . . That had been the single resounding ideal that had consumed her life since she had begun her life with the Titans. It wasn't like her life back in Nerima, where she was a player so minor that even the villains that wanted to hurt her family never noticed her. Here - here, the Headmaster had been kind enough to demonstrate, oh, so vividly, what the price of her weakness could be.

Her desire to help her new friends had been so great, that she hadn't even thought twice before hacking into their mainframe and searching for something – anything that could let her protect herself. Even now, she wasn't sure why she hadn't just approached the Titans, her new friends, and simply asked them for help. They obviously would have said yes and Cyborg, just as he boasted, could have created her something more suited to her and that wasn't a ticking time bomb . . .

And yet she hadn't . . . Even before she had known what she was doing, her nearly forgotten Hive Communicator had appeared in her hand in the dead of the night, as if by instinct. The encryptions that Cyborg had set up had seemed so simple to her, as if begging her to break them into kindling. She didn't know why that was either, Gizmo had always been terribly upset when she had broken his encryptions as well, but . . . it had all just been so easy.

It hadn't taken long to find out about the Red X suit. All of the warnings and dangers of the suit were clearly stated in Robin's files. In fact, for just that reason she had nearly passed it by. She almost had . . . but she had found her eyes drawn to it. She couldn't explain it, the frightful skull face, the morbid black . . . it was all so repulsive; yet it had seemed so perfect. Almost as if the suit had chosen her, rather than the other way around.

Waiting for Titans to leave the Tower had been painfully easy. With her access to the main computer core, it had been so very simple to disable all of the security between her and the vault in the third subbasement. The vault itself hadn't been any more of a problem. Of course, she had been slightly worried when Ryouga had noticed that a Hive Communicator had been used in the decryption, but they had all jumped to the conclusion that Nabiki had done it. She still felt somewhat bad about implicating her sister, but she was sure that Nabiki would forgive her for that.

Of course, getting the suit had been the easy part. It had taken her days just to figure out how to work it properly, even with Robin's plans sitting right before her. Even now, she knew it would be a long time before she could claim to have any mastery over it at all . . . if she actually dared to continue using it.

Getting in and out of the Tower hadn't proved to be any trouble at all, especially with the suits abilities and several small alterations to the security system. On that note, when she arrived back at the tower, she would have to mask the Xenothium's presence from the scanners, but that would be simple as we . . .

She sat back down, cradling her face in her hands. She was doing it again! Contemplating how to keep this a secret, deepening the lie between her and her friends. Surely, surely if she just went to Robin now and admitted everything, he wouldn't be too mad. She **had** just helped to save their friends . . .

"No . . ."

The voice surprised her, especially since it was her own. She looked up, a searching look in her eyes, before she looked back at the mask in her hand. No . . . no, Robin would most assuredly be angry with her if she revealed this to him now. And if he took the suit away now, then there would be no way for her to become adept enough to help them in the future.

That had been the most difficult step of all, now that she thought about it. Making sure that no one realized that it had been her. It was something that had very nearly slipped her mind completely as well. It hadn't been until the very moment that she had been staring down at Happosai and Robin, that first fateful night, that it had struck her.

If so much as the murmur of 'Oh, my' had crossed her lips at that second, all would have been for naught. It had all tumbled down on her at that very moment. If she acted in any way like herself, Robin and Happosai would have realized who she was as easily as if she had cooked them a delicious dinner and served it to them in her favorite apron!

In that moment, inspiration had struck her . . . only it hadn't felt like inspiration. More like some – some _thing_ rising up from the depths, breaking free of her subconscious and shaking off the fetters of her morality as easily as a snake would shed its skin. In that instant, she had thought of what Nabiki would have said, what quip Jinx would have used, what body language Bumblebee would have tried . . .

It had been terribly hard for her, to fight her natural instincts and adopt the mannerisms of her classmates. And it still confused her why she had immediately fallen back to those three people. There were literally dozens of women she could have emulated: Shampoo, Ukyou, Kodachi, Akane . . . _Good_ people, people that were still competent and dangerous without giving in to their dark sides. So why had she decided to play a villain instead?

It **had** been hard, perhaps the hardest thing she had ever done, lying to her friends, fighting with them, insulting and infuriating them . . . Except that it had gotten easier each time that she put on the mask. Every night, every hour, the quips came more easily, the teasing manner, the reckless behavior. Every time she had removed the mask, including this time, she was still shocked at the choices she had consciously made.

She still could not believe that she had almost injured Raven! She had been so furious after she had escaped the Titans, furious at Raven. She remembered the thoughts that had run through her head at that moment. She had recalled telling the younger girl, time and time again, to stay out of the missions. It was for her own good, after all. For just a second, just a fraction of a second even, she remembered thinking, 'it would serve her right; show her that I was right'.

It had been that very moment that she had realized that there was something seriously wrong. That one, tiny thought, had been enough to snap her out of her dark mood completely.

Kasumi glared at the offensive piece of material in her hand once again. She needed to tell Robin what she was doing. It was obvious to her, thanks to Nabiki's explanation, exactly what the problem was. She had no idea why it was happening like this, or where it would lead her, but it was obvious that it couldn't be a good place, wherever it was.

With a sigh of disgust, she threw the mask off into the darkness . . .

Or, at least she tried to . . . She looked down to her hand, still clutching the mask tightly, refusing to relinquish the artifact.

No, this was her problem . . . it would be rude of her to burden her friends with such a minor inconvenience. If she did tell them, it would only fill them with worry. She was certain that she would sort things out herself, eventually. Besides, if she told them, then they would take her-the, take the suit away. Then she wouldn't be able to help them, then she would be helpless again . . . then she would be weak again . . .

With a long sigh, she took a deep, painful breath and zipped the front of her suit up once more. She would have to be careful about using the suit in the future; hopefully she wouldn't need it at all. However, if anyone ever endangered her new family as they had her true family, this time they would find the eldest sister to be not so helpless after all.

With one last breath, she slid the mask back on.

* * *

Red X shook her head, before smiling widely. Slowly, mindful of the dull ache in her chest, she stood up and patted Terra on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Thanks, Terra, you're definitely the best listener I've ever met . . . even if I didn't exactly say much," she muttered teasingly.

"Don't worry though, I'll give Ryouga a good kick in the butt to make sure he gets you out of here sometime this century," she continued. She then looked up, lost in her musings for a moment. "It _would_ be a good way to get Ryouga away from that overly-pretentious Raven girl. After all, we can't have Jinx coming back when she's finally ready, just to see that he's shacked up with another woman after all."."

Her smile never faltering, she brushed her hand across the stone girl's waist, wiping away the tears that marred the smooth surface. She hated being weak like that, but it was hard to be strong all the time . . . Ranma and Ryouga were the strongest people she knew, and even they had to cry from time to time.

Still, it would be a good idea to lay low for awhile. She could use the recovery time and she didn't want to take any unnecessary risks that Robin might figure out who she actually was. Besides, she had made a pretty good showing of herself earlier that night, she deserved a bit of a break.

With a casual wave to her stone companion, Red X began to make her way up the long tunnel to the surface. After all . . .

She had to have breakfast ready before everyone woke up again.

* * *

The young man slumped over the bar, dwelling on the horrible mess that his life had become in the insultingly short span of a single week. He lifted the half empty glass before him and knocked back it's dark, burning contents in a single swallow. With a gruff bark, he ordered another from the purveyor of drinks behind the bar. The old man stared at him oddly for a moment, before shrugging and handing him another tall drink.

Right at that very moment, as he choked down the entire glass in a single draught, he bitterly tried to determine what was the greater defeat that had been dealt to him. Was it the fact that, after months of planning and an undisclosed amount of money which he had spent on the heist, that he found out that the item he had sought for so long had been missing . . .

Or was it the bitter, bitter pill that his underage status wouldn't even let him get blind, stinking drunk over it! He ordered another Dr. Pepper and tossed the bendy straw away as soon as the drink appeared before him. It joined a pile of its fallen brethren on the floor to his side, a sticky mess which the cafe's waitress was probably waiting for him to leave before she cleaned up.

Oh, he hadn't given up right away, that went against his very nature as both a thief and as a professional thief. He had tracked the Titans every night since then, following them out on every call, every mission, no matter how small. He'd followed the Japanese girl to the market, he'd watched Cyborg cruise around the city for fun, he'd tailed Starfire on her trips to the mall, he'd delved to the depths of the cavern that the Japanese boy seemed to love so much.

And then he'd followed Robin on his hunt for that old geezer.

And he'd **seen** it! He'd seen the suit. It was the last place he had ever imagined it would be, draped across the incredible body of some fine, fine, woman like a second skin. As soon as that had happened, his initial excitement had returned and even increased, if possible.

But it wasn't to be! He'd done everything he could think of to track her: shadowing, witnesses, tracers attached from afar, but nothing seemed to work. Witnesses were never reliable as soon as Red X left their line of sight. The tracers stopped working as soon as they contacted to suit, likely a defense that Robin put in himself to avoid just that kind of thing. Shadowing her had proved useless as well. No matter how well he concealed himself, no matter how close he got, the suits powers always let her slip away!

And the one time, the **one time** that he had been **sure** that he'd had her, she'd literally vanished right before his eyes. As long as the suit had been in one place, it had been a simple plan to retrieve it. But now that it was being worn by someone that was doing everything in her power to avoid being followed or captured by the Titans . . . well, it seemed much less possible with every minute that passed.

The burning sensation of the Dr. Pepper sloshing down his throat did nothing to alleviate his pain.

But then . . . something odd happened . . .

He turned slightly to take in the young woman that had taken the stool directly beside his own. His first reaction, of course, was to boggle slightly at the girl's figure. The rather upscale blouse and skirt she wore, white and black respectively, only accentuated her taut and toned physique. However, as his gaze rose up to her face, a feeling of fear and recognition began to settle in his stomach like a lead weight.

The girl had sharp, aristocratic features and her hair was held up high in a tight ponytail. He didn't pretend to know the girl's name, but he knew who she was. She was one of **them**, one of the girls that had come over from Japan, the very same group of girls that had revealed the secret entrance to him. The only thing that prevented him from bolting right then and there was the innate knowledge that there was just **no** way that she could have possibly known who he was.

Of course, his innate knowledge was blown to heck, when the girl suddenly turned to face him, a superior smirk on her proud features. Suddenly, and in a normal speaking voice, as if the two of them were the only ones in the cafe, she spoke.

"You… are a thief."

He nearly spat a mouthful of Dr. Pepper right in the girl's face, right then and there! Instead, by sheer force of will, he kept the carbonated beverage within his mouth, even though it burned his sinuses and nearly forced its way down his windpipe. After an excruciating coughing fit, he finally calmed down enough to look her in the eye again.

If the girl was at all surprised or put out by his display, well, she didn't show it at all. He took a further moment to wipe his mouth on his sleeve, trying vainly to regain his composure as he stared at the enigmatic girl.

"That's a pretty harsh thing to say to someone you've never met before," he replied finally.

The girl nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his. "Indeed, it would be. However, I have been observing you for several days now. Thus, I feel as if I already know you . . ."

"And, you are a thief."

He was not so caught off guard this time, but he still sputtered angrily at her brazen declarations. He leaned in close to the girl, who failed to flinch or give even an inch at his rapid intrusion of her personal space, and growled harshly.

"Would you **stop** saying **that**?"

That did get a reaction, unfortunately it was only a small widening in her superior smirk. "But it is true, is it not?" she asked politely, one of her eyebrows arching alluringly.

He glared around the room quickly, before he noticed that no one was really paying them any attention. Or, that at the very least no one was taking them seriously at all. Still, he kept his voice low and slid closer to her on his stool.

"What if it is? You think that you can bring me in?" he muttered threateningly.

Suddenly, her face broke into a look of surprise that was so obviously manufactured, that he very nearly applauded. "Bring you in? Now why ever would I do that?" she asked innocently.

Then suddenly her shocked looked evaporated into a deadly serious gaze and she leaned in so closely that he could feel her breath on his cheek.

"After all, I spent _ever_ so much time following the Titans, just trying to find an enemy of theirs that seemed competent. At first I thought that that Red X harlot would suit my needs, but she is obviously foolish and unprofessional," she whispered quietly into his ear.

That brought him up short, his accusing rant dying on his tongue. He could only stare at her, total incomprehension on his face.

"You see," she whispered, her voice turning to velvet. "My life bores me terribly, I have tried so many things to alleviate that boredom: my plants, my gymnastics, my dearest Ranma, but none of them have worked.

But then I saw that Tendo-hussy's older sister in the academy. Oh the **fun** she was having! She was playing with fire as if it was her god given right, and only her enemies were burned. I knew then, at that moment, that I wanted to play like that as well."

He was forced to lean back, when the girl's soft lips nearly brushed against his earlobe. Not out of fear, but out of fear of what he might start thinking. He had no idea where this strange, alluring girl was going, but if he let himself get played like he knew she was trying to play him, he likely wouldn't care soon enough.

"So where do I come in?" he asked in the calmest voice he could muster in the face of this beautiful Nightshade.

The girl manufactured an innocent pout for just a moment, before leaning back into her own seat as well. She then matched his intense expression again. "I don't know if you are the Titan's enemy or not, but after watching you, I know that you are skilled. More so than any thug brained villain or common minded brawler, you are a professional. As such . . .I want you to join me, to teach me how to live truly above the law."

He stared at her in wonder . . . mostly wonder if she was totally insane or not. Still, she – it, it was a tempting offer. Still, he loved to play hard to get. Finally feeling his confidence return, he leaned casually onto the counter and looked back at her, a smile growing on his lips.

"You want **me** to join **you**? Don't you have that backwards, cutie?"

The girl's superior smirk descended into an icy sneer at the nickname. Instantly, a small . . . wand? . . . appeared in her hand, a length of ribbon wrapped down its length and on into her sleeve. Before he could even follow the movement that made it appear, the end of the stick was pressing rather precariously into his trachea. He swallowed nervously . . .

Whoever she was, she was _fast_!

"You will refer to me as Kodachi-sama, do you understand?" she asked, her voice sending chills down his spine, and not the good kind either.

He could only nod in response. An instant later, and the ribbon-stick was gone again. He refused to give her the satisfaction of rubbing his throat, so instead he just resumed his casual lean.

"Fine then, _Kodachi-sama_, suppose I do join you? What's in it for me? I'm the professional here, I already know the ropes. How does saddling myself with a rookie like you benefit me at all? You don't seem like the type to be satisfied with a fifty fifty split," he inquired, only slightly bitingly.

If anything, that only brought the superior smile back in full force. "You misunderstand my intentions, Mr. Thief. I have no interest in petty things such as '_cutting into your share_'. I am only interested in . . . enjoying myself," she trailed off a bit seductively.

"I am the heiress of the Kunou fortune, if you side with me, then you gain access to money, equipment, weapons, anything that might be useful in making our lives as _exciting_ as possible."

His eyes very nearly bugged out of his head at that! She **was** insane! His smile slowly widened. She was **his** kind of insane. She was the **perfect** partner, someone that wasn't even interested in the profit. She was a thrill seeker, an adrenaline junky, just like him. Even better, she was a gymnast, that could be useful in several very different ways. He nearly laughed, she'd give him anything he wanted, just so long as he could keep her from being bored? His smile widened until it very nearly hurt his face.

It was pretty obvious that he was doing a poor job of concealing his excitement. Kodachi leaned in, a smoky look in her eyes. "So, what is your answer?" she purred invitingly.

"Heh, I think my answer if obvious," he replied smoothly.

The cultured and refined young woman smiled, leaning back in her seat. The look on her face seemed to remind him of a cat which had just cornered its first canary. But, then, there were much, much worse cats to be caught by. "So then, my new friend. You know to call me Kodachi-sama, but what shall I call you?" she asked politely.

He winked then, and ordered another pair of drinks.

"You can call me . . . Partner."


	8. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Prologue

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble in Little Tokyo

Prologue

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

The young man knelt reverently at the heart of the ancient temple. Laid artfully at the eight cardinal points around him, were eight candles, each far more unique than their simple colorations would ever lead one to believe. Painstakingly inscribed on the floor around and between each of the eight candles, was the large mystical diagram that surrounded him. From each of the candles, an equally elaborate diagram was inscribed to the center of the circle, right before where he sat, making the diagram look very much like a massive spoked wheel.

He allowed a moment of pride to poison his pure thoughts. To any outsider, it would have looked embarrassingly simple, a simple wheel diagram, hardly suitable for the ritual he hoped to perform. However, to a true master of the arts, the subtle intricacies, the layers enfolded within layers that composed every arc of the seemingly simple circle, would be a testament to the mastery he had attained in his short life to date. Only upon close inspection, would the finite details that disguised themselves within the seemingly simple design make themselves known.

Only the closest of inspections, by the most knowledgeable of sages, would reveal the ancient symbols that he had inscribed into the hard wood of the temples floor. And even then, only a select few would actually recognize the kanji he used, the archaic runes, the strange swirls of ink that had stabbed at his eyes even as he drew them himself.

It had taken him years to prepare for this moment. There had been so many dead ends, Buddhist sutras, Shinto rituals; he had even learned the long forgotten art of Martial arts Calligraphy. What a waste _that_ had been. What use was the Mark of the Gods to a man with his aims?

Reverently, with the care that one usually reserved for a newborn infant, he unrolled the scroll and placed it in the very heart of the eldritch diagram. He dared not to even run his hand down the image that covered the surface of the parchment, though he dearly wished to with all of his being. The picture was years old, as old as his obsession, to the second, and he dared not risk damaging it now.

His eyes welled up with emotion as he gazed upon his greatest masterpiece, upon the work that had come to consume his life for the past ten years. He had never met the young woman whose face was immortalized upon the parchment, except for in his dreams. However, the instant he had finished painting her, she had stolen his heart as if it had been hers before he had even been born.

Her flowing ebony hair nearly shone, even in the darkened interior of the temple. Her porcelain skin cried for his touch, her dark, mysterious eyes bored into his very soul. Never had he drawn such an exquisite piece of art before this one, nor could he even bring himself to attempt to again. The detail he had devoted to the painting was mind-boggling, every hair on her head, every curve of her smile, every fold in her kimono. He had never shown the picture to another living soul, but he was certain that if he had, they likely would have named him a genius of the brush that very same instant.

It had always been his dream, to become known as a great artist, a childhood fantasy at that. Even, at one time, he had hoped to tell stories with his art, become a great manga artist, known throughout all of Japan.

Oh, how foolish he had been, to harbor such childish dreams. No, as soon as he had seen her face, finally complete after months of intense labor, he knew what had to be done.

She needed to live . . .

He knew then, that his life would be forever an empty shell, without her by his side. And so, that very day, he had dedicated his life to giving that very life to her. It had been a long and arduous task. Shinto and Buddhism had both failed him, they were both born of harmonizing with nature and respecting the natural world, the very thought of creating life was an impossibility which rendered them useless to him. As an artist, he had heard of Martial Arts Calligraphy in his youth; fantastical stories of the impossible feats those masters could accomplish. Still, despite the fact that it hadn't helped him achieve his goal at all, it had helped him to greatly increase his already tremendous artistic ability.

It hadn't been until he had decided to delve deeper, into much darker realms of knowledge, that he had finally found what he had sought so fervently. Black magic had been the key, the secrets he needed were the kind that could only be wrested from the frightful claws of the darkest of creatures. However, through barter and trade, in goods so precious and so dark that he dare not repeat them, even in his thoughts, he had acquired what he needed.

Most would likely think him mad, dealing with black magic. But what was magic, black or otherwise, but simple power, a means to an end. His goal was noble and pure, to grant life to the most perfect woman in all of creation. Surely such a good end could justify a dark means. Once his love was given life, he would never look upon those dark arts again. What need would he have to do so, anyway? Once _she_ was with him, he wouldn't have another need in the world.

He took a long, soothing breath to calm himself . . .

Had it suddenly gotten cooler . . .

He shook his head to clear it of all such petty concerns. It was time to begin. Carefully, he flattened out the picture in the center of the circle, mindful to only touch the corners of the paper long enough to weigh the down each with a stone of a different hue. On the corner to the north was a stone of red. On the corner to the east, a stone of blue. On the corner to the west, a stone of yellow. And finally, on the corner to the south, a stone of onyx. Each stone shared the same hue as two of the eight candles that surrounded him.

Next he picked up the ancient scroll to his side and unrolled it with almost as much care as the first. This scroll, however, he did not handle gently out of fear of damaging it, but out of fear of what it would do if he mishandled it in any way. The magic he employed now . . . it was not for the faint of heart. Were it not for the fact that he had love, true love, in his heart, he would have fled screaming from the very sight of the thing long ago.

He took another long, soothing breath. . .

Then he began to read . . . Or, at least he _thought_ it was him that read. As soon as he gazed upon the writings, words did begin to flow from his lips. However, the voice was not his, the words he did not recognize, the sounds that skittered over his tongue the painful syllables that twisted his lips, hardly sounded human at all.

In that instant, a tiny sliver of fear entered his heart, the faintest shred of doubt at his actions . . . Unfortunately, he knew that even if he had wanted to, that there was no way he could stop now.

Suddenly, the candles blazed to life all around him; he wanted to jump in fright, to gasp in shock, but his body seemed to be acting of its own accord now. An acrid smell filled the air as the candles burned all around him, their multicolored smoke forming a haze which he felt very certain should have dulled his senses instantly. However, his voice never faltered, his eyes never closed, as he continued to read the scroll. Oh, how he wished he could close his eyes, the sight of the burning candles disturbed him on a level so primitive, that he had no conscious knowledge of just what it was that frightened him so.

To be certain, the burning red flame of the red candles was slightly odd, though not quite so much as the yellow flame of the yellow candles. The blue flame of the blue candles was almost more disturbing, if only for the fact that he **knew** that flames of blue were not unnatural at all, except for the shade of blue with **those **candles burned.

No, thing which truly offended his eyes, the sight which caused his mind to writhe in agony, were the merrily dancing _black_ flames of the black candles. It was almost as if each candle had captured a tiny fragment of the night, only those pieces of darkness were most baleful in their captivity.

And on and on the words flowed, even as he sat transfixed. He stared with morbid fascination, as the candles slowly began to melt all around him. The sight of the melting wax running down the candle and flowing, _purposefully_ to the center of the circle . . . it hardly seemed strange at all by that point.

It took several eternal minutes, at the clawing crawl of the melted wax, for it to finally reach the edges of his beloved work of art. The four corners were touched first, then the top of the sheet and the bottom. However, it was not until all eight lines of wax finally traversed the distance between candle and painting, that **it **happened . . .

A noxious cloud of bluish gray smoke burst up from the edges of the painting, obscuring his sight as it formed a column that escaped towards the ceiling. Though that was not the worst of it . . .

Suddenly he felt the control of his body return to him, as if whatever dark spirits had possessed him were finished with him now. And just in time as well, as he was forced to cover his eyes as a massive burst of azure light nearly blinded him. The burst of light dispersed to smoke to nothing before it, to faded away to nothing.

It was several moments later, that he finally uncovered his eyes and looked forward, spots of light still dancing merrily at the back of his skull. He blinked heavily several times, to banish the painful lights, until he could at last look upon the picture he had drawn once more.

He heart dropped into his stomach at what he saw . . .

Nothing! Nothing had happened . . . The picture was completely unchanged, unsmugded by the smoke, undamaged by the light . . . It was as if everything he had just done, had not been done at all . . . His shoulders slumped down, as the heavy burden of failure settled down upon them. That had been his greatest effort, it had been all that he had. It had taken him weeks to inscribe the mystical symbols, yet more weeks to acquire the unusual ingredients that had composed the candles.

He . . . he could not do it again . . .

He knelt forward, bowing to his beloved, begging for forgiveness. He bowed low, dropping to his hands and lowering his head to rest upon the very bottom the painting itself.

It wasn't until then, that he allowed the tears to begin flowing.

Not once, not **once** in ten years, had he **ever** doubted that he would eventually succeed. It had always been a matter of time, time and nothing else. He had always known, deep within his heart, that his love was pure enough, true enough, that nothing could possibly stop him from completing his task.

Until now . . . He did not cry for himself, he wasn't worth even his own tears . . . No, he had failed **her**, **he** had **failed her**! The tears came faster now, his life was now without meaning, his life was now worthle-

His musings were interrupted, by the feeling of a delicate, perfect hand, running through his hair.

He sat up so fast that he feared his spine would buckle from the pressure. There, sitting demurely before him . . . was **her**! Even as a man that had devoted himself to the arts, words failed him at that moment. If his heart had swelled when he looked upon her mere portrait, now it surely threatened to burst apart messily within his chest.

To say she was breathtaking, would be to say ocean was but a pool of water. To say that she was beautiful would be insulting, as surely that word had never been used to describe anything so perfect as she was.

And then she smiled . . .

That was it, his heart could stand no more. Again the tears flowed, this time in a flood that not even the gods themselves could stop. Even the word perfection failed to describe her smile, philosophers and poets could spend lifetimes simply trying to devise a proper way to describe the simple beauty of that smile.

Slowly, she rose to her feet before him. He didn't even possess the power to do the same himself. His legs were like lead, like jelly, his legs didn't even exist, in the face of her beauty. Then, she raised her hand, reaching out to him . . .

Finally! It had finally come to pass! His love was alive, his love had finally come to him, and she was everything that she had hoped, and an infinite amount more as well. Slowly, he raised his hand as well, reaching out towards her outstretched hand. It awaited him, hanging in the air, the most inviting hand that had ever existed.

He took that last infinitely short and eternal moment to examine her beauty as he moved his hand to grasp hers. Her smile, it was so beautiful, so lovely, so perfect . . . so cold . . .

Wait . . . Suddenly, in that instant, small details began to make themselves known to his trained eye. Where just a fraction of a second ago he saw perfection and beauty, strange and disturbing details made themselves known. The smile that had stolen his heart . . . was more of a sneer now that he looked at it, a cruel twist of the lip that hurt his eyes. And the gentle curves hidden by her kimono . . . while seemingly perfect at first glance . . . seemed wrong somehow now, as if not everything was where it was supposed to be . . .

And her eyes . . . They possessed no warmth now, nor, he was beginning to suspect, had they ever. In fact, unless he was going mad, they appeared slitted, like the eyes of a ravenous snake staring at her next meal. Suddenly, the hand she held out to him did not look inviting, now it looked like a viper ready to lash out.

This was _not what he had __**drawn**_! This, this abomination was **not** his love, it was not the simple and beautiful girl he had painted ten years ago!

Too late, he tried to draw his hand back; to flee for his very life from the creature that loomed over him. Light a scorpions sting, her hand flashed out, grasping his with a cruel strength. For just a moment, they paused there, hand in hand, as he had always imagined . . .

But the monster that wore his love's face was not done with him yet. Her cruel sneer widened, impossibly wide, the corners of her mouth cracked painfully and black ink ran from her ruined lips in tiny onyx streams.

He tried to scream, then, but his lungs were frozen in fear. The onyx streams continued to flow, deepening and widening. Then they were joined, as ink began to flow from her eyes like tears. Then from her nose, her ears . . . then from her very pores. He could only stare in horror, as the woman that had filled his heart for ten years, appeared to melt into a mockery of hatred and ink.

And even that was not the worst of it. The thing smiled wider yet, as it's hand began to flow to encompass his completely. Finally he screamed, though this time in pain, as every nerve in his hand burst in agony. Then the ink creature began to flow up his arm, up to his shoulder, the burning agony following its progress to the millimeter.

The thing stared into his eyes then, it's own orbs gone, replaced by swirling pools of black liquid that still seemed to burn with a hatred that he did not think belonged in this world.

"In your vanity, you desired to bring your art to life," it hissed in a voice that caused his ears to ache. The ink continued to spread, the pain spreading with it. However, the tips of his fingers ceased to burn . . . ceased to feel at all! He stared in horror at the hideous shade of black that now stained his skin.

"And so you shall. Ink shall flow through your veins and your flesh shall wither to paper, but in exchange, you shall become a creature of _pure_ creation," the things voice rang with hatred and mocking sarcasm.

And then the creature vanished, dissolving completely to engulf him. The next moments passed by like an eternity, in the agony of burning agony and agonizing numbness, he couldn't be sure if months had passed, or simply a fraction of a second. His entire world consisted of only pain and horror and fire.

And then it was done . . .

He looked down at his new hands . . . and smiled. His fingers had grown into long, wicked talons, his skin wrapped around his arms, not like, but literally, newly pressed parchment. The parchment was soaked through, a midnight black as ink ran over the surface of his new skin as if it was alive as well. Almost on instinct, he slammed his newly born hand to the floor before him.

Instantly, a slash of red formed under his papery skin, and he drew a line along the floor. He smiled in delight as the ink started to bubble, even as he drew his hand away. Not even caring what he was doing, a blue slash joined the red, then yellow, then black. He rose up to his full height, now suddenly brushing to insignificant temples ceiling, to his delight.

Before him, his first children rose up from the splotches of color on the floor. Even as they grew, he shaped them, chose the first forms that sprang to his mind, characters from the very manga that he had loved as he was a child himself. Four of the characters that had first ignited his own passion to become an artist himself.

As his children began to take shape, another word bubbled up from the infinite and dark pool that was now his mind. It was a simple word, a childish word even, but it carried more weight with it than anything he had ever imagined before. His grotesquely dripping lips twisted into a cruel smile, as he realized what his new name would be. With the gleeful abandon of a child that had discovered his first book of matches, he whispered his new name to his children.

". ..Brushogun . . ."


	9. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 1

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble in Little Tokyo

Chapter One

Enjoy if you will, tolerate if you won't.

* * *

The carefully creased sheets of paper fluttered gently in his hand, playthings for the wind. He stared at the three pieces of paper, which had come into his possession only an hour before and marveled at the exquisite penmanship that had covered their surfaces with midnight black ink.

Yes, Ranma thought to himself as he lounged on the back porch, making new friends was nice indeed. That said – um, thought - he eagerly read over the letter that Raven had sent him for the third time. He smiled happily at the very first string of words that she had written.

"Dear Ranma, I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits," he read the words quietly to himself, savoring every single one. He nearly wiped a tear from his eye; that had to have been the nicest thing that anyone had ever said to him . . . that hadn't been instantly followed up by: a glomp, mallet, sneak attack, death threat, being groped by an ancient pervert, being force fed food or . . . or . . . Hmm, actually, the fact that the list was that long already without him having to struggle at all was bad enough, no need to keep rolling down **that** particular lane of thought.

Yes, the master martial artist thought to himself, having a girl for a friend, one who **wasn't: **engaged to him, married to him, infatuated with him, or even attracted to him at all, was a **very** nice change of pace. Of course, being any kind of man, the last one bothered him a bit. Fortunately, a very, very small part of him, the part that he liked to consider 'Ranma of the Common Sense', reared it's handsome head and explained that he didn't **need** any more problems.

Apparently, he actually **had** learned his lesson after the whole reversal jewel incident.

Raven had also indicated that she was interested into entering into a 'mail correspondence exchange' with him. He wasn't one hundred percent on that, but he was pretty sure she meant she wanted to be pen pals. Ranma smiled again at that thought, as he ran a hand through the shaggy mop of hair on his head. It was a funny thought, since she could literally talk to him whenever she wanted with her communicator, but then, the written aspect did seem to be very cool.

It **would** be nice to be able to speak to a girl, sort of anyway, without people listening in or watching over his shoulder. Besides, Raven was a smart girl, having her ear in a sympathetic manner might be able to help him out with his own problems. And the fact that she had actually gone to the trouble to hand write the letter in the first place, it made him think that she had put a lot of thought into it.

He looked up from the letter, to the massive delivery that had arrived with said letter and shook his head in disbelief. The pig-tailed youth still couldn't believe the generosity of the Titans. Raven explained, in her letter, that her and the rest of the Titans had pooled together and gotten him and Akane a few thank you gifts.

The rattle and bang of various pots and pans from the kitchen brought Starfire's . . . thoughtful . . . _gift_? . . . to mind. The alien girl had been **kind** enough to send Akane a cook book, full of strange alien recipes, as well as the ingredients to go with it. He shook his head sadly; it was obvious that Starfire was a write-off in his books. The flame haired girl was obviously too far into Ryouga's camp to be his friend now . . . in fact, if her gift was any indication, he was pretty sure she was out to kill him.

Using such despicable tactics though . . . he'd have to talk to Ryouga about curbing his would-be sister's psychotic tendencies.

Raven, on the other hand, had been nice enough to send him copies of the scrolls which Cologne had given her way back when she had visited the village. It was actually a really appropriate and well thought-out gift. It made him wonder how a girl whom he'd only known for a week or two had gotten to know him so well. He wasn't too keen on the meditation side of the martial arts, but that chi sight thing that she'd been doing, now **that** seemed like a really cool trick to pick up. He'd have to remember to give her an extra thanks when he wrote back to her.

Sitting on the porch, to his side, was a small box, a little bigger than a shoebox. Apparently it was a combined gift from Ryouga, Beast Boy and Cyborg. As such, he figured it was either a cool gadget, something fuzzy, or something that would hurt him . . . Hmm, on second thought, maybe he would open **that** particular box later . . . when he had witnesses present.

Again his eyes traveled to the object that now rested serenely in the Tendo's back yard. **It** was the thing that he still couldn't wrap his mind around. It was a gift from Robin; apparently the younger boy had overheard him talking about getting into the crime fighting business himself. Raven's letter informed him that Robin was very eager to help him on his way to becoming a decent vigilante. Still . . .

Who gives a virtual stranger a brand new **motorcycle**?

* * *

"You sent him a **motorcycle**?" bellowed the irate martial artist.

Robin sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He'd have to remember to _thank_ Beast Boy for letting **that** particular piece of information slip to one, Ryouga Hibiki.

"Yes, Ryouga, I did. He helped us out a great deal and I wanted to thank him. That and he was talking about getting into the vigilante business back in Tokyo, I figured that he would need **something** to help him get around a city that large," he explained as calmly as he could.

Ryouga just mumbled something under his breath, though Robin was pretty sure he caught the words: Ranma, lucky and bastard in there somewhere.

"Man . . . after all I went through with you guys, you give Ranma a **motorcycle**, and all I get is this umbrella?" the boy's jealous grumbling continued into the audible range. Ryouga then punctuated his point by waving around his new, pale blue umbrella dejectedly.

It was at this point that Cyborg, previously ignoring their conversation in favor of his game with Beast Boy, suddenly spun around to face them. The larger boy draped his arm over the back of the couch and glared daggers at the bandanna clad martial artist.

"Woah, woah, hey, woah, hold up right there, dawg! **I** made that umbrella for you, Ryo! That thing represents the culmination of the next fifty years of umbrella technology, what possible problem could you have with it?" demanded the cybernetic teen.

Ryouga stared back at Cyborg, a nonplussed expression etched on his face. Then the fanged boy absently pointed the umbrella to his side and pressed a button on the handle -

Causing a thirty foot gout of flame to burst from end of said umbrella.

Ryouga's nonplussed stare descended into the dangerous territory of arctic cold. "There is a **flamethrower** in my umbrella." he stated, rather matter-of-factly.

Robin's eyebrow rose noticeably at that. "There's a flamethrower in his umbrella?"

Cyborg shrugged, then nodded in agreement. "There's a flamethrower in your umbrella."

"Why is there a flamethrower in my umbrella? The very idea of a flamethrower in my umbrella runs counter to the very nature of its existence! Where on earth did you get the idea to put a **flamethrower** in my umbrella?" asked the irate Lost Boy in disbelief.

Robin turned to regard the cyborg, a rather nonplussed expression of his own forming. "Yes, Cyborg. _Wherever_ did you get the idea to put a flamethrower in his umbrella?" he asked pointedly.

Cyborg squirmed under their combined gazes. "What, you don't like the flamethrower in your umbrella?" he finally squeaked out.

The masked hero nodded first. "I don't know about Ryouga, but I know that **I'm** not a fan of the trick umbrella . . . let's just say there are a few bad memories . . . especially about the flamethrower in the umbrella" he muttered in a low voice.

Ryouga looked back at him oddly for a moment, before nodding as well. "Look, I'm glad you made me a new umbrella, I don't know how you did it, but it's even heavier than my old one. It's just that . .. I don't think all of these strange options work for me . . . especially the flamethrower in my umbrella . . ."

The sudden look of despair that descended on Cyborg's face was almost enough to make Robin want to perform a Shi Shi Houkodan himself. He was about to apologize to the cybernetic teen, when suddenly a wide smile broke out on Cyborg's face.

"Don't like the T-Brella, eh? I guess that means that you aren't a fan of the _Helicopter option _either?" drawled Cyborg.

"The Helicopter option?" repeated Ryouga, a note of interest suddenly appearing in his voice.

"The _Helicopter _option," Cyborg replied, smiling smugly.

"There's a **Helicopter** option?"

"What? You didn't know about the _Helicopter_ option?" drawled the techno genius, trying to sound aloof.

"No, I never made it past the flamethrower option. You mean there's really a **Helicopter** option?" Ryouga asked again, still in disbelief.

"Dawg! Of course there's a Helicopter option! What kind of pimped out umbrella would it be without a Helicopter option?"

"Wow . . . maybe there's something to this Helicopter option . . ."

"Would both of you **stop** **saying** **HELICOPTER OPTION**!" Robin yelled. He couldn't stand it anymore, it was driving him insane! If one more person said Helicopter option, he was going to implant a birdarang straight up their a-

Cyborg and Ryouga both stared at him, a little shocked at his outburst. Then Cyborg shrugged and turned back to Ryouga.

"Dude, you have **so** gotta try out the **Helicopter Option**!"

Robin's screams were heard even by Starfire . . . and she was out at the mall of shopping . . .

* * *

Ranma shivered fiercely, a strange sense of impending doom settling across his soul like a winter breeze.

A quick headshake later, he rose to his feet, but not before carefully depositing the thoughtfully handwritten letter under the box from Ryouga and Co. Several graceful steps then took him to the vehicles side and he ran a nervous finger down its smooth surface. The machine looked like something straight out of that Akira manga, sleek, efficient . . . and three different shades of **cool**!

Even cooler, was the red and black design, and the large R emblazoned on the sides. Robin must have custom made it for him, man, talk about awesome. It was perfect, it was his color, it was cool . . . and it was **his**! He'd never even considered owning a vehicle before, it had never been necessary with his life style. Of course, Robin had said, back in Jump City, that half of the battle in fighting crime, was actually getting to the crime before it was over.

He nodded to himself, as he slowly walked around the bike. Nerima was a ward of Tokyo, but even at his best, it would still take him forever to **run** to the heart of the city, where he figured all the really cool crime would be happening. Heck, after having him and his . . . _friends_ live there for a few years, Nerima had one of the lowest crime rates in the whole city . . . discounting random property destruction anyway.

The Ranma-Cycle . . . hmmm, maybe he'd just call it the R-Cycle, even came with a removable police scanner. All he had to do was find the right frequency and he'd have the ability to know about the crime and now he'd be able to get to it with his new wheels. Man . . . this had to be one of the greatest days of his life! He couldn't wait to go flying downtown to start knocking around whatever cool super villains that wanted to terrorize his city.

Hmm . . . **his** city . . . it had a nice ring to it. The hero thing made a strange kind of sense to him, it **was** a martial artist's duty to protect people, after all. Besides, now that half of the people that he used to fight on a daily basis had moved to the States, he was gonna have to do **something** to keep in shape.

There was only one . . . _minor _problem . . .

He had absolutely **no** idea how to **drive** the damn thing!

And **that** was the crux of his problem, because he really, really wanted to take it out for a test drive! Of course, it couldn't be **that** hard to figure out. After all, riding a bicycle was all about balance and he had **that** in spades. Robin had been nice enough to send along an instruction manual, to let him know how the machine worked and how to maintain it . . . unfortunately there was no such manual on how to actually handle the thing on the road.

He eyed the powerful looking machine with a slightly distrustful gleam in his eye. The reflective red surface shone in the light of the setting sun, making the machine look even more dangerous. He knew he would figure out how to ride it without too much trouble . . . Still . . . there was no need to rush things. It did look like an **awfully** powerful bike, after all. Maybe he'd take it for a few slow circuits around the block, just putt around until he was used to it.

Maybe he'd even take Akane with him, he was sure she'd love to cruise around with him on his new bike.

He stared at the machine again, gazing at the darkly painted engine that nearly seemed to thrum with power, even while it was off. He shook his head again . . . maybe he'd wait till he was a little more used to it before he did anything reckless like put Akane on the back of the thing. Who knew what a klutz like her could do that would result in their premature demises on the back of **that** bike.

Besides, there was no need for him to rush into the whole crime fighting thing either. It wasn't like the criminals were gonna up and leave before he decided to finally join in. Not that he really had any idea who these supposed criminals were, or what kind of stuff they planned to do, but he was pretty sure they were out there . . . somewhere.

Yes, no need to rush, none at all-

"Ranma! It's time to come in, I just finished making dinner!"

* * *

"Ranma! It's time to come in, I just finished making dinner!"

Akane placed the pot of food on the table, then looked to the porch door. Hmm, that wasn't like him, usually the sound of food brought him running. A few steps took her to the porch door and she slid it open. She was about to call for the pigtailed boy again-

When the deafening roar of a motorcycle engine, quickly followed by a madly squealing tire, demonstrated **exactly** what her fiancé thought of her dinner invitation. The last thing she saw, as she stuck her head out the back door, was the glowing afterimage of Ranma's break lights as his bike flew out the back gate.

A low growl escaped her lips, as she stared at the huge rut that now ran down the center of their back yard. That – that **boy**, was just so **predictable**! So, he was off to hunt for some super human violence, was he? My, what a silly boy he was, she smiled vindictively to herself . . .

Why leave, when doing something like that would only guarantee that the very thing he went out to find . . .

Would be waiting for him when he got home?

* * *

Genma looked up from the tray of . . . _food_ sitting before him. The look of absolute suffering and anguish that formed on his face at the sight festered for nearly ten seconds. Which was precisely when Akane turned back from the yard, a look of simmering fury on her young features. As soon as she turned though, both of their faces changed instantly. Akane's fury evaporated into a happy and expectant look as she gazed in his direction.

He, on the other hand, barely had the willpower to cobble together a panicked smile and plaster it on his face.

Desperately, Genma looked to his life long friend, seated at the head of the table, but a single glance revealed no aid forthcoming from that direction. Soun wasn't even paying attention to the . . . _meal_ at the center of the table. Rather, his longhaired contemporary was staring into space, a thin, yet steady, stream of tears pouring down his cheeks. Of course, considering that the tears had been almost a constant since Akane and Ranma returned from America . . . The panda cursed martial artist let out a long sigh.

At least it appeared that Soun was in his 'Kasumi Phase' again.

Unfortunately, and as much as it pained him to think it, Soun had never been a strong man, not since the regrettable passing of his wonderful wife. The fact that Kasumi and Nabiki had been kidnapped in the first place had put a tremendous strain on the man. It had taken everything Genma could think of just to keep his oldest friend from slipping completely into despair. Luckily none of the children had been around to see the, already legendary, bender that he'd taken his friend on.

Of course, having Akane return with the news that, not only had she not brought her sisters with her, but that Kasumi was joining a team of crime fighters and Nabiki had gone completely criminal . . . It was a small wonder that Soun was functioning at all. Genma was fairly sure that the **only** thing keeping the man going was the fact that Akane was back at home, safe and sound.

But then . . . functioning was all a matter of perspective. Though Soun hadn't completely withdrawn from reality, he had started to cycle through three, more or less, distinctive moods. First, was the Akane phase, in which Soun would cry tears of desperate joy that Akane was still here and safe. It was the most preferable of the phases, and relatively quiet.

The second phase, which had two distinct phases of its own, was the Kasumi phase. Invariably, whenever the Tendo Patriarch thought about his eldest daughter, one of two things happened. The first was that the man descended into an inconsolable fit of dread and anguish, living in fear that Kasumi's life was in a constant state of danger because she was staying with those young heroes. It was . . . not a pleasant sight. The second aspect, or what was happening now, was Soun's 'tragic, but trying to be noble about it' tears of pride. As much as Soun would never admit it, the idea that Kasumi was actively making a life for herself and helping other people, it was something that he could be very proud of indeed.

Heck, Genma was proud of the girl himself.

Which left the third phase, or, as he loathed to think about it, the 'Nabiki Phase'. Luckily the Nabiki phases were relatively rare, since the showers of tears that resulted from **those** usually left him as a panda for the remainder of the day. Although Genma liked to joke in his head that the only thing surprising about Nabiki becoming a criminal, was the fact that Soun was surprised about it, it still saddened him greatly to see his friend in such a state. There were, of course, the tears of shame and anger. Shame that Nabiki would turn to crime, anger that she would dishonor the Tendo name so . . . But Genma knew his friend too well, the thing which really hurt the eldest Tendo, was the fact that she had chosen her criminal life over her family.

Soun loved all of his girls, they were the sum of his world, and the thought that one of them would abandon him . . . Suddenly Genma felt the rare and unfamiliar tingle of guilt at the base of his skull. It would likely feel something like what he had done to his wife, so long ago . . . Oh, the sacrifices that he had made for the Art, it was times like this, that he wondered if it had really been worth it.

Especially considering what an ingrate of a son he had raised! The least the boy could have done was take him with him!

The elder Saotome sighed again and looked from the odd entree to Akane's hopeful expression. There was only one thing that he could think to ask . . .

"Akane . . . is it supposed to be glowing blue like that?"

A sudden look of panic suddenly flashed over the girl's face and she whipped a thick book from . . . apparently nowhere. Maybe the same place that he got his signs? Hmm, best not to think about that . . . Akane flipped through the pages before finding what she was looking for.

"Um . . . apparently yes," she replied, looking as surprised as he was at the revelation.

He tried to wrap his mind around **that** particular concept, when Soun suddenly reached forward and heaped a portion of the strangely glowing mass onto his plate. The vacant stare on the man's face either meant he was running on auto-pilot, or had finally gone off the deep end and was looking to end it all!

"Ah, Soun, are . . . are you sure that's wise?" he asked tentatively. He bravely ignored the fiery look that Akane sent his way.

Rather than answer, the other man just mumbled morosely under his breath, something about his poor babies. Then, without even looking at the plate, Soun scooped a (probably lethal) dose of the food into his mouth. The move was so quick and deliberate, that Genma had only leapt half way across the table, trying to slap said spoon away, before it was already too late.

Genma looked away in shame as his friend's frame suddenly locked up in shock. What a fool he was! If only he had been a little faster, if only he'd stopped his friend from committing suicide . . . Now **he** was probably going to be stuck providing for Akane and Ranma . . .

The noble tears he cried for his fallen comrade were dashed though, as Soun suddenly relaxed and looked up at his daughter in surprise. Slowly the man lowered his spoon back to his plate and looked at it in slight wonder.

"It-it tastes like sushi . . . and . . . ice cream."

Akane looked down at her father, a beaming smile blooming on her face, only to suddenly drop into a confused grimace.

"Wait . . . is that good or bad?" she asked.

Soun looked at the plate, considering her question for several moments. Surprisingly, the tears had stopped, it was almost enough to make Genma consider trying the dish himself. Surely it held some divine powers within its luminescent, gooey depths to accomplish such a feat.

"It is . . . edible," stated the man finally. Then the tears started again as the man wrapped his arms around his daughter's legs. Soun's voice nearly burst with pride as he spoke. "Oh, Akane. You've cooked an edible meal, you're mother would be so . . . um . . . Hmmm, I don't think proud is the word . . . You're mother would be so . . ."

"Surprised?" Genma added helpfully.

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, as the combined glares of proud father and offended daughter descended upon him. The last thing that really crossed his mind, as he began his desperate bid for freedom, was . . .

What was that ingrate son of his doing?

* * *

Very slowly, and with great care, Ranma rolled his motorcycle into the darkened alley. Then with deliberate, almost methodical calmness, turned off the ignition and lowered the kickstand, gently letting the machine lean slightly to the left. Finally, with dignified grace, he dismounted the vehicle and took three measured steps to the alley wall.

It was then, that he finally turned to regard the crimson piece of machinery, with an . . . odd look on his face.

"I've fought berserk martial artists and Chinese warlords, faced ghosts and demons, I've even been tossed into a pit of cats repeatedly . . ." Suddenly, his legs gave way and he collapsed against the wall behind him, shaking like a leaf. "But I have **never** been so **terrified** in all of my life!"

He wasn't sure if he was talking to himself, or to the hellish beast that loomed before him; of course, neither option was really a sign of clean mental health. For the love of all of the Gods! And he had thought that Starfire was trying to kill him? What on Earth had Robin been thinking, giving him a motorcycle?

In the short drive it had taken him to get to the outskirts of the downtown region, he'd nearly died **twenty seven** times! He shuddered again at the memory of his unintended trip onto one of the soaring highways that ran through the city. That was something that he never wanted to even think about, ever again. Sure, ninety kilometers an hour didn't sound that fast, but in that kind of traffic and considering he'd never driven before . . .

And those damn highways had, like, **no** exits! He'd been stuck on there for what a nerve wracking eternity, ducking and weaving around compacts, SUV's and transports.

"Man, ya know what, Death Machine, I think I'll walk from here. Hopefully by the time I get back, the traffic will have died down some," he muttered again. He still wasn't sure who he was talking to, but he was finally starting to calm down a bit.

It was probably for the best, all he really needed the bike for, was to get to and from Nerima. He definitely didn't need it to get around now that he was in the city . . . right? He let out a sigh of disgust, not that he knew where he was going or anything either. All the more reason to ditch the bike in his mind.

Decision made, he pulled out his remote and pressed the button to activate the bikes anti-theft features. The lights flashed and the horn beeped quietly when he pushed the button, but nothing else seemed to happen. With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned to go. He figured it would be fine, after all, Robin must have had to leave his bike alone all the time.

Finally, now that **that** was out of the way, it was time to get down to business. It was time to find him some serious bad guys to beat on. How hard could it be, really? Tokyo was a huge city, there was bound to be some costumed whacko out somewhere causing trouble. Hmmm . . .

Now, if he were a criminal, where would he be?

* * *

Hiro flung himself desperately into the alley and slammed his back to one of its rough walls. His breathing came in desperate gasps, both from excitement over the success of his latest heist, and the exhaustion of running so hard. It had been a daring plan, but he'd executed it perfectly. His victim had been totally unprepared as well. This was sure to be his greatest take yet!

He took a few more seconds to catch his breath, before finally looking down at his prize, clutched tightly to his chest. It represented days of planning, hours spent on the street, picking out the perfect mark. Its soft leather surface shone dully in the dim moonlight.

It looked like it might be a Prada!

Yes, Hiro thought to himself, that had definitely been his most professional purse snatching ever! There was likely at least ten thousand yen in the purse, not to mention any credit cards the lady might have had. He could probably pawn the purse itself off for a decent price. Definitely a grand score indeed.

After a few more patient moments, he was finally satisfied that no one seemed to be following him either. Confident that his larcenous activities were a smashing success, he dusted off his pants happily and strolled deeper into the alleywa-

"AH!"

His heart nearly locked up when, as soon as he turned, he nearly walked face first into someone else in the alley. He stumbled back in shock several feet, trying to regain his composure and take in the person that had just shocked him half to death.

The young man, dressed in an odd Chinese manner, was currently hanging upside down from the bottom rung of a fire escape ladder. The young man was also staring at him, a mix of disgust and embarrassment on his face.

"A purse snatcher? That's the best I get? Pork-butt gets a madman bent on destroying a city and I get a purse snatcher?" The young man began to mutter to himself, still hanging upside down in a most effortless manner. What ever the guy was talking about, though, he had no idea.

"W-who the hell are you?" Hiro asked the interloper, still not thinking straight.

If the guy heard him, he didn't respond. Rather, the mystery man fired out his own inquiries. "_Please_ tell me that you at least have some kind of super strength?"

Hiro could only stare at the pig-tailed stranger in confusion. "Are you crazy? What the heck do you want with me, kid?" he fired back, wondering if the guy was off his rocker completely.

The hanging boy simply let out an explosive sigh, sounding strangely disappointed. "No? How about energy blasts? Can you fly? Please tell me that you at least know **some** kind of esoteric martial arts, heck, everyone in this town knows **some** kind of martial art."

Hiro's worried look only increased. "Do you think if I could fly, that I'd be running away like - Wait! What the heck am I talkin to you like this for?" he barked out angrily. The guy was hanging upside down after all, there wasn't much he could do without falling down. Hiro advanced on him, raising his fists threateningly. "Now, get outta my way, before I have to hurt you!"

If anything, the boy managed to look even more despondent. "Man, this is just sad. I am literally embarrassed to be here now. Look, buddy, if you just give up now, I won't bother knocking you out, we'll just walk you down to the police box and turn you in," offered the boy in a defeated voice. Which struck Hiro as odd, considering the guy didn't seem to think he was a threat at all.

Well, he'd show this guy!

Without warning, he jumped forward and lashed out with a flashing right hook. Muscles honed from grueling hours of pulling purses away from little old ladies burned to life. Bone and tendon all worked in tandem, launching his calcium enriched knuckles directly at the sad face of his enemy.

With a thunderous whoosh, his fist flew right through the space where the boy's head had been, right until the guy bent backwards and lifted his head out of the way. The blue eyed youth then lowered himself back down, his look descending into a bored expression.

"Look, seriously pal, actually fighting you would be **more** embarrassing for **me **than it would be for you. Would you just give it up? You're not even worth taunting . . ."

The boy's words trailed off as he leaned casually to the side, cleanly avoiding Hiro's lightning fast left jab. It was quickly followed by a series of punches, jabs, hooks, haymakers and uppercuts; absolutely everything that Hiro had ever learned in those three boxing classes he'd taken three years ago because his mom was tired of him getting beat up at school.

And not a single blow landed. The boy just ducked, weaved and swung around each strike, never even moving his hands from behind his back. What was worse, was that the pigtailed nemesis didn't even look like he was trying . . . or paying attention for that matter.

Finally, a minute later, Hiro collapsed back against the wall, wheezing for oxygen once again. Apparently seeing that he was out of the fight, the hanging guy dropped form the ladder and flipped to land before him in a very gymnastic maneuver.

"Are you done now?" asked the bored fighter, casually brushing some dust off of his red Chinese shirt.

Hiro's response was simple yet clear, as he bull rushed his opponent, trying to tackle the slightly smaller male. It seemed like a bit of a long shot . . . but really, what choice did he have?

Of course, the pig -tailed boy saw his charge coming a mile away. If anything, the guy almost looked ready to cry, rather than exultant in his imminent victory. Which was pretty much what Hiro figured must have happened . . .

Since it was about that time that everything went black.

* * *

Ranma stared at the sleeping purse snatcher at his feet. The pressure point he'd used was just about the most basic and non-violent thing he managed to think of to take the guy out. The fact that it had worked was just a testament to just how **unbelievably** outclassed his opponent had been. That pressure point wouldn't have worked on Tsubasa . . . well, probably not anyway, Tsubasa was pretty pathetic too, actually.

Mentally, he began to tally his take for the night. He lifted his right hand up and extended his index finger. "One mugger, easily taken care of." He raised his middle finger. "One cat burglar, that guy didn't even put up a fight. He raised his ring finger. "That really old guy trying to take a lollipop from a baby . . ." He lowered that finger, "Hmm, actually, the baby won that one . . ."

He then looked back to the guy at his feet. "And, one purse snatcher. Man, this is ridiculous, there has to be **someone** in this city that's actually worth fighting. There's no way that I'll be able to keep up with Ryouga if he keeps getting major bad guys and I get stuff like this. Man, if I keep fightin these guys, I might actually get **worse**."

Still, improvement or not, he still had to deal with the pile of petty criminal at his feet. Feeling like a kid being forced to clean his room, he reluctantly grabbed the back of the purse snatchers jacket and started dragging him out of the alley. Talk about a disappointing night. After dropping this guy off . . .

He was **so** going home.

* * *

Akane looked up from her school book at the sound of a motorcycle entering the backyard. A bit surprised, she looked over to the clock to the side. It was only eleven o'clock . . . she wasn't expecting her fiancé to be back from his . . . _crime fighting_ for at least another hour or two. Not that she was waiting up for him or anything.

Certainly not because she was worried, either.

Her fiancé's machine idled up to the deck, before the sound of the motor finally died out. She took a moment to decide whether or not to still be angry with the boy, for appearances sake and such, but then decided to let his next actions decide. It had been a few hours after all, and Ranma did tend to have a pretty contagious smile when he was actually happy. Maybe he would have some good stories for her, or maybe he'd even offer to take her for a ride on his motorcycle . . .

Not that she was at all excited about the idea . . . really.

She carefully closed her textbook and lowered it to the table as the near whisper of Ranma's footsteps sounded across the back porch. Hmm, that was slightly odd, he was making more noise than he usually did. If it had been anyone else outside that door, she'd swear they were dragging their feet . . .

Slowly, the back door slid open and the pig tailed boy wandered into the house. Immediately, she noticed the rather depressed and disappointed look on his face. He looked up, a bit surprised to see her there, apparently. Whatever had happened, it seemed to have made him forget that she had been mad at him when he left. Rather, he just waved at her a little weakly.

"Hey, 'Kane. What ya workin' on?" he mumbled a little despondently.

A little twinge of sympathy rose up in her heart at the lilt in his voice. She decided then, that she could let the whole dinner episode slide. After all, her father and Mr. Saotome had liked it, so she was happy enough.

"Nothing much, just an English assignment. Heh, they seem ridiculously easy after being drilled by Cologne and immersed in it with the Titans," she explained, trying to lift Ranma's spirits a bit. It did seem to have an effect, as the boy's lips twinged slightly upwards.

"Yeah, Miss Hinako nearly drained me after that first test last week . . ." he trailed off, losing enthusiasm quickly.

She motioned for him to sit beside her, a worried look forming on her features. Surprisingly, he did just that, and dropping his chin to the table soon after. She lowered her own chin to rest on her hands and turned to look him in the eyes.

"So . . . how did it go?" she asked quietly.

Ranma let out a rather loud sigh at that. "I don't really wanna talk about it."

She nodded in understanding. "That bad, huh? Did you at least help anyone?"

He seemed to consider that for a few moments, before finally nodding. "Yeah, I guess so, but none of the guys that I stopped were even worth my time. I feel like I wasted my whole night goin' out there. There's no way that I'm gonna get the kind of training that Ryouga does against muggers and purse snatchers . . ."

Akane giggled at that, at the absurd image of Ranma, one of the greatest fighters that she's ever known, actually battling purse snatcher in mortal combat. Still, it was obvious that it was bothering him. "Ranma . . . I think that you're missing the point here," she stated carefully.

He stared back, obviously not understanding. Rather than reply, he just grunted out a semi-verbal request for her to explain. Letting out a sigh at his proto-human behavior, she rolled her eyes and continued.

"Ranma, the point of fighting crime isn't to become a better martial artist. The point of fighting crime, is to _fight crime_. Ryouga didn't join the Titans so that he could get good enough to beat you, he did it so that he could help people." Ranma's questioning eyebrow stopped her for a moment.

"Okay, okay, so Ryouga joining the Titans _did_ help him beat you, once, but didn't you say that he was as surprised by the fact that he won as you were?" she asked.

Ranma considered that point as well, before nodding slowly to himself.

"See? So, since you think that Ryouga has better people to fight than you, you said you were wasting your time tonight. Tell me, do you think the person that you saved from that mugger thinks that you helping _them _was a waste of time?" she inquired leadingly.

The pigtailed boy's eyes widened slightly for a moment, before he looked down, a bit shamefaced. "Makes me seem a bit petty now, don't it? Here I am, more worried about helpin' myself than anyone else . . . Maybe I'm not cut out for this hero stuff after all," muttered her fiancé, his voice hitting an all time low.

Rather than agree with him, she smiled warmly and dropped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Ranma, you **are** a hero. You flew around the world, just to help your friend. You fought a psychotic villain and even managed to save us all in the end . . . with a little help from Starfire," she added teasingly.

The despairing look on Ranma's face lifted a bit at that, in fact, the boy actually smiled fondly at the memory. "Heh, with a **lot** of help from Starfire. There's no way that I could have done it without her. And even more help from Raven, if it weren't for her, none of us would be here right now."

She nodded, glad to see that he was catching on. "See? Your heart is in the right place, you're just looking at it from the wrong angle. Raven and Starfire aren't worried about getting better, they're just worried about helping people. As long as you remember that helping people is the real reason that you go out there, then maybe it won't seem like such a waste of time when you stop those muggers and purse snatchers.

"And I bet, that given enough time, you'll eventually run into someone that will actually give you the challenge that you're looking for. After all, I bet the Titans deal with normal criminals all the time too, the can't all be super villains, can they? Besides, you're such a trouble magnet, it's only a matter of time, when you think about it," she finished. Her smile widened and she gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Finally, he sat back up, smiling and nodding to himself. "Hey, you're right, Akane. As long as I'm out there helping people, I'll be doin' something worthwhile. And I'm sure that eventually my hard work will pay off and I'll get my very own villain,"

Akane rolled her eyes at that, leave it to her fiancé to think a dangerous opponent was good karma. She was about to tease him about that very thing, when suddenly he locked eyes with her, a warm look in his sapphire orbs. She felt a small murmur in her chest and she sucked in a small breath involuntarily.

"Thanks, Akane. You really made me feel better about this, I don't know how to thank you . . ." he trailed off, a small blush forming on his cheeks as he realized what he was saying.

She decided to take the initiative and put a finger to his lips, since it was always at just that moment that he would invariably begin to speak without thinking and inevitably insult her, yet again. His lips were actually surprisingly soft, but she decided to tuck that fact away for later consideration. She felt her own cheeks begin to burn as she thought about her answer.

"Well . . . if you're _that_ thankful, maybe . . . you could give me a ride on your bike tomorrow . . . if it's not too much trouble . . ." she began to trail off herself, starting to feel embarrassed over her forward suggestion. It was almost inevitable that he would twist her request around on her, or say something unintentionally insulting . . .

However, rather than either of those things, he simply raised his hand to encompass hers, and lowered her finger from his lips. But instead of answering, he just nodded, smiling shyly himself.

And they remained there for some time, just hold hands for no reason. It was, the youngest Tendo thought to herself, kind of nice . . . She didn't know what exactly was going on with her fiancé lately, but she found it hard to say she didn't like whatever it was. Of course, if it was up to her . . .

Ranma would hopefully never have to deal with a villain a dangerous as the Headmaster.

* * *

'Kill them all'

The thought had been on Brushogun's mind often since his transformation. 'Kill them all, kill everything that lives.' He knew it was the demon inside him that wanted it, the demon wanted him to bath in the blood of his victims, to paint the entire world crimson, as it were. Somewhat appropriate, really.

"No . . . not yet, anyway. I – I still don't know what I can do, or what I'm up against . . . I can't just start killing people," he muttered to himself. He ignored the strange looks on his minion's faces, they were just reflections of his will anyway, it didn't matter what they thought.

'KILL!'

Brushogun reeled slightly as the thought echoed through his head. "Maybe . . . I'll work my way up to that . . . Start small, learn my limits, learn what I can do. That – that makes sense," he tried to reason with himself.

'KILL!'

"NO!"

"No . . . I can't just jump straight to murder . . . That's not how it's done in the manga . . .," he muttered quietly. Slowly, he looked to his ink stained hands, uncertainty staining his mind as well. He didn't want to kill people, did he? Why did he want to kill people again?

Why were his hands bleeding ink again?

Suddenly Brushogun convulsed painfully, then rocked to the side, clutching his papery skull. His minions watched impassively with empty eyes, as their master flailed to and fro before them. Until, finally, Brushogun grew still once more.

Slowly, Brushogun stood straight, his liquid smile spreading wide across his face. No, there was no need to go straight to the real fun. He needed to stretch his wings first, spread chaos, sow fear, let this pathetic city know who its new master was. First, he needed to crush his opposition; he needed to show the populace that they were powerless before him.

His smile widened, mirrored cruelly on the faces of his creations. For that, he would need to find Tokyo's heroes, its defenders . . .

And crush them.


	10. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 2

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble in Little Tokyo

Chapter Two

At long last, the next chapter of the story. A little late, I know, but that's life, i suppose. I did want to mention a small achievement as well, that TT&TLB has busted up the 60000 hits mark quite easily. Heh, in fact, updates aside, its hits are actually rising more quickly than the numbers for THIS story. Well, I'm sure that once I hit my stride again and get into the good stuff again, that should change. After all, still a lot of fans from my first story that I have to win over again, can't just assume this one will be as good cuz it's written by the same guy.

Now, on to business. And by business, I mean yet another rant. I didn't really want to do it, but after reading a number of stories lately on ff . . . you know what, I feel that it needs to be said. So, what's the subject of today's rant?

Ranma Saotome. (I'm writing a story about him now, so I figure that gives me the right to state my opinion

There is one thing that drives me crazy about Ranma fans and that thing is the idea of an all-powerful 'Post Saffron' Ranma. It doesn't make any sense, that's all there is to it! And yet, again and again, I read stories where 'Post Saffron' Ranma is suddenly insanely powerful, shrugging off Cologne and Happi like rank amateurs. I know a lot of people must think that it's his due, after all, he did defeat a demi-god, but that just isn't the case.

Ranma is just as powerful after defeating Saffron as he was before he defeated Saffron. There was no miraculous power up, no tapping of a hidden power, and he most certainly didn't blow up the entire mountaintop in his fury.

Fact: Ranma defeated Saffron. However, he did NOT do it by overpowering him. Rather, just as he did with Herb (another character which had Ranma on the ropes until the very last moment) Ranma used Saffron's own power against him, using the Hiryua Shoten Ha. He also had the very handy help of a magical staff which generated ice to save him from being BBQ'd.

And, the best part, for all of you Akane haters out there, the only reason, and I mean the ONLY reason, that he survived the battle at all, was because Akane risked her own life to make the opening that Ranma needed to use his final attack on Saffron. If it weren't for Akane, Ranma would have died. And even then, his final attack didn't rely on him dredging up any secret or hidden power, rather it was, as is usually the case with Ranma, a case of him coming up with an ingenious improvisation of a technique on the fly. The HSH that he used was super concentrated by being forced through the narrow channel that Akane had created between him and Saffron. This is the attack that ripped the Phoenix limb from limb.

Also, it should be noted that nowhere in the entire manga is Saffron ever referred to as a: God, Demi-God, Half-God, Sorta-Kinda-God, or even Dog. He is incredibly powerful, and he reincarnates himself, but those are all marks of him being a Phoenix, not a god. So, as amazing as it was that Ranma defeated him . . .

So, getting back to my original point, the idea of an all powerful 'Post-Saffron' Ranma is just flawed. Granted, he improved over the whole series and was much more powerful at the end than he was at the beginning, but then a lot of the characters did as well.

So, why am I so annoyed with the idea of a super powerful Ranma that can out ki blast herb and beat down Saffron with his bare hands? Because Ranma DOESN"T NEED to be that powerful. The whole point behind Ranma, is that he isn't the most powerful warrior out there. He isn't the strongest (Definitely Lime) He isn't the fastest (Mint) Nor does he have amazing reservoirs of pure chi (Saffron, Herb and even Ryouga outshine Ranma in this category) However, Ranma is the most skilled fighter, and the best thinker in the series. This is how he wins his fight. As soon as I see someone writing a story where Ranma is suddenly all of these things and then some, I feel that they are doing the guy a disservice. Like they don't think that he was good enough before, just being the best wasn't good enough. He couldn't just eke out his wins on skill and talent, he had to absolutely outclass everyone in every category.

Heh, which is why the idea of the reboot story always grates on me. You know the ones, where Ranma suddenly restarts at the beginning of the series, but with all of the skills and power that he acquired from the entire series. When I see one, I have to ask, why is that necessary? Having a vastly superior Ranma at the beginning could very well have interesting ramifications . . . but, Uber Ranma . . . he's NEVER cool about it. What's the first thing that he does when he comes back? He goes back and beats the CRAP out of all of his rivals and enemies. Which is something that Ranma would never do, he's not a bully, so why would he beat up people that he KNOWS can't stand against him? And really, once again I must ask, whats the reason for this? Ranma could defeat all of his rivals rather handily the first time through, why does he need a power boost like that to do it the second time through?

Bah, it all comes down to doing a disservice to Ranma. Saotome Ranma always wins in the end. He doesn't need cheap powerups or mysterious powers to do it. Of course, I don't totally disagree with a suped up Ranma. If the story calls for it, using a rather epic story such as 'Waters under the Earth' or 'Shampoo One Half', Ranma can be utterly amazing, but in these cases, it's a progression of power, not just a random power up.

And, now for something completely different!

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Ranma sat comfortably on the lawn, tinkering with the motorcycle that Robin had sent him. Not that he really knew enough to actually improve it, or anything like that, but at the very least he figured he couldn't mess it up too bad since he had the manual right beside him. More of an interest thing, he supposed. It was pretty fun to learn about his new machine, even if it wasn't directly related to martial arts.

Of course, his good mood had yet to recover from Akane storming off, just moments earlier. For some reason, the dumb Tomboy had made some inane comment about Ryouga and he'd replied with the first thing that came to mind.

Apparently Akane didn't agree with his belief that Jinx was a much better match for Ryouga than Raven. Not that he really cared who the directionally challenged moron ended up with, he just figured that the pink eyed sorceress had really gone above and beyond for Bacon Breath. If anyone deserved some happiness, it was that girl.

Idly, he wondered whatever happened to that mischievous female, Jinx.

* * *

Idly, Happosai wondered whatever happened to that pesky brat, Robin.

Not really paying any attention to where he was going at the moment, the ancient master let his mind wander slightly. It had been a while since Robin had been out to try and spoil his fun; in fact, he didn't think he'd seen the young man since his last battle with the lovely Red X. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her since that night either.

As depressing as it sounded . . . he actually missed their single minded pursuits. While his nightly raids were still rewarding, they just weren't as fulfilling as the nights when they had been hot on his heels. Certainly, Ranma surpassed both of them by leaps and bounds, but his heir apparent was a reluctant trainee at the best of times. The single minded determination of Robin and the irrational dislike that Red X seemed to harbor, they were a refreshing change from his favorite pupil's rather lazy attitude.

A massive leap took him across yet another yawning alleyway, depositing him soundlessly on the roof of a rather lavish hotel building. Yes, this place was bound to have a few wealthy patrons, wealthy patrons that undoubtedly owned rather lavish undergarments of their own . . .

The old man absently wiped a small line of drool from his chin. No need to get too excited before he actually accomplished his mission. With a careful shift of his shoulders, he positioned his beloved sack of trophies to allow him the best angle of entry into the building.

Of course, hotels presented unique challenges of their own, especially since many of them didn't have windows that actually opened. However, for a master of his skills, even that wasn't an impossible obstacle to overcome. He took a few moments to scope out the roof's layout; it was an older building with fancy ledges, gargoyles and the works. All the better. His point of entrance decided upon, he hopped onto the ledg-

Whoa!

Suddenly he was freefalling, the crumbling remains of the rotten piece of stone raining down around him! He swung around quickly to latch onto the wall, when -

The most horrifying sound he had ever been subject to assaulted his sensitive ears . . . the sound of ripping cloth tore into his very soul. For just a moment, all thoughts of saving himself were forgotten, as a gentle rain of silky treasures joined him and the crumbling stone in the thrall of gravity. The image of his precious sack tearing open and liberating his hard gotten gains back into the world . . . it burned into his eyes, branded itself onto his memory.

Then, just as he was about to spring into action and reclaim all of his treasures in a flash of movement . . . a strong wind chose that exact second to ambush him and send his precious undergarments floating off into the night . . .

He absently considered just letting himself fall to the unforgiving ground below . . .

But then his common sense kicked in and he grabbed onto the next ledge and pulled himself up. With a tear in his eye, he saluted the escaping underwear as it returned from whence it came . . . well, more or less.

"Oh, well! There's always tomorrow," he cackled to himself. Really though, that had just been some unbelievably bad luc . . .

"Wait just a second!"

Two rapid jumps took him back to the building's roof, where he landed with an angry thump. He glared angrily across the rooftop, staring down his unexpected companion.

"That was a mean trick to play on an old man, Jinx!"

A precocious giggle floated through the night air, as the slim figure of the girl melted out of the shadows before him. Her dainty, platform boots crunched across the gravel as she moved closer to him. He looked her over once more, matching the lovely, though underdeveloped girl against his memory. Everything seemed to match up, her uniform still consisted of the black dress, ending mid thigh, the oddly stripped socks of alternating black and dark purple and, of course, the dark stone hanging from the choker around her slender neck.

There was one glaring difference though, the girl had yet to return her hair to it's usual upturned style. Rather, Jinx still wore her long pink hair flowing around her shoulders. Happosai admitted it was somewhat flattering, though not nearly as interesting and distinctive as her previous style.

"I'm sorry, Happi, I just wanted to make sure that I had your undivided attention," she replied mischievously.

He quirked an eyebrow in interest at that. Hmm, there was something else new as well, it was subtle enough that he'd nearly missed it. The spunky young villainess had a single piece of yellow and black cloth braided tightly into her hair, very nearly framing the left side of her face. Definitely a noteworthy addition, if it meant what he thought it might.

"Well, my dear, you most assuredly have it now. I suggest you put it to good use, before I remember that you just cost me an entire night's haul," he suggested seriously.

If she was in any way intimidated by his threatening tone, she gave absolutely no sign. He smiled internally, as she offered him her patented Cheshire grin in response. Such a mischievous and fearless girl; he really, really liked her.

"I need your help . . . Master," she stated rather seriously herself. Her smile melted away slightly at her admission, a somewhat nervous look forming on her features now. How odd, that, the girl that just smiled at his anger like the devil may care, was nervous about asking him for help.

"Help with what, Jinx?" he inquired, slightly emphasizing his use of her name. "Looking to get back into the game, or looking for revenge?"

The young sorceress looked to the side, uncertainty hanging over her like a pall. "I – I'm not sure what I want to do with my life, yet. I don't think . . . that I want to go back to being a petty criminal; I don't really want revenge on anyone, either . . ."

He tipped his head to the side, gazing at her questioningly. "Then . . .?"

Again, her pink, slitted eyes met his, determination finally entering into them once more. "I may not know what I want to do yet, but I sure as hell know what I **don't** want to do. I don't want to be **weak** anymore. Raven and all the Titans, they all got so much stronger because of Cologne. Even after all the work I did with you, Ryouga and Mousse, that witch still beat me like nothing!" she hissed loudly.

Happosai smiled slyly at that. Not out for revenge, eh? Still, a good rivalry was always a good thing to foster, nothing got you stronger, faster, than really hating someone's guts. And if it gave him the chance to thumb his nose at Cologne . . . He chuckled to himself, it might even give him a chance to set her back on track in her pursuit of a certain fanged boy. He'd hate to think that he'd trained someone that would give up so easily, especially since it was **so** obvious that her and Ryouga were the better match. Giving the two girls one more thing to fight over, that was just an infinitely entertaining perk. Of course, favoritism aside, he still had to make sure she was worthy of his training.

"Well, if all you're looking for is a strength boost, I have a great recipe for Super-Soba that will take care of that quick. Heh, I'm sure a set of whiskers would actually work on you," he said while vainly holding in his snickering.

This time the fate bending girl actually glared at him. "Quit joking around! That's not what I meant and you know it. I don't just want to be a stronger fighter . . . I want to be a stronger person again, too," she admitted sadly. "I feel like – like I've been doing nothing but doubting and second guessing myself ever since the day that I met Ryouga. I . . . I hate what I've become, so pathetic and emotional."

The sad note left her voice then, as a hard glint filled her feline eyes. "I want to be fearless again! I don't want to care about what anyone thinks. I don't want to feel inferior ever again . . . I want . . . I want to be like you . . ."

The ancient master's eyes nearly popped out of his head at that quiet declaration! She wanted to be like him? Had this young woman completely lost her mind? **He** didn't even want to be like him most of the time. A thought stopped him short though . . . She likely didn't mean she wanted to be perverted like him. For some reason, she thought that he was fearless, that he was strong . . . she – she actually _respected_ him . . .

Dear God, when was the last time that anyone had actually shown him respect? Not the spineless fear that his boneheaded students demonstrated, or Ranma's shallow platitudes when the boy actually desired something from him. It was obvious that Jinx wasn't afraid of him, not at all, but nor was she being insincere in any way.

It took him a moment to gather himself again. "You . . . you want to be like me, do you?"

A single, hesitant nod.

A small smile began to form on his face. "You want to be utterly and completely unrepentant of who you are? You want to live how you see fit and abide only by your own rules? You want to be absolutely sure of yourself and never regret any decision you make, no matter how insane it might be in hindsight?" With every question, his excitement grew, as did the gleam in Jinx's luminescent eyes.

Her Cheshire grin was back in full force now, her eyes glowing faintly in the night. "I think that's exactly what I want," she replied sharply.

He nodded sagely. "An interesting proposal, certainly. But, my dear, what exactly is in it for me?"

A long, suffering sigh escaped her perfect lips, as a resigned look entered her eyes. With great reluctance, the darkly clad girl reached behind her back and retrieved something. A second later, her hand swung forward and revealed her most valued form of currency.

A delightfully cute pair of dark maroon panties!

He stared in wonder at the deceptively simple pair of underpants. He could feel her unique energy saturating the soft material, even from across the roof. A master could get lost in that wondrous, mystic chi that was so fundamentally Jinx.

Jinx apparently misinterpreted his stare. Her resigned gaze boiled into an irate glare. "Look, this is as good as you're gonna get. I didn't start wearing thongs for _him_, so there's no way in heck that I'm gonna do it for _you_!"

For the first time that night, he actually burst into laughter. "No, no, Jinx. That will be more than enough, for the time being," he stated with great amusement. "Very well, if you're that intent on becoming my disciple, then I accept. You have great potential, Jinx, and I believe that under my tutelage, you'll become **more** than a match for Raven, Ryouga, or even Ranma. Trust me, my dear, with your powers and my training, I believe I can make you . . . _invincible_," he finished in an unnecessarily sinister tone.

He let out an equally and unnecessarily sinister chuckle. He couldn't wait to see the rematch between his student and Cologne's half demon trainee. He'd been a bit disappointed to hear that Jinx had lost that first battle, though honestly, he hadn't given her nearly as much training as Cologne had Raven. Really, all he'd taught her was the trick to block the demon girl's chi sight. But next time . . . next time would be very different indeed. Jinx's incredibly unique abilities seemed to offer a world of possibilities for him to exploit. The demon girl, it was obvious that she possessed much more raw power, but by it's very nature, Jinx's power was much more unpredictable. Oh yes, he'd show Cologne who the greater teacher was.

"Alright, Jinx, we should stop by Nabiki's base first. I think they might be worried if you just left without telling them," he stated in a sagely voice. That and it was always nice to know where a potential safe house was, where a potential scape goat could be found . . . and Nabiki had just the most wonderful taste in underwear.

Jinx nodded in agreement, thankfully missing the subtext of his request. "Where are we going, anyway, Happi?"

He just smiled happily.

"To achieve the advancement you seek, **you** are about to embark on a most excellent training adventure."

* * *

Ranma shivered uncontrollably, a sense of something fundamentally wrong in the universe settling across his soul . . . A second later, it passed.

Huh, that had been weird. Ah well, where had he been again?

Oh, yeah, Akane . . .

Unfortunately, any concerns he might have had for Jinx were currently being quashed by the concern he was feeling for himself. After all, the only thing worse than Akane in the kitchen, was an angry Akane in the kitchen. Even worse, in the couple of days since his first trip into the city, she'd started cooking human food again, from time to time.

'Human food' being used in the loosest possible manner, of course.

He carefully placed the wrench to his side, the side of him that was the farthest from the porch and, incidentally, the place where his fiancée had been sitting. A lot of his new tools looked like they would really hurt if they came into contact with his skull, so he figured it would probably be a good idea to minimize the chance that Akane might get her hands on any of them, if ever he should accidentally do something to set her off.

Better safe than sorry and all that jazz.

The martial mechanic then wiped his hand across his forehead, dashing some of the sweat that had gathered there. He looked up to the bright, sunshiny day that encompassed him. Really, it was far too nice of a day to spend indoors. With a widening smile, he slid his hand across the crimson shell of his new machine. He had never really gotten the hang of that computer junk, but this . . . this was something that he could really get into.

Oh, sure, he still barely knew how to drive the darn thing, but the mechanical aspect seemed to come to him fairly easy. Maybe it was his innate knowledge of biomechanics creeping over into a similar subject, or maybe he just had a hidden talent for it, who knew? All he knew, was that taking this machine apart and putting it back together gave him a sense of satisfaction that he usually only got from learning a new and powerful technique.

"Ranma! Lunch is ready, it's time to come in!" Akane's dulcet voice rang out the sliding door and through the air.

A rather nasty curse escaped his lips.

Frantically, he looked to the sliding door, then to his machine. He then looked from his bike down to the assorted parts sprawled around him. Damn! Let's see, that part goes there and that one there, but this thing needs to go in first and the-

"Ranma! Quit playing with your bike and get in here!" Akane's head joined her voice as she popped it out the door to glare at him. The look on her face seemed to indicate that she wasn't mad at him . . . yet, but that would change quickly, almost assuredly.

Still, he couldn't exactly get away while she was staring right at him. So, reluctantly, he stopped his rather frantic refurbishing and slowly lowered his tools back to the ground at his side. Then, with the resigned dignity of a man facing a firing squad, he rose up to meet his fate.

Akane stared at him strangely as he trudged across the yard. "Sheesh, Ranma, I know you like tinkering with your bike, but honestly, it'll still be there after you're done eating," she said in a slightly patronizing manner.

"Yeah, but I might not be . . ." he whispered quietly enough to escape her keen ears.

Still in her oddly bubbly mood, Akane veritably glided back across the room and over to the table. With giddy exuberance, the young woman then lifted the lid off the large pot that took up the center of the table. Almost instantly, Ranma, his father and Mr. Tendo (both much closer to the epicenter than him) nearly reeled over from the smell.

If Akane noticed the . . . well, unsavory was about the most polite word he could think of at the moment – the unsavory aroma, she hid it well. So that either meant that the girl had no sense of smell, or was just too proud to admit that she'd screwed up, yet again . . . though the no sense of smell thing might explain a few things.

"I was feeling a little adventurous today, so I made spaghetti and meat balls! I just love Italian food!" she explained proudly.

To his credit, the heir of the Saotome school managed to get close enough to the table to actually take his seat. He noticed both of their fathers wavering, his own father looking ready to bolt. Not that he could blame the guy . . . whatever it was that was in that pot . . . he could almost swear he heard it chanting in tongues.

Eagerly, his . . . loving . . . fiancée scooped out a helping of the eldritch horror and dropped it onto his plate with a rather disturbing _squelching_ noise.

"Ya know . . . I just can't figure it out . . .," he mumbled to himself quietly.

Akane looked at him, a questioning look on her face. "What's that, Ranma?"

He looked at the plate set out before him, what could only be described as a critical expression on his face. Absently, more to himself than to her, he replied without thinking.

"How is it that your alien food tastes almost like human food, but your human food tastes like alien food . . .?"

* * *

Deep, deep within Ranma's psyche, Common Sense Ranma screamed in anguish and tore out several more tufts of his already sparse hair. Why did Ranma never listen to him? All he had to do was listen! It wasn't that much to ask for, was it? Just to have the big ox think before he spoke? But nooooooooo. No, that would be too much for the great Saotome Ranma, wouldn't it?

Well, Common Sense Ranma would see who had the last laugh here.

Chuckling, in what could only be described as an unhinged manner, Common Sense Ranma grabbed his host's Autonomic Response to Imminent Danger, and squeezed . . .

Hard.

* * *

Oh, crap . . . Ranma knew that sensation! Paralytic hesitation! He had no idea what caused it, but it almost always happened immediately after he said something and it **always **seemed to herald an imminent and brutal impact.

"**Ranma, **you jerk!"

With a weak sigh, he merely closed his eyes as the shadow of the table blotted out the sun.

With a calamitous crash, the table crushed him beneath its wooden bulk. Damn Nabiki, why did she have to invest in an Ironwood table?

"Honestly! How can he insult my cooking when he hasn't even tried it?" Akane's question seemed to be a rhetorical one, as she was already leaving the room, even as the edges of his vision start to fade to darkness.

The last thought he had, before the blackness engulfed him, was . . .

Thank goodness that I don't have to ea . . .

* * *

Brushogun's smile literally dripped with malice as he gazed upon his latest creation. The crimson shell of his newest minion glimmered dimly in the warehouse's poor lighting. This, this would be his first strike against the pathetic masses of humanity that corrupted this world. First, first he would crush the defenders of this disgusting city, then he would crush its populace beneath his heels.

Then, as his power grew, he would spread his domain, eventually, the world would bow before him. That was how it went, after all . . . wasn't it? Beings of such unlimited power as his own, they always tried to conquer the world, so it was only logical that he should do the same.

The demonic entity flinched and held a clawed hand to his head, fighting off yet another sudden headache. It felt like a voice was shrieking at him from the very edges of his consciousness, tearing angrily at the distant fringes of his being, from just beyond his perception. It didn't speak in words, was too ancient and alien to communicate in anything resembling human speech, but it seemed to be telling him that he was going about this all wrong.

Once again, he forced the . . . voice away, back to the void that now existed where his soul once had. It frightened him how difficult it was getting and he wasn't certain how much longer he would be able to do so. The once-artist shied his mind away from the thoughts of what he might do when the day came that he could no longer resist that inhuman voice . . .

Bah! What did it know anyway? He knew how villains were supposed to act, he'd been reading comic books since he was a child. There were certain rules that needed to be followed, certain protocols of villainy that needed to be observed.

He looked back to his minion once more, the crimson demon gazing back at him impassively. The Ink Demon smiled at the character's design, Brushogun liked to consider him as an . . . homage to the rather classic Ultraman. Sleek red armor covered the perfect physique of the false-man, a powerful jet pack adorned his back and large red gems adorned both his chest and forehead.

Overall, he'd say that he'd done a rather good job on this one . . .

"Now, Saico-Tek, go out . . . and destroy the defenders of this city."

* * *

Ranma groaned weakly as his impromptu nap finally came to it's rather painful conclusion. The first thing that he noted, was the absence of any unholy odor. At least it seemed that Akane had either cleaned up or tossed out the remains of her lunch (Oh, how he prayed for the latter!) The next thing, was the rather heavy weight of the table still crushing down on him.

He struggled weakly for a moment . . .

Hmm, on second thought, the table would keep, at least until his skeleton stopped hurting again. On the bright side, she'd only crushed his body this time, his head was still blissfully free from the table. Hey! He could see the TV too, nice! That meant he could watch something while he waited for his body to stop being broken.

He wiggled his hands back and forth a bit, they were both free as well, though his arms were still pinned. After a moment, he gave up and scratched his nose. Hmm, a dilemma then . . . How does one turn on a television when you can't move?

. . . if he had a yen coin or something equally tiny, he could flick it at the on button!

The pigtailed boy scanned his surroundings quickly. Hmm, the only projectile within his vicinity appeared to be a tiny fragment of Akane's aborted meal . . . no, that wouldn't do, he wanted to turn the TV on, not destroy the thing.

Wait a second . . . He chuckled evilly to himself. Saotome Ranma was a genius! All this problem required was a little thinking outside the box.

With excruciating care and concentration, he lined his thumb and forefinger up with the TV's on switch . . .

His tongue poked out the corner of his mouth as he marshaled every ounce of his martial skill into the next moment . . . Now!

"Mouko Takabisha Revised: Pride of the Cheerful Cricket!"

Using his battle cry to focus his attack, he flicked his finger mightily, lobbing the tiny nimbus of golden light at the television. The pea sized chi blast flew with unerring grace and hit his target, bursting with just enough force to actually depress the button. The only evidence that his attack had existed was the flash of light and sound as the television flared to life . . . and the tiny scorch mark on the button.

"Ha! Man, I knew I was great, but this is just a whole new level of great," he stroked his own ego happily. Ha! If the Shi Shi Houkodan could have non-combat applications, than so could the Mouko Takabisha!

Hey, an episode of Dragon Ball Z was on, even better!

It looked like everything was coming up Ranma today! He settled in to spend the next half hour or so watching his favorite martial artist alien power up (He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why Ryouga liked Vegeta better than Goku.) when -

"We interrupt this program to bring you this important news bulletin!"

"Ah, crap," he moaned to himself. Always when it was something that **he** wanted to watch!

Suddenly the scene on the television switched from an eternally yelling Saiyan to a live shot of down town Tokyo. An attractive woman holding a microphone stood in the foreground, but behind her was a scene of complete chaos! Dozens of police cars filled the street some hundred or so yards behind the woman and the street was swarming with at least twice that number of officers. Several of the cars were burning merrily as well, shouts of panic filling the air.

The woman suddenly began to speak, a somewhat panicked tone in her voice as well. "I am reporting, live, from just outside the Metropolitan Government Building in the Shinjuku ward, where a costumed villain has started a one man war against the Tokyo Police Force."

A sudden explosion of red in the background sent the woman stumbling forward slightly, her panicked look only increasing. A smoking hubcap clattering to the ground roughly a foot to her left . . . pretty much finished her off. With a shriek of complete terror, the attractive reporter dropped her microphone and ran completely off screen.

The picture of the raging battle held for another minute, before the cameraman suddenly ran for cover as well. Everything after that was a rather poor shot taken around the bumper of a nearby car.

Ranma continued to stare, transfixed, at the image for another moment, before his brain suddenly kicked into gear.

"Holy crap!"

The table went flying to crash against the wall as he leapt up to his feet. Why hadn't he heard about it on his police scanner while he was outside?

He slapped a hand against his forehead . . . Because it was up in his room, so he could listen to it at night!

"Damn!"

He didn't even bother to tell Akane what he was doing. Free of his dining confines, he burst out the back door and veritably flew to his bike. Without the panic and fear that Akane's cooking caused, he looked to the pile of parts around his motorcycle and analyzed the most efficient way to reassemble them in a fraction of a second. Then, using the speed honed from his Katchu Tenshin Amagurinken, he replaced every part, every nut and every bolt faster than the eye could follow.

A second later, the roar of the engine filled the back yard. Luckily, Shinjuku was right next door to Nerima, so he at least had a chance of getting there in time. Without wasting the time to form another coherent thought, the master martial artist hopped on his bike and kicked it into gear.

If Akane hadn't heard anything up to that point, he was pretty sure that the squeal of burning rubber when he hit the pavement would definitely get the girl's attention. A tiny smile began to worm its way onto his face, as he blasted down the road.

Finally!

* * *

Lieutenant Uehara Daizo flung himself behind the open door of his patrol car, just in time to avoid the flaming shrapnel that was once Suzahara's matching vehicle. The blast wave of force and heat nearly slammed his door closed, crushing him painfully against the seat, but didn't sear the flesh off his bones like he was half expecting. A second later, he jumped up and spun to face the red clad psychopath, now hovering above the mass of flaming cars that populated the city street.

Taking quick aim, the veteran officer squeezed his trigger as fast as he could, unloading another six rounds of molten lead at the cocky bastard. He smirked briefly, as each and every bullet slammed home, only to scowl angrily as, just as every bullet before, they twanged off harmlessly. He let out another small curse, apparently his marksmanship had gotten the bastard's attention.

The flying villain turned his way, producing another of those damned explosive throwing weapons out of seemingly nowhere.

Daizo was already running, even before the crimson monster pulled back his arm to throw the weapon. Even as he leapt on the trunk of another car and flung himself through the air, he somehow heard the whizzing sound of the bladed device cutting it's way towards his back. It struck him as slightly odd, considering the deafening cacophony of jet exhaust, roaring flames and screaming officers that surrounded him.

The dull thunk of the bomb slamming into the trunk only a scant few feet behind him caused a rather sour thought to travel through his mind, just before the thing exploded, flinging his already flying body an extra twenty feet or so into the air.

I'm not even supposed to be here today!

He enjoyed a brief moment, as the pain he was in flickered momentarily into the mind numbing variety. It gave him a short instant to think about his life and how it had been going up to that point. Hmm, you know, now that he thought about it, he really needed t-

A rather nasty crunching sound interrupted his train of thought, as he crashed painfully to the ground and bounced a few times before sliding to a halt. For a few seconds, he just lay there, forcing his lungs to collect the oxygen he required to live. It was an arduous process, but he figured it would be worth the effort in the long run . . .

The sound of something landing gently on the ground not too far away from him reminded him just what his situation was. With great difficulty, he rolled himself onto his back, then painfully lifted the gun that he had miraculously held on to this whole time. A flick of his finger opened the cylinder and let the six spent shells fall to the ground with a clatter.

How had it even come to this? It didn't make sense! One man could not just wipe out an entire platoon of police officers! This kind of thing just did **not** happen in Tokyo, and certainly not on his watch. Whoever this . . . this **super** villain was, he seemed to be invincible, immortal . . .

Damnit! This was not how fighting crime was supposed to work.

He was not at all surprised by the harsh sensation of a boot slamming down on his forearm, slamming his hand to the ground and causing his gun to slide out of reach. Nor was he surprised by the unnaturally strong hand twisting painfully into his lapels and lifting him till his feet were dangling a foot from the ground.

He glared into the emotionless crimson eyes of his captor, cold and merciless orbs more befitting a man eating shark than a human being. The . . . man stared at him impassively, not even so much as a smirk of accomplishment or superiority marring his crimson stained lips.

Expelling some of the precious air that he had just worked so hard to collect, he spat out at the armored monster. "W-what the **hell** do you want?"

He then lashed out with a weak kick, slamming the tip of his shoe into the villain's calf. As he suspected, it had no effect at all and all it got him was a rough shake. The red colored man studied him for another moment, apparently determining if he was finally done trying to fight. His head then cocked to the side and he replied in a very casual tone of voice.

"It is my duty to destroy the defenders of this city . . . and so I shall." The dangerous criminal then lifted his free hand and . . . it seemed to – to _flow_ together for a moment . . . The crimson blob then reshaped itself and solidified back into a normal hand . . . holding a cruel looking crimson dagger.

He would have liked to say more, to do more . . . but his body was failing him after his near incineration and short attempt at flight. So, with bitter pride, he hissed with his last breath. "Go. To. Hell!"

Finally, his murderer smiled, a wicked and cruel smile that belonged on no sane man's face.

"I insist . . .after you."

He watched as the gleaming blade rose higher into the air, the sunlight flashing red against it's polished surface. All around him, his fellow officers lay, wounded or unconscious . . . he certainly hoped that he would be the only casualty this day, if only for his friends' sakes. Damnit! How the hell were they supposed to deal with something like this?

And then the knife was descending, destined for his carotid artery. Daizo grimaced and looked awa-

"**WAAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAAA**!"

The cry sundered the air, drowning out the fires, explosions and anguished yells that dominated the scene. It was quickly followed by the sound of something hitting metal at high speed. The Lieutenant was so shocked, that he immediately swung his head in the direction of the massive racket. It was so unexpected, that even his captor turned to gawk, murder forgotten for the moment.

With eerie synchronization, they both gazed at the source of the sound, apparently one of the cars that was currently masquerading as a bonfire. He wondered what was happening for a fraction of a second, when -

A motorcycle **exploded **through the flames, flying through the air after ramping the wheeled inferno!

"**AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH**!" The bike's rider continued to scream, half in terror, half in panic, as the machine soared through the air, trailing smoke and fire like a burning comet.

Daizo and his captor both stared with mute awe as the reckless daredevil clung to his ride . . . almost floating through the air in slow motion . . . right in their direction!

Then the machine finally slammed into the ground, a loud squeal of burning rubber. Damn! But that kid could dri-

Almost instantly after landing, the bike skidded wildly out of control! The front wheel swooped back and forth as the rider desperately tried to regain control . . . for about a second. Suddenly the machine skidded sideways, before slamming hard to the ground, slamming it's rider just as hard into the pavement. The machine actually hit hard enough to **bounce** over the painfully sliding form of the crazed youth, before it continued it's own ear wracking slide, trailing a shower of sparks fit to set another three blazes.

Both him and the crimson man that held him, had about three halves of a second to consider this, before the machine suddenly slammed into the back of the red clad villain's legs, sending both of them flying into the air! The last thing he perceived was the red man swinging him up and throwing him towards the remains of the bike's rider, even as the villain got caught by the machine and dragged, the gods only knew how far, in the other direction.

A second later, he was reintroduced to the (far too familiar by that point) concept of pain, as he crashed to the unforgiving pavement, yet again. He bounced and rolled for a good five feet, before finally sliding to a stop not too far from the red shirted boy that had just crashed and burned so spectacularly.

Well, he supposed, that was one way of dealing with the villain . . .

"Oh, gods, I wasn't even supposed to be on duty today . . .," he moaned pitifully. Slowly, and with great reluctance, he started to drag himself up into a sitting position. A good forty feet away, he noticed his crimson nemesis begin to do the same thing.

"What does it take to keep him down?" Not expecting an answer, he started to look around him for a fallen firearm, preferably one with a grenade launcher attached. In his short search, his eyes fell across the body of the boy that had just, inadvertently, saved his life.

Hmm, not responsive, likely didn't survive the crash. He had to have been going at least a hundred klicks when he spilled all over the place. Still, he had to make sure . . .

"Hey (Cough) Hey, k-kid . . . you still alive?"

Amazingly . . . the kid actually responded! With a weak groan, the black haired kid (What was with the pigtail?) rose up to his hands and knees, gingerly rubbing the back of his head, apparently in mild discomfort. The teen then looked up and met his gaze, a confident smile on his face.

"Heh, don't worry 'bout me, I'm alright. Still a little woozy from the table, nothin I can't handle," assured the blue eyed youth. The young man then looked into the distance where his bike had finally stopped, a trail of scratched concrete leading the entire way. He then looked back at Daizo, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "Umm . . . I meant to do that . . ."

The Lieutenant growled slightly. "Meant to do that? You nearly killed me, ya crazy brat!"

The pigtailed boy seemed to consider that for a moment . . . "Okay then, I didn't mean to do that. Now, what the heck is goin on here, Grandpa? I'm here to help," he declared rather proudly.

Daizo grumbled a bit at the Grandpa comment. He quickly looked back to the villain, the guy was still pretty wobbly, he'd keep for a second. "Help? What the heck are you gonna do, kid? This isn't a game, that man down there is a dangerous criminal! Get out of here before you get hurt . . . more hurt."

If anything, the crazy kid's smile only widened, growing into a full blown cocky grin. Without any effort at all, the teen then rose up to his feet . . . Hey! The kid hardly even looked hurt at all! Just a few scrapes here and there . . . but how the heck was that possible?

"The name's Saotome Ranma, Grandpa, and I ain't scared of no spandex wearin Power Ranger wannabe. You just hang back here and take it easy, I'll take this guy down for ya, no sweat," promised the self proclaimed Saotome confidently.

Wait just a second! Saotome . . . Ranma . . .? He **knew** that name . . . from . . . somewhere. He was certain . . . but where? He was a Shinjuku cop, so that was pretty much all that he studied up on . . . but that name rang a bell, hadn't there been a rumor floating across from the Nerima ward involving that . . .?

Any further contemplations were cut off, as the pigtailed boy marched off to face the villain.

* * *

Ranma grimaced slightly as he walked past the downed officer and started towards the armor wearing bad guy. He wasn't . . . _quite_ as not hurt as he informed the old man, that had been a hell of a crash, after all. However, he wasn't too hurt, no worse than taking one or two hits from Ryouga anyway. Still, sore or not, he was pretty damn sure that he could handle the masked villain before him.

He watched as the bad guy finally regained his feet, studied his opponent's movements and started to analyze them without even needing to think about it. The guy moved like a fighter, that much was apparent . . . but the style the guy used seemed to elude him for the moment. The way he carried himself, it seemed familiar . . . Ah, well, he'd figure it out as soon as he saw the guy actually fight.

A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. So, here he was, finally with a super villain of his own and a decent one at that. This one guy had managed to lay up dozens of armed officers without even trying. That meant that armor was functional . . . which was good, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't fashionable. The guy was standing after getting smashed by a runaway motorcycle too, so he was pretty tough to boot. So, how did he go about this again?

In the name of the moon, I'll punish you?

Nah, not bloody likely!

Instead, he came to a stop a dozen feet away from his opponent. He then took a moment to take in all the destruction that the red clad figure had caused, all the people that he had injured. The Heir of the Saotome school then turned back to the villain, the glare he transfixed his enemy with was positively arctic.

"I don't know who the hell you are . . . and right now, I don't care. You've hurt a lot of good men, terrorized a lot of innocent people. Now, normally this is where I would make some cocky comment or fling some silly insult, but ya know what? After seeing all these people that you hurt, for **no** reason, I'm gonna skip the nice guy routine."

He lifted his hands and cracked his knuckles ominously, before dropping into a loose fighting stance.

"So, here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna kick your ass from one end of this street clear to the other . . . and there's exactly two things you're gonna do about it: Nothing and Like it."

Rather than appear at all intimidated, as Ranma figured the guy would, if he had any common sense at all, the red clad villain simply cocked it's head to the side in curiosity.

"Then, you are also a defender of this city?" he asked rather politely.

Hmm, not exactly what he was expecting . . . "Yer damn straight I am! I'm Saotome Ranma, Heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling, and I ain't lettin you get away with . . . um . . . with whatever it is that you're doin here!" Hmm, not exactly his best work, but at least he got the point across.

His foe seemed to consider this for a moment, then bowed politely before him. "Greetings, defender of Tokyo. My name is Saico-Tek, and my master has commanded the destruction of all of this city's defenders." Saico-Tek then straightened up, only to drop down into a rather exaggerated martial arts stance. "May the gods have mercy upon you, for surely I have none."

Damnit! Ranma was about to curse about being out-bantered, when his opponent suddenly flew forward on the attack.

Literally flew, as the jetpack on his back burst to life! Red jets of flame shot from Saico-Tek's back as he skimmed above the ground on a crash course for the pigtailed martial artist. Even as he covered the distance, the armored villain pulled a pair of bladed throwing weapons from behind his back and threw them in Ranma's direction.

They spun blindingly through the air, madly whining saw blades intent on his disembowelment. Ranma nearly chuckled, having a flashback to his first real fight with Ryouga . . . except the Lost Boy had used nearly a dozen bandannas as a distraction and fired his umbrella through the mass. In comparison, two projectiles and a flying tackle were child's play . . .

Aw, hell! Except, if he just dodged, there were a ton of injured police standing right behind him!

Having wasted the fractions of a second that he'd had, a sudden panic filled him as his initial instinct rang instantly false. The two bladed weapons whirred unerringly at his face, their owner only a second behind at the most.

Once again, instinct proved more reliable than rational thought.

He lashed out with speed honed from his Amagurinken training, plucking both oversized throwing stars out of the air. Even as he did that, his body was already responding to the real threat, flipping him into a backwards somersault kick which connected with a bone jarring crunch to Saico-Tek's chin, sending the villain flying up into the air.

Ranma landed on his feet about six feet behind where he had been standing, a pair of the fat centered bladed weapons in his hands. He smiled widely as he watched the jet powered criminal crash to a roof top a half a block away. Apparently having a jetpack strapped to your back just made for more spectacular crashes.

Beep.

Huh? Beep? What was that beeping sound?

Beep.

There it was again! Idly, he looked down to his right hand.

Beep.

Ah ha! It was the throwing weapon, the large red disc between the two shining blades flashed red with each beep as well. Funny though, the time between beeps was getting shorter . . .

Beep.

"You **idiot**! That's a **bomb**, get rid of it!" The voice of the officer that he had saved rang from over his shoulder.

Beep.

Oh, that would explain it-

Ah Crap!

Without another thought, he flung both of the explosive devices forward and turned to ru-

A massive double explosion of crimson fire blossomed just behind him, launching him through the air. He soared for thirty feet or so, before crashing to the ground; another ten feet of bouncing and skidding painfully on the pavement finally brought him to a complete stop. A little irately, he looked up to glare at the police officer that he was once again crumpled on the ground beside.

". . . you couldn't have mentioned that, like, a second earlier, Grandpa?" he grumbled rather sourly.

"That's Lieutenant Uehara to you, Saotome. And I thought the beeping and flashing lights were rather obvious. Now, I don't know how you did . . . whatever it was you just did there, but it looks like you might actually be able to help me out here, so get up," ordered the gruff Lieutenant.

Ranma mumbled quietly to himself as he dragged himself to his feet. Might be able to help him? Sheesh, as if this cop guy was actually gonna do anything. His gun obviously didn't work on the guy and it was _painfully_ obvious that the officer wasn't a fighter of any significance. Still, no need to antagonize the old guy, didn't wanna give him a heart attack or something like that.

"Just make sure ya stay outta my way, Lieutenant. I'm used to dealin with wackos like this guy," Ranma explained, pretty politely too, by his standards.

Lieutenant Uehara stared at him oddly for a moment, a slight look of recognition flashing across his face, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. Rather than respond, the older man just grunted and gestured behind Ranma with his chin, even as he began to reload a pistol that he had picked up somewhere.

Ranma followed the gesture to the rooftop that he had sent Saico-Tek flying to. The villain was now standing on the building ledge, a pair of the explosive shuriken in each hand. The pigtailed martial artist groaned in annoyance. This guy was turning into a one trick pony.

Rather than wait for the frantic hassle of dodging and catching flying bombs, Ranma quickly ducked and scooped up a handful of marble sized pieces of rubble. A second later, he was running forward, faster than the proverbial bat out of hell.

Six cracks of thunder sounded behind him, each one resulting in a spark and slight shrug from the armored villain. Hmm, the old man was actually a pretty good shot, six for six from over half a block away, and with a handgun no less. Of course, the bullets didn't have any effect, but they distracted the crimson criminal, letting Ranma close the distance more easily. He chuckled easily to himself, maybe the Lieutenant wasn't so useless after all.

Still, it was inevitable that Saico-Tek would use his toys, and just as Ranma had expected, a barrage of discs started flying his way. Two – four – eight . . . Saico-Tek just kept grabbing the discs, almost out of thin air and hurling them as fast as he could. Hmm, Ranma wondered if this guy knew Mousse at all?

He was ready this time, he lifted his hand and fitted a stone between his thumb and forefinger. With a flick of his finger, the stone zinged through the air at twice the speed of sound. The pebble lanced straight through the first explosive disc, causing a small explosion in midair.

The blue eyed boy smiled wider. A second later, he was launching stones at a rate that would make most automatic weapons green with envy. Every tiny crack of thunder heralded the passage of a pebble, and every pebble met it's mark. Soon the air between the two warriors was an apocalyptic war zone of crimson explosions.

Only to stop abruptly, when Saico-Tek's head snapped back violently, a hyper accelerated stone bouncing off the gemstone embedded in his forehead.

Both Ranma and the Lieutenant took advantage of the momentary distraction. Uehara unloaded his weapon again, this time aiming high. Again, six bullets slammed into Saico-Tek's chest and face; already off balance, the villain actually toppled and fell back to the roof.

Ranma ran forward and leapt for all he was worth, landing on the roof that his opponent was on. He whirled around instantly, catching Saico-Tek before the villain even had a chance to properly regain his feet.

Vividly remembering just what a vicious bastard that the Headmaster had been, despite being only a decently skilled fighter, he didn't dare let his opponent finish recovering. He closed in with a devastating axe kick to the base of his Saico-Tek's neck, smashing the man back down into the roof and half embedding him into concrete. The red clad villain's face made an especially satisfying crunch as it buried itself into the unforgiving masonry.

Ranma smiled confidently. Okay, so maybe that **had** been a little vicious as well, but that took care of this guy. He stared down at the fallen warrior, his foot still resting on the back of the criminal's neck. The guy was completely out of it, face down in the rubble and laid out flat, the guy wasn't even moving a muscle . . .

His danger sense suddenly flared to life!

It probably saved his life as well, since he was already moving when the crimson swords swung up at him, literally appearing from nowhere. He leapt straight up, staring down in shock as both of Saico-Tek's arms swung backwards at impossible angles, trying to skewer him with a pair of four foot . . . they weren't really swords . . . more like bare blades that the criminal was somehow holding with his gloved hands.

And then Saico-Tek flipped over . . . except he didn't actually move to do it! Ranma's jaw dropped in astonishment, and he completely forgot where he was jumping to, as he watched the stomach twisting sight of Saico-Tek's face just . . . _flowing_ around the side of his head and settle on the back of his skull. Suddenly, suddenly the villain's back was his front and he sat up without any of the difficulties that Ranma would have imagined of trying to basically bend one's spine backwards.

It was about then, that Ranma finally realized that, in his haste, his leap had completely overshot the edge of the roof. He panicked slightly, as he suddenly found himself hanging in the air over a seventy foot free fall, his own powerful leap taking him another two stories above the building he had just been on. He twisted in the air to watch Saico-Tek regain his feet. The villain than saluted him, smiling wickedly as he watched Ranma begin to fall.

Ranma smiled and waved back. He chuckled to himself, seventy feet wasn't too bad, sure it'd hurt his ankles like heck, but he'd be back on that roof in a secon-

His smile died rather gruesomely, as Saico-Tek pulled out a double fan of explosive discs, four on each hand. The villain smiled wider as he looked down to the ground below. Ranma felt a sinking feeling in his gut as he glanced down to where his opponent was staring.

Then, Saico-Tek reared back and threw all of the weapons at once . . . straight down at the ground below . . .

Right where he was going to land!

Just as Ranma reached roof height once more in his decent, Saico-Tek waved coldly again, then flew off in the other direction, an explosion of red jet exhaust trailing the villain's departure.

Not that Ranma had time to worry about that!

The sound of metal digging into stone sounded eight times, as the eight bombs landed in a perfect circle, surrounding the exact location in the street that Ranma was going to land in maybe a second or two himself. Then, as one, the eight explosives began to flare and beep merrily, almost seeming eager for his arrival.

Well . . . that certainly sucked. He knew everything that there was about mid air combat, every trick and technique that one could use to steal that extra second of hang time when battling in the air. Unfortunately most of those techniques required an opponent to work off of. And, really, as much as he loved to cheat gravity, she was a harsh mistress and always reclaimed what was hers in the end. Once you were falling there really wasn't anything else you could do-

Only four stories remained now, his perception of time stretching towards infinity as he struggled desperately to figure out something, anything that he could do to alter his trajectory . . . The Mouko Takabisha – No, too much set up! A life time of training had allowed him to raise his focus to a thing almost beyond human comprehension, granting him reflexes that were near precognition to normal people, but no matter how he battered the flow of time, slowed it to the crawl of molasses, the one undeniable fact was, that time always traveled forward, inexorably and inevitably.

Three stories. He very nearly willed time to stop completely in his mind, tried to bend the very laws of time and space to his will as he channeled completely on the single act of finding a solution to his rather dire situation. He drifted down another foot, a veritable feather on the wind . . . but as slow as his fall now was, it was still progress.

The bombs blinked again, what was just a flash of light before seemed to linger for minutes to his accelerated perceptions. Well, on the bright side, he was pretty sure that he could survive the blast, even eight of them, as long as he positioned himself perfectly and channeled every last ounce of his chi into preserving his life . . .

On the not so bright side, the next second and a half of his life were probably going to be some of the most painful of said life. Hell, he'd be lucky if he got out of the hospital in a mon-

A crack of thunder split the air!

The distraction was enough to knock him completely out of his heightened state of awareness. Suddenly time tore forward hungrily, as if making up for lost time. He fell another ten feet in the next fraction of a seco-

Pain!

Suddenly he was spinning, as something tiny, boiling hot and blindingly fast just grazed his right shoulder, tearing a small trench through his flesh. The pain almost distracted him, but -

That was it! He swung his arms with all his might, adding every iota of inertia and momentum to the tiny push that the bullet had given him. Suddenly he was angling towards the building, not much, but enough so that he would land outside the circle of explosives. The added energy also gave him a tiny bit of extra speed.

He landed a fraction of a second later, three feet away from the closest bomb. It beeped once, then he could almost _hear_ the electric whine of the bomb priming itself to explode. He leapt then, as soon as his toes touched the pavement. Launched himself towards the building. He flew straight and true, angled himself into a human arrow, aiming directly at a window on the first story.

A fraction of a second after _that_ the bombs exploded!

He rode the wave of the explosion, smashed through the window just as the blast collided with the wall with enough force to dislodge half of the brick work. A flash of flame and heat followed him through the aperture, but he rolled under it and slide under a table near the center of the room. The angry tongue of flame flew over his head, eagerly consuming whatever the heck had been on the table a second earlier . . .

And then it was done.

* * *

Daizo carefully lowered his (well, it wasn't actually his, but he didn't feel like finding his in all of that mess) revolver to side. The flames from the explosion were finally dying away, revealing a tiny patch of hell on earth, right at ground zero of the explosion. He had no idea if the kid had survived or not. The last thing he had seen, was Saotome land, just on the far side of the bombs. Everything after that had been a hell storm of sound and fury, likely signifying nothing left to ID the corpse.

Come to think of it . . . he had absolutely no idea what he **hell** he had been thinking there . . . Shooting the kid in the arm? That had to be the craziest thing that he'd ever thought of . . . but it just seemed like the right thing to do.

A flash of movement caught his attention, someone climbing out of a window of the building beyond the explosion.

"Heh, so he actually survived. That kid's made of sterner stuff than I thought," he said to himself, not really taking the time to notice the rather worrying fact that he was talking to himself.

Not really feeling up to actually moving any more than necessary, Daizo started to reload his revolver once more, before holstering it. It was a slow process, now that the adrenaline was starting to leave his system . . . leaving his system in a great amount of pain. A few moments later, the red shirted boy stumbled across the ruined street, coming to a stop about five feet away from him.

Saotome glared at him heatedly, tightly clutching his bleeding shoulder with his hand. "You – You **shot** me!" the incredulous boy barked.

Well, he supposed that he could tell the kid what had actually been running through his mind at the actual second that he had come to **that** particular decision . . . but, then he did have a bit of a gruff reputation to protect. So instead, he simply shrugged.

"Worked, didn't it?"

Saotome stared at him for a moment, his jaw slowly working up and down as he tried to process that statement. A moment later, a weak smile formed on the boy's face and he actually began to laugh.

"Heh, heh . . . Yeah, I guess it did at that. Man! I gotta say, Lieutenant, you are a **damn** good shot with that thing." The young man gestured to his revolver, a look of weary respect actually forming on his features. "I mean, that must have been a one in a million shot, trying to tag my arm like that."

He simply nodded, smiling with great humility. Sure, why not . . . no need to tell the kid that he had actually been aiming for center mass and just prayed that he didn't hit anything vital. No need for the kid to know just how close he had come to missing either.

"You did good there, Saotome. A little wild, a little rough around the edges, but you did what an entire squad of police officers couldn't," he offered respectfully. The young man preened slightly at his praise. The pig tailed boy then made his way over to his fallen bike and lifted it up to its wheels once more.

"Heh, well, I got a little bit of experience at this super villain thing. This is my first real solo attempt though. I know I'll do better next time though, Saotome Ranma don't lose, that's just the way it is," boasted the young man proudly.

Daizo shook his head. Running faster than the eye could see, leaping small buildings in a single bound, firing stones like bullets . . . where normally he would be highly skeptical of anyone making such a boast . . . in this case, he actually found himself believing it. Still . . .

"I don't suppose you have a license for that Motorcycle, do you, Saotome?" He gestured towards the bike with a nod of his head.

Saotome looked back at him, a sudden look of panic on his face. "Um . . . license?" he asked, rather uncertainly.

Daizo nearly smiled at that. Sometimes it was just too easy. He took a few steps forward to stand right before the young man.

"I thought as much, considering that wipe out, and the way you were screaming like a girl while you were driving," he chuckled lightly at his statement.

The blue eyed martial artist sputtered angrily. "Hey! I wasn't screamin like no girl! I'm a guy, damnit!"

He looked at the kid strangely for a moment. ". . . I never said you weren't, Saotome." At that, he pulled a card from one of his pockets and handed it to the young man. It was a little folded and singed, but still good.

"Look, you can't ride a vehicle like this without a license. So I want you to give me a call tomorrow and come by the police station. I'll enroll you in our defensive driving course, and we can see about figuring out how to best utilize your abilities to help us capture this new criminal . . . This, Saico-Tek."

Saotome looked at him a bit oddly for a moment. "You mean . . . you actually want me to work with you? But I thought I was s'posed to do this crime fighting thing on my own. You know, all vigilante style?" he asked, slightly confused.

Daizo rolled his eyes and poked the kid between the eyes. "Vigilantism is illegal in Japan, Saotome. So, either you help us out, or you go to jail. Besides, why on earth would you want to do something like this on your own, it just makes sense for us to work together. You get access to our resources and we get access to someone that actually has the skills to fight someone like that on even footing. What do you say, Saotome?"

The young man mulled it over for a minute, before suddenly smiling widely. The martial artist then stuck out his hand. Daizo quickly reached out and clasped his wrist, just as Saotome grasped his. "You got a deal, Lieutenant. With your guys tracking these bad guys down, and my amazing martial arts skills, we'll have this town cleaned up in no time."

The Lieutenant nodded, shaking hands with his new partner firmly. "Good to have you aboard, Saotome. Now, you better head home and get your injuries looked after. I expect to see you as soon as school lets out tomorrow, young man."

Saotome smiled widely at that, then nodded in agreement. "Sounds good, Lieutenant. Before I go though . . ."

"Tell me more about this _defensive _driving course."

* * *

Brushogun stared down at his minion, genuinely torn on how to deal with the news he had just received. Saico-Tek, whom he had sent out to begin systematically destroying the police force which protected Tokyo, had just returned . . . apparently in defeat!

One part of him, that inhuman voice that prowled the edges of his mind, very much like a tiger that has tasted human blood, howled for his minion's destruction. The idea of allowing a failure to continue its existence seemed offensive to this dark, cruel part of him. It would be easy too, terribly easy, just a single thought and Saico-Tek would melt back into a puddle of colored ink.

But . . . but another part of him, the part that read comic books, the part of him that loved to draw heroes and villains and their adventures . . . That part of him was intrigued. Saico-Tek _hadn't_ really failed in his mission . . . had he? The ink-demon minion had drawn out an entire Police Station, as well as all the surrounding Police Boxes for several blocks, had driven them all to the brink of utter annihilation.

Until **he** had arrived! Saotome . . . Ranma . . . The name sent a tingle down the liquid and paper mockery that was once his spine. Not just a defender of Tokyo, but an actual **hero**! Someone that had the strength and skill to battle his minion where dozens of others couldn't even defend themselves. It was . . . it was _perfect_!

He was a powerful villain, a demon of pure creation and hatred. Wiping out humanity was no great challenge for someone of his unlimited power. But this Saotome . . . he was different, he was powerful as well.

Didn't every great villain require a great hero to battle? Wouldn't his victory be just that much more meaningful when he finally crushed his new nemesis in a final battle, at a time and a place of his own choosing?

An insane giggle escaped his lips. If he hadn't paper for skin, he would swear he'd be getting goose bumps. He turned back to face his loyal minion. "Saico-Tek . . . tell me everything that you have learned . . . "

"About Saotome Ranma . . ."


	11. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 3

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble in Little Tokyo

Chapter Three

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Ranma sullenly wheeled his R-Cycle into the Tendo's backyard. The trip back home had been rather uneventful, but it did give him a lot of time to think about a topic that had completely slipped his mind in the heat of the battle. It was a most disheartening problem, and something that he wasn't sure that he could deal with at the moment. Still overwhelmed with sullen . . . ness, he parked his machine in its usual spot and gingerly ran a hand across the metallic shell of the gas tank.

A pained sob nearly escaped his lips . . .

The paint job was **totally** ruined!

His hand carefully glided across the marred and scarred surface of the machine, flaking off pieces of paint as it went. The one side, it wasn't too bad, a few scratches and a dent from when it had bounced over him. The other side, though . . . well, a forty foot skid across pavement left a nasty reminder. The entire side was scratched and gouged to hell.

There was absolutely **no** way that he could afford to get all of this damage fixed. And even worse . . . how could he bear to be seen riding to the rescue on a roughed up bike like this? It was certain to send the wrong signal to his potential . . . being-saved people. They – they might think that he **wasn't** competent!

With a loud sigh, he dropped to his knees before his mightily abused bike. Almost absently, he started searching for any damage that might be more than just cosmetic. He hadn't noticed anything funny on his drive, but then, he wasn't really used to it enough to know if there was anything wrong like tha-

"Ahh, Ranma. You're finally back." Akane's voice.

He looked up from his machine to his fiancée, currently standing on the back porch. He frowned slightly at the small smile that graced her lips for some reason.

"What? That's it? I go driving off into the night to do, the gods only know what, and I don't even get so much as a, 'Are you alright?'" he grumbled.

Rather than react to his weak barb, the young woman simply rolled her eyes, smiling wider. "Oh, Ranma, I knew you would be perfectly fine."

The pigtailed martial artist swelled with pride at that. Finally, his fiancée was giving him the credit he deserved. After all, she knew that he never los-

"I mean, your fight was on the television, so I saw that you were alright at the end."

Ranma's ego did its best impression of a deflating balloon.

If she noticed, Akane didn't show it. "That was a pretty silly thing to do, though, trying to jump over that car like that. I almost thought that you broke your neck when you crashed like you did," she stated, actually sounding faintly concerned.

It was his turn to roll his eyes, as if something like that would kill him - Wait a sec!

"Hold up there, Akane! My fight was on the TV?" he barked in surprise.

Akane's cute grin grew wider and a mischievous twinkle entered her eyes. "Um, yeah. You left the TV on that channel when you ran off. You didn't think that that cameraman stopped recording just because you stopped watching, did you?"

Argh, she didn't have to sound so smug about it! So he hadn't thought of that, it wasn't like it mattered. "Yeah, well, I saved the day, didn't I?" he muttered crossly.

Akane seemed to be enjoying her verbal high ground just a bit much, but relented at that. Instead, she hopped down from the porch and moved up to stand beside him. He looked down at her, not quite trusting her motives. She still had that cute smile on her face and was staring at him in a distracting manner. As discreetly as he could, he tried to look around her to see if she had one of those damned mallets behind her back . . .

When suddenly the blue haired girl leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace!

His mind completely shut down for a fraction of a second and his body went totally unresponsive. What was goin o-

"I am **so** proud of you, Ranma," whispered the beautiful young woman that was currently rendering his mind into putty.

He battled through the confusing array of pleasant sensations that started to overwhelm him. A little desperately, he raised a hand to ruffle the hair at the back of his head, chuckling weakly. "Uh, heh, it's no big deal, 'Kane. Just another fight, ya know? I mean, I didn't even really beat the guy . . ." Huh? What was he doing? Since when did he **play down** his accomplishments?

For that matter, since when was Akane so nice to him?

As if in answer to his unasked question, Akane looked up to catch his eyes once more. "This wasn't just another of your fights with Kunou or Mousse, Ranma. You saved all of those Police officers. If you hadn't shown up when you did, that police man that you helped would have _died_."

Ranma raised an eyebrow at that. Hmm, maybe this hero stuff had some benefits after all. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around the girl before him. "Well, I guess I was pretty awesome back there . . . even if I didn't actually win the fight . . ."

Akane's giggle rang through the yard. "Dummy. I'm sure you'll get him next time." Slowly, regretfully, she finally disentangled herself from him and pushed herself to arms length. "You did a wonderful thing tonight, Ranma, don't ever forget that."

He smiled widely, his ego swelling in a way that simply beating a tough opponent never caused. Maybe he wasn't getting paid to be a hero, and maybe he wasn't getting as much training out of it as he would like, but Akane's quiet praise seemed to have a subtle charm that seemed to make it all worth it.

His train of thought was derailed though, as Akane suddenly started straightening out his shirt, looking at him with a critical eye. She then reached up and swiped some errant dust from his shoulder, clucking disapprovingly. He stared back at her oddly.

"What the heck are ya doin?" he asked.

Akane continued her inspection for another moment before answering. "Hmm, this won't do at all. We'll have to find you something nicer to wear for tomorrow. We don't want you looking shabby, do we?" she replied cryptically.

His confused stare only intensified. "Huh? Looking shabby for what?"

Again, his fiancée's eyes rolled in amusement. "For your driving lessons, silly. You want to look your best for your first day, don't you?" she asked, only slightly patronizingly.

"Wait a second! How the heck did you know about that?"

Another rolling of the eyes. "Televised, remember?"

"Oh, yeah . . . Well, I guess there's always my white shirt . . .," he added, somewhat distracted.

Akane nodded, maybe in agreement, or maybe she was already formulating her own ideas in her head and was completely ignoring him. Who could tell with girls? The young woman then turned and started heading into the house. Then, almost as an after thought, she suddenly turned to look back at him over her shoulder, a happy laugh escaping her perfect lips.

"I still can't believe you jumped off the roof like that," she teased mercilessly.

He sputtered angrily for a moment. "S-shut up! The guy practically turned **inside-out**, anyone woulda been freaked out by that!"

Akane turned to face the house again, vainly trying to hide the smile on her face no doubt. "Sure, sure," she replied in a most unconvincing tone.

There was only one comeback that he had left at that point.

"You are **so** uncute!"

* * *

The next day went by at a mind-blurring pace for one, Lieutenant Uehara Daizo. He had spent the night with the rather grim duty of assisting the emergency crews in transporting all of his wounded compatriots to the hospital. Then he had spent the entire morning in the coma inducing process of filing his report. The entire afternoon . . . his afternoon had been an exercise in the exquisite torture that is being debriefed by superior after superior after superior. And to top it off, he had spent his entire evening trying to teach that Saotome kid to drive.

Frankly, Daizo was ready to find a nice dark hole to curl up in and die. Absently, he waved to the retreating form of his newest partner in crime . . . fighting, as the boy pulled out of the Station's parking lot.

At least the kid wasn't totally hopeless. Saotome **could** drive, great balance, amazing control . . . he was just so damned cocky! Every time that he tried to show the kid the basics, Saotome would go off and try to do some paranatural stunt that most pros would balk at. The pigtailed kid was a born daredevil, that was for sure, but hey: it hadn't gotten him killed yet.

Ah well, that was one more thing out of the way for today. That thought in mind, he let out a weary sigh before he decided to make the long trek back to his desk. Maybe he was getting too old for this? Heck, maybe he was just too sane for this? Flying, bulletproof criminals straight out of a bad manga? Roof hopping Martial artists right out of a bad movie? What was next: Ancient demons from beyond the veil?

Grumbling weakly, he shoved through the Station's main entrance, noticing the eerie silence that greeted him. Normally, the bustle and commotion that filled the place would have grated on his nerves already, but now it's absence was a grim reminder of his injured friends. There had been over a hundred officers at that fight yesterday. Nearly half of them were in critical condition. Another twenty or so were admitted with only minor injuries, but still enough to warrant a few nights of observation.

That meant that his Station and all of the Police Boxes that it supported were woefully undermanned. And **that** meant that he likely wouldn't be getting home anytime soon that night. The outflow of concern from the general public had actually been pretty heartwarming, but didn't change the fact that a lot of officers for this tiny region of Tokyo were out of commission.

Even worse, he got the distinct impression that he was being railroaded into taking charge of the entire case, being the senior most officer still mobile that was present, and the fact that it had been him that had made contact with Saotome. Of course, any young up-and-comer would have been thrilled at that prospect. It was a career making case after all. Unfortunately, he was just experienced enough to know that if he screwed this up, it could be a career ending case as well.

After some tired trudging, he finally found his desk and dropped down into it, letting out another tired groan. Wait a moment . . . Something was out of place, his sixth sense was very nearly screaming at him. He shot up in his seat, scanning his desk intently . . . Ah ha! A slightly crumpled piece of paper sitting on the corner of his desk!

"Damnit! Which one of you bastards ate my Adzuki Roll!" he shouted angrily. There were only three other officers seated at their desks around him. Misato, the rather attractive, if slightly outspoken officer in the traffic department. She immediately waved happily, while laughing at his predicament. A few desks over was Suzahara, one of the few detectives still on duty. Suzahara just shrugged, before pointing over to the remaining officer-

"**KANEDA**! I swear! If you aren't out that door getting me another one, your sorry ass is gonna be the first one I draft into tracking down this superfreak! You hear me?" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. The young, dark haired homicide officer was already out the door in the time that it had taken him to go from yelling 'draft' to 'superfreak'

Well, at least rank had _some_ advantages. So, where had he been? Oh, yes . . .

So, undermanned, outgunned and with only a total wildcard of a martial artist on his side, yeah, he wasn't exactly feeling overjoyed at the moment. Still, at least he had had the quick idea to plant a few suggestions in his new ward's mind.

He turned to his computer and pressed the power button, maybe just a little harder than necessary. Not his fault the damn thing was so temperamental; if life had taught him anything, it was that a swift smack upside the head tended to get things working in short order. Now, maybe it was about time to finally find out a little more about his mysterious new ally.

Mysterious being used in the loosest possible sense here. The kid had given him his name, for crying out loud.

A few quick keystrokes and soon the computer started to whine angrily in its mad search for relevant information. It only took a few moments . . . but what he found shocked him.

"Huh? What's up with that?"

* * *

Ranma enjoyed the cool night air as he flew down the highway. He would have enjoyed the feel of the wind rushing through his hair even more, he bet, but the Lieutenant had been pretty uptight about him **actually** wearing the helmet that Robin had sent him. As if he actually needed the thing, but what can ya do?

He was pretty disappointed as well. He had been so excited about the prospect of defensive driving, but all it seemed to encompass was driving in a careful and responsible manner! How was he supposed to have awesome high speed battles on the back of his bike if he actually followed all of those rules? At least the Lieutenant seemed to be a decent guy, a bit gruff and surly, but a decent guy. He even had a good suggestion . . . well, good for the Lieutenant anyway. It was a suggestion that was going to bring Ranma himself no end of headaches, he was certain of that.

Well, he might as well get two of the headaches out of the way before he went back to the dojo, then he could deal with the third headache. That in mind, he took the nearest off-ramp into Nerima and made his way to a rather familiar restaurant.

It only took a few minutes of ducking and weaving through the traffic to arrive at his destination. He chuckled quietly to himself, the Lieutenant was right about one thing at least: when he wasn't trying to do anything really fancy, this driving thing wasn't really that hard at all. Squeezing down on the brakes, a squeal of burning rubber slid him neatly into one of the parking spots in front of his destination:

The Nekohanten.

He kicked out the kickstand and killed the engine, then removed his helmet with a flourish. He then took a moment to muss with his hair, trying to battle the onset of the dreaded helmet head. Finally satisfied with his efforts, he dropped his helmet onto the seat and strode purposefully into the restaurant-

Or tried to, at least . . . The door was closed. That seemed odd, not to mention none of the interior lights were on either. A bit confused, he tried the handle, rattling the door back and forth as he tested the lock. And locked it was . . .

What was goin on here?

There was no way Cologne would close the restaurant during the dinner rush like this. Sure, he hadn't seen the old Ghoul since he'd gotten back, but Raven had said she'd departed from America a while ago. She must have gotten back by now. And even if she hadn't gotten back, where were Shampoo and Mousse? If they were playing hooky, Cologne would kill them, great granddaughter or not.

Slightly more confused, he hopped up to the second floor and tested the window that he knew led into Shampoo's room. It slid open easily, which wasn't really that surprising. Someone as confident and skilled as the violet haired Joketsuzoku didn't need to worry about anyone trying to take advantage of her. And living in the same building as Cologne pretty must insured that no one would be foolhardy enough to try to break in.

Present company excluded, of course.

Hmm, the room was darkened as well and nearly empty to boot. Not just the empty of someone that didn't have many material possessions in their life, like his room . . . heck, probably like all of his friends' rooms, really. It was the empty of someone that didn't have many material possessions, and they had packed said possessions into a box and left with them.

There weren't any clothes in the closet, no jewelry on the dressers, no weapons on the walls. The last one was the most telling, clothes come and go (especially on Shampoo), but she didn't go **anywhere** without her weapons.

A quick search through he rest of the Nekohanten revealed much more of the same. Mousse's room wasn't just abandoned, it was completely bare. The duck cursed boy had even taken his _bed_ with him. Cologne's room was locked, but he highly doubted that she actually left any of her dangerous or mystical items behind.

Now a bit worried, he absently wandered into the dining area and sat down. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Shampoo or Mousse since before his first trip into the city. He hadn't really given it much thought at the time; everything had been pretty hectic for him. It was pretty obvious that they had upped and left, but to where? And why hadn't they even said goodbye? It seemed unlikely that they were leaving for good, after all, there wasn't a 'for sale' sign or anything, and there was still a lot of personal stuff around the building.

Frankly, he wasn't sure if this was good news or bad news . . . On the plus side, the continued absence of Shampoo would mean the continued absence of the worst of Akane's temper. He had _really_ been enjoying that particular absence. On the downside, that meant that he couldn't get them to help out with the whole superhero thing, like the Lieutenant had suggested.

It had made sense; that Saico-Tek guy had left a lot of good cops out of commission, so bringing in a few extra people to help out with the law enforcement stuff couldn't hurt. Well, couldn't hurt anyone but Ranma, anyway. Still, this did leave him in a bit of a lurch . . . who else was even around for him to ask to help? Ryouga was obviously out. Same went for Kunou and Ukyou. Kodachi was **way** out, even if he had actually known where she was. He would have felt bad, if he wasn't just so damned relieved that the younger Kunou sibling hadn't returned from America yet.

Heck, even Cologne and Happosai were still missing. Not that Happosai would ever be on the _right_ side of the law. He snorted derisively at the very thought of the old lecher doing something worthwhile with his time.

So, who did that leave him with . . .? Who else was competent in this crazy town? Dr. Tofu . . . but he was already busy helping people. Miss Hinako . . . they'd worked together before, but she was busy too. Mikado and Azusa were both half decent . . . of course, he'd rather tie himself up and throw **himself** into a pit of cats before he ever even dreamed of working with those two.

Sheesh! No wonder Ryouga was actually catching up to him skill wise, there was **no one** in this town even close to his level anymore. Man, that was a strangely depressing thought. What had happened to the crazy, chaotic suburb that was the Nerima district?

Well, there really wasn't much for him to do here then. He had no idea where Shampoo had gotten to, but it was a mystery that he could worry about later. After all, if anyone could take care of themselves, it was her. On that note, he decided to -

Wait a sec! Konatsu! That guy was really good, Ranma was sure that he'd be able to help out.

* * *

"No!"

"Aww, c'mon, Konatsu! We really need your help here, there's a super villain guy wanderin around Shinjuku, and the quicker we take him down, the better for everyone," he pleaded desperately.

Konatsu actually glared at him, which seemed to be a bit out of character for the usually extremely polite and personable Kunoichi. Come to think of it, Konatsu was looking a bit frazzled, what with mixing a bowl of batter with one hand, taking money from a customer with her other hand and flipping over three okonmiyaki's with a spatula wedged firmly between his toes.

"Well, Saotome, I'm afraid that I've got problems of my own," the pretty boy suddenly turned to a new customer, all smiles and cuteness. "May I take your order?"

The customer prattled off his order before taking a number and going to find a seat. As soon as the boy's back was turned, Konatsu turned back to him, a heated look on the ninja's face. "Elder Cologne never came back to help me like Ukyou said she would. I've been trying to keep the restaurant going by myself ever since I got back."

Ranma fought the urge to shrug, so what? Ukyou did that all the time! If one girl could run a successful business like that by herself, then how hard could it really be for a guy?

"Sheesh, Konatsu," he chided with a careless shrug. "If you're havin such a hard time, why don't ya just call her and ask for some help?"

The look of shock on the ninja's face was almost comical. He let out a loud gasp at his suggestion. "And let Miss Ukyou think that I've failed her? That I wasn't able to do this one task that she set before me!" he sounded positively scandalized at the very notion.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ranma, but you'll have to find someone else to help you."

* * *

Akane knelt at the dining room table going over her night's homework, absently picking away at Ranma's waiting dinner as she did. As much as she hated to admit it, Mr. Saotome could actually cook pretty well, and the dumplings he'd made were _really _tasty . . . maybe just a little too tasty to let go to waste on her fiancé's cooling plate.

Smiling sneakily, she snagged another dumpling from his plate before turning her attention back to the work before her. It wasn't like she was waiting up for the guy or anything . . . though, he was running a bit late. He'd said that he'd help her with her homework (more likely vice versa) after he finished his lesson, but at this rate, she'd be done before he even got back. The homework and his dinner, both.

If it weren't for the fact that he'd been behaving himself so well lately, and the fact that almost all of the people that she got jealous of had just upped and left town, she'd be a little suspicious. Besides, it was hard to get angry at a person when so many of his friends just moved away. If he felt even half as bad as she did from missing Kasumi and Nabiki, then she imagined that he was probably still pretty upset about it; just hiding it like he did everything else.

Honestly, he was so macho.

She had to admit, though, that she was missing Ukyou and Ryouga a bit herself. Maybe even Kunou, just a tiny _tiny_ bit. Ever since they had rescued him, he had been acting halfway normal. She giggled quietly to herself, if only she could get Shampoo to go join some international superhero group now. Though, come to think of it, the violet haired bimbo hadn't been pulling any of her usual antics for a while now. Not that she would ever mention something like that to Ranma; knowing him, he'd run right over to see if anything was wrong.

She let out a small sigh of contentment as another dumpling joined its hapless kin in her tummy.

The (by now) familiar thrum of an engine slowly wormed its way into her ear. A split second of indecision wracked her . . . did she finish off the dumplings quickly, or leave some for her tardy fiancé? She eyed the tempting appetizers longingly, before compassion finally won out. Fine, she'd let Ranma have them. She was such a great friend, really.

A few moments later, the stormy eyed martial artist walked through the door. Her cheerful smile died slightly at the troubled look that graced the boy's face. Maybe his lesson hadn't gone very well.

"You're a little late, Ranma. Did anything go wrong with your lesson today?" she asked in a concerned voice.

Her voice seemed to snap him out of whatever mood he was in. Immediately his head snapped up and the troubled look evaporated. He matched her gaze and met her with his usual cocky grin. "Heh, naw, it went great. Lieutenant Uehara says I'm a genius when I'm not bein stupid," he replied with great amusement.

She giggled quietly, that seemed to sum things up nicely. "Sounds like you should try it more often. So what took you then?"

He chuckled quietly himself, before waving off her concerns. "Oh, I just went over to the Nekohanten to see Shampoo," he replied as casually as if he were commenting on the weather.

Akane's left eye twitched.

"You did _what_?" she asked in a deceptively calm voice. Her arm began to slide casually behind her back.

As usual, her _fiancé_ was totally oblivious to the coming storm. Instead, he spotted the remains of his dinner and hastily scooted over to sit at the table, foolishly bringing himself straight into ground zero. She almost felt the sensation of polished wood against her fingertips, when:

"Yeah, Lieutenant Uehara wanted me to ask anyone else that was good enough if they wanted to help out," he replied, still in his casual voice.

Her eyes widened in surprise, instantly the familiar handle she had been about to grasp vanished without a trace. Still unawares, Ranma stared critically at his plate, nudging at the dumplings with his chopsticks.

"Dumb old Panda, didn't make nearly enough to feed everyone," he muttered to himself. He then turned back to her. "After all, a lot of cops are outta commission, so he figured a few extra hands could help out with that. You aren't gonna believe what I found at the Nekohanten though."

Oh, there was that handle again. "What was that?" she asked rather sweetly.

"Nuthin! There wasn't no one there, Akane. The whole place was closed up. I even slipped in, but everyone was gone, packed and gone for that matter," he explained excitedly.

"Really?" she asked, perhaps a little more cheerfully than strictly necessary.

He nodded, absently nudging the dumplings off to one side of his plate. "Yeah, judgin by the dust and stuff, I'd say they've been gone for nearly a week, too. I'm kinda surprised that they were missing for so long and we didn't notice."

Well, she wasn't. As far as she was concerned, the Amazons were out of sight, out of mind with her. She was a little worried that he might pick up on her good mood at the good news though, so she decided to change the subject.

"So, who else is there to help you out then?"

He shrugged, looking a bit annoyed. "Apparently no one in Nerima. I tried Konatsu too, but he was too busy. Pretty much the only person I haven't asked yet is you." Suddenly his face split into a wide grin. "So, whadya say, Akane, you up for saving the city from masked madmen? The dynamic duo, Kung Fu Guy and Mallet Girl?"

For _that_ comment, she reunited head and mallet; he had just been asking for that one. She put her mallet away as she watched him gingerly rub the tiny bump forming on his forehead. Then . . . then she actually considered his request.

It wasn't like she hadn't been thinking about it, thinking about it _a lot_ lately. And it was for that reason, that she already had her answer.

"I . . . don't think I can do that, Ranma," she answered quietly. She knew this would likely hurt him, even if only a little bit.

Indeed, he looked back at her, a look nine-tenths incomprehension and one-tenth rejection on his face. "W-what? But what about all of your 'I'm a martial artist, too!' talk? Usually I can't drag you away from a fight, what's up with that?"

She nodded slowly. "I _am_ a martial artist and whenever anyone threatens me, or challenges our school, I'll be the first one to punch their lights out," she started seriously. "But this isn't about getting into fights every once in awhile, this is about a way of life. Robin, Starfire and all of the Titans, all they _do_ is save people. They don't go to school, they don't have jobs, heck, they practically live in their uniforms, just waiting for the next emergency."

She looked at him seriously, willing him to understand. "I may be a martial artist, but I'm also a normal girl. I want to go to school, I want to have friends and I eventually want to have a career, maybe even . . ." She began to blush brightly as he continued to stare at him. " . . . a family."

At that, his face went beet red and he instantly found his dinner to be the most fascinating thing in the world. "U-um . . . um, yeah . . . I guess those are things that . . . you might want . . . someday . . ."

Akane smiled weakly at that. "My point is that I don't think that I can devote my life to being a hero. But I think that you can. I mean, if you keep helping the police like this, and after you finish high school, I bet you'd have a great chance to join the police force yourself. Think about it, it would be perfect for you. You'd be able to keep practicing your art, you'd be helping people and you'd have a respectable career," she explained optimistically.

He nodded absently, from the look on his face she could practically see him imagining himself as a police officer. Officer Saotome, she giggled at the thought herself. Suddenly he snapped back to reality, smiling widely. "Hey! You could do that, too, ya know."

The blue haired girl shook her head wryly. "Sorry, but I don't think that directing traffic would be quite as fulfilling for me. Besides, I think two Tendo sisters being swept up into all of that superhero and super villain nonsense is quite enough, don't you?" she asked playfully.

Except his reaction was anything but playful! Suddenly his stare bore into her like a pair of arctic blue drills. The look on his face was complete shock and then he jumped to his feet, walking towards the hallway. Almost instantly, his expression melted from shock to a cocky, self satisfied smirk that instantly made her start worrying.

"What are you doing?" she asked more than curiously.

He turned back to her, his smirk blooming into a full blown smile. "Heh, inspiration strikes. Gotta go make a phone call, I'll be back in a minute."

Then, true to his word, he vanished for a few minutes, apparently making a phone call. When he finally returned, he dropped to the table once more, still smiling like the cat that ate the canary. She looked at him suspiciously.

"What was that all about?"

"Oh . . . nothing important, really. Hmm, man, why did the Old man make these dumplings, he knows that I hate'em," replied the boy. Ranma then turned his plate and slid it a little closer to her. "Hey, you want my dumplings? I can't stand em."

Still a little shellshocked about the whole thing, she nodded absently and grabbed one of the morsels.

"So, what are you going to do about that bad guy, then, if there isn't anyone else to help you?" she asked finally.

Ranma just shrugged, smirking that cocky smirk of his. "Sheesh, Akane, it's just one guy-"

"How bad could it possibly get?"

* * *

Ranma sprinted across the pavement as if his life depended on it . . . which it did! The road behind him detonated in a long string of molten explosions that trailed him for a good thirty feet. He quickly dove through the air, just as another series of high speed plasma projectiles tore into the ground where he had been standing a split second earlier. Each blast slammed into the pavement with enough force to send debris flying for yards and enough heat to turn that debris into poor man's magma.

His frantic dive landed him behind a nearby armored car. He peeked around the corner of the vehicle to stare at the scene behind him. The entire street was in ruins! Cars flipped over, lamp posts bent, torn out of the ground, or just plain melted down. Long lines of craters ran up and down the road, across a lot of building faces and spelt the end for more than a few news stands.

In the middle of the maelstrom, hovering several feet above the ground was the culprit. Standing at about four feet tall, one wouldn't imagine that he-it was responsible, but still, Ranma had seen weirder.

"Damnit! This is the third one this week! Where the hell are they all coming from?"

The rather irate cry drew Ranma's attention away from his target, to the other individual sharing his current hiding spot. The Lieutenant glared at the odd looking handgun that he was currently holding. The older man banged angrily on the side of the oversized weapon, certainly not any kind of gun that Ranma had ever seen, which suddenly caused a green light to flash on the barrel as it seemed to hum to life. Huh . . . that was weird.

Daizo hefted the overly large pistol and glared at it again. "Ultra hightech piece of junk . . ." muttered the man under his breath. The officer then turned to him. "What's this city coming to? Most of my life: nothing! Now, it's like these superfreaks are popping out of the woodwork! First that red guy, then that black, ghost thing. And, of course, let us not forget that huge, stupid looking yellow robot that tried to cook up the entire Police Station!"

Ranma smiled grimly at that memory. "Shucks, it sure was too bad that we weren't able to stop it before it actually busted into the Commander's office," he stated . . . maybe just slightly sarcastically.

The older man actually smiled wryly at that. "I certainly hope you aren't insinuating anything there, Saotome."

The pigtailed boy just shook his head, still catching his breath from all of the running and dodging he'd been doing. "I'm just saying that your boss probably wouldn't have insisted on you being equipped with all the best stuff if he hadn't almost gotten eaten, heh."

Daizo rolled his eyes at that. "Yeah, well we'll see if this overachieving remote control is worth what they paid for it soon enough. Never would have imagined I would end up using it on Astroboy though," the old man muttered that last part.

Ranma was about to ask who Astroboy was, when their conversation was suddenly interrupted -

Interrupted rudely, as suddenly the entire armored vehicle they were hiding behind suddenly lifted into the air! They both stared in shock at the widely smiling face of the armor plated boybot as it casually lifted the massive truck above its head with one hand and floated up into the air. The jet exhaust from the adolescent blue robot kicked up stinging clouds of dust and debris that did its best to get into his eyes.

"Good Afternoon!" came the high pitched whine that passed as the robots voice.

The next second, both of them were frantically running out of the way, just as the multi-ton bludgeon crashed back to the ground, embedding itself deep into the unyielding pavement. Almost instantly, Ranma flipped onto a nearby car and rebounded back to meet the pointy headed robot head-on.

Super strong opponents, he was more than used to.

The self proclaimed Mecha-Boi just had enough time to turn in his direction and raise a brightly glowing fist, before he was all over him. He landed lightly on the smoking remains of the armored car and slid around the frantic energy blast with dismissive ease. Then he spun around the following punch, planting his elbow deep into the robots chest.

A metallic clang rang through the entire street as the robot boy was launched through the air to smash into and through the front of a nearby building.

"OUCH! Damnit!" he howled, clutching his elbow to his chest.

What the hell was that thing made of, some kind of . . . metal . . . um, never mind. Sheesh, Ranma could probably punch a hole through the armored car that he was standing on without flinching, but hitting that robot was like hitting Ryouga . . . if Ryouga had managed to get himself dumped into a vat of titanium and cooled into a statue of himself!

Quickly, he turned to Lieutenant Uehara. "Hey, Gramps! Who the heck is Astroboy?"

Daizo was just dragging himself to his feet, having narrowly avoided being crushed by the armored car. The officer spent a moment staring suspiciously at his new gun, before looking at him incredulously. "Who's Astroboy? Did you spend your whole life under a rock, Saotome? Astroboy is practically a Japanese Icon. Really, they just don't make heroes like they used to," grumbled the cop, sounding slightly nostalgic.

Ranma jumped down to the road, getting a little more distance between him and the hole he had just launched the tiny terror through. Better safe than sorry, after all. Annoyingly, he couldn't sense the robot at all, so he couldn't tell if it was trying to be sneaky and get behind him, or if it was just taking forever to get off its butt.

Still keeping his senses stretched to their limit, he turned to Daizo. "Some dorky robot boy was Japan's greatest hero? Man, you guys must have been pretty deprived back in your day." Not that Ranma really had the money to keep up with much in the way of manga or anything, but since settling down in Nerima, he'd gotten to know all of the big names in manga and anime, even if only at the insistence of Hiroshi and Daisuke.

"I'll have you know-"

A slight vibration in the ground caused him to tune out the rest of his partner's words instantly.

There!

He leapt straight up, just as the killer machine burst up through the street, likely from the sewers below! Ranma angled himself to avoid the flying uppercut and smash into the boy's deceptively jolly face, when:

A massive beam of coherent light slammed into Mecha-Boi's chest! The blast was powerful enough to send the robot flying off to crash into another parked car, reducing the green compact to so much scrap metal. The pigtailed boy smiled, landing on the edge of the hole his attacker had created, rather than fall to the sewers below; an unpleasant prospect for a number of reasons.

Off to the side, still not too far from the armored car, was Lieutenant Uehara . . . currently sitting on his butt, a smoking gun in his hands and a surprised look on his face. Ranma nearly laughed out loud at the sight; apparently that gun had some kick to it.

He turned to regard the scrapped car, as the robot boy pulled himself out of it. Ranma's eyes widened slightly at the sight of a large hole, at least four inches in diameter, burned straight through the robots chest.

Note to self: Don't get shot by that gun!

Oddly enough, Mecha-Boi didn't seem too put out by the rather large hole taking up residence in his torso . . .

Suddenly, in a flash of color, the hole sealed itself instantly! The pigtailed boy did a double take at that! Nearly instantly, the hole closed, the once empty space now a bright crimson color. A second later, it flashed yellow, then suddenly the circular patch flashed blue and then melded in perfectly with the rest of the robot's colors.

Ranma nearly felt his jaw slam into the pavement at his feet. T-t-that just wasn't **right**! There had been a **hole** in his chest, the kind of hole that you don't walk away from! Any further gasps of incomprehension were cut off, though, as the robot lifted its hands before it again, blue plasma building up already.

Fortunately (or worryingly) Ranma was getting strangely accustomed to these little impossibilities, so he was already dodging when the air came to life with dozens of high energy plasma projectiles. His world became a series of flips, dodges and dives as he avoided the mass of attacks with a series of acrobatics that would leave most gymnasts in the hospital.

Unfortunately, it wasn't getting him any closer to his opponent. The damn kid didn't seem to have any limit on how many of those damn blasts it could throw.

So, a few seconds later, Ranma found himself once again hiding behind an armored car, a grumpy police Lieutenant crouched down beside him. The pigtailed boy smiled, turning to his companion.

"Ya know, we really gotta stop meeting like this."

The Lieutenant glared at him _balefully, _even as their tenuous cover shook and shuddered under enemy fire, apparently trying to decide whether or not to pistol whip him. Judging by the small bar of light on the side of the gun, it was going to take a few more seconds to recharge again -

A beep.

"Shit!""Crap!"

In a burst of motion, the two of them twisted and turned, looking for whatever had caused the noise. If his battle with Saico-Tek had taught him anything, it was a healthy respect for the word 'beep'.

There it was again!

"Where's it coming from?" Daizo's words were getting more panicked.

Wait! It was coming from his . . . pants?

Ranma slapped his palm to his forehead. D'oh! He knew exactly what it was. With only a somewhat embarrassed look on his face, the martial artist pulled the circular yellow communicator from his pocket and held it up before him. He was about to open it, but then turned to Daizo.

"Um, excuse me, Lieutenant, but I gotta take this."

If looks had the ability to kill, Ranma was pretty sure that the contents of his skull would have been decorating a good part of the neighborhood at that very moment. The Lieutenant held the irate glare for several moments, it looked like he was going through some kind of internal struggle on whether to yell at him, smack him upside the head, or just outright shoot him.

Rather than do any of those things though, the cop suddenly pulled out his trusty revolver and jumped out from behind the armored car. A second later, the sounds of ionizing air, tiny combustion reactions and maniacal laughter filled the air as Daizo went on a one man rampage against the tiny blue robot.

Ranma simply shrugged, he'd seen weirder. That out of the way, he flipped open the communicator, not sure what to expect.

Raven's face filled the tiny screen. She seemed to take a moment taking in the scene that surrounded him. He absently heard several plasma blasts fly over his head and explode spectacularly down the street, even as Daizo's half-crazed laughter continued to fill the air.

"Hey, Raven! How are things going?" he asked happily.

Raven continued to stare at him, a small look of incomprehension on her face.

"I'm not . . . calling you at a bad time . . . am I?" she asked uncertainly.

He thought about that for a moment . . . .

"Hmm, naw, not really. This is pretty normal for me, really," he stated, smiling wickedly. "So, what's on your mind, Rae?"

One of the girl's eyebrows arched cutely at that. "Well, I was calling about . . . are you _certain _this isn't a bad time? I could have sworn I heard explosions: multiple explosions . . ."

Ranma casually waved his hand in front of the communicator, even as he heard Daizo curse loudly in the background. "Well, I do have something I'm kinda in the middle of, but it's nothing too important. I'm sure I can talk to you while I'm doin that," he explained confidently.

A second later, Daizo flopped over the top of the armored car and dropped to the ground beside him, he appeared to be smoking slightly. The Lieutenant glared at him hotly for a moment. "Anytime today that you feel like using those amazing kung fu skills of yours would be nice, Saotome . . . Hey! That better not be a personal call while you're on company time!"

He glanced at Raven's tiny face, then back to his partner. "Um . . . no! This is important business . . . super hero business! Don't worry, I'll take care of the metal munchkin in a sec."

With that, he hopped up and over the mostly molten slag that was once used to transport currency, and started charging the hovering form of the robot. He lifted the communicator up again. "Sorry 'bout that, Rae. So, what was it you wanted to talk about again?" he asked politely.

A second later, the plasma started flying. He zigged to the side and zagged back again, snagging a sheared off car door in his erratic travels.

"Please don't call me Rae. And . . . "

Roll – Flip – Leap forward -

". . . well, I just really felt the need to talk to someone."

A neon burst of plasma shrieked straight in his direction. Rather than waste time dodging, he swung the errant car door ahead of him, angled just enough so the blast skipped off, rather than melted straight through. Physics rocked!

"I didn't really feel comfortable talking to anyone else in the Tower about it . . . things have been . . . odd lately."

One last leap took him up and over the blue robot. He spun as tightly as the laws of nature and a big bulky car door would allow. As soon as he landed he lashed out with the mother of all backhands, the car door smashing into Mecha-Boi's exposed back with enough force to _explode_ in a shower of metal and glass. The mini mecha careened into the ground, digging a ten foot trench before skipping up and bouncing into the air, just in time to be caught in the leg by another high yield laser blast! The attack sent the tiny terror spinning like a top until it demolished the face of a nearby bank.

Ranma let out a small whistle at that, he bet even the old Lech woulda felt that one. He lifted the communicator back up, smirking confidently. "Heh, odd you say? I think I can relate, somewhat." Without thinking about it, he dropped the shattered remains of the door, dropping it to the ground with a clatter.

Raven's tiny face grew a reserved smile. "I'm certain you can." Then her face returned to its more natural, neutral expression. "It's just that – that everyone has been walking on eggshells here lately. Robin has been spending a lot of time with Kasumi lately and Starfire and Cyborg both seem to be reacting adversely, though I can't imagine why . . ."

The pigtailed boy scratched his head at that . . . walking on eggshells? What an odd expression . . . it didn't sound that hard, he was pretty sure he could do that without even thinking about it.

"But then, conversely, Starfire and Ryouga have also been indulging in their strange sibling relationship more lately, which has Robin feeling tense . . ."

"Huh? What's the big deal there? Those two are just good friends, nothing for bird boy to get his tights in a bunch about," he replied, feeling the odd desire to stand up for two people that he considered to be good friends, perhaps even contemporaries in the art.

A shift in the rubble signaled potential trouble. A moment later, Mecha-Boi dug itself out of the mortar and glass, looking none the worse for wear. Damn! Even the laser blast was already healed, he figured at the very least that would have done something. Really, all he was accomplishing seemed to be knocking the damn little robot around like a pin ball. For all its strength and durability, it was obscenely light, so almost any hit he landed just launched it through the air.

"My thoughts exactly. And then there is Beast Boy, he's pacing around like an expectant father, waiting for Ryouga to cure Terra. It's all getting to be more than I can handle," she explained, sounding a little stressed out.

Ranma didn't wait for his opponent to start flinging plasma blasts again, he flew forward on the attack. Within a second, he was in the robot's face, unleashing a lighting fast combination of Amagurinken punches, just like he normally would against Ryouga. Mecha-Boi was insanely strong and inhumanly tough, but he wasn't trained to fight at all, and lacked any real speed.

He lifted the communicator as he unleashed another chestnut fist with his right fist.

"Who – the heck . . ."

Backhand flowed into a sweep kick. Mecha-Boi floated over the kick with its leg jets -

"Is Terra?"

Knife hand chop to the side of the neck turned into a grab and he flipped the robot over his hip to slam into the ground. He then drove a devastating axe kick directly into the robots face, driving its entire head a foot into the road.

He noticed the shocked look on Raven's face now, apparently she was watching a bit of his fight when he was waving his communicator around.

"Um . . . I'll tell you later. Are you sure you should be talking to me right now? You appear to be quite busy."

With his free hand, he latched onto the tin can's leg and lifted with all his strength, tearing the robot completely out of the ground. He then pulled down as hard as he could and smashed the robot back to earth twice as hard as before, burying it even further into the pavement. _Then_ he tore it out of the ground again and spun around three times, before launching it across the street and through the third story wall of a department store.

"Damnit, Saotome! Try to tone down the property destruction!" Uehara bellowed from . . . wherever he was hiding. Ranma chuckled to himself, obviously this cop had never been to Nerima before.

He gazed back down to Raven. "Hmm, while your here . . . you got any advice on how to beat an indestructible little robot boy? This guy is harder than Ryouga's skull," he asked earnestly.

Raven thought about that for a moment. "Well, if it's a poorly made robot, dousing it with water could work. Or you could try to short out its systems with electricity, those are both good ways to deal with robots."

Ranma nodded, considering his options. A quick scan of his surroundings gave him a few options that he could use. Yeah . . . yeah, that could work. All he needed was a distraction. He looked back to Raven. "Hey, thanks for the tip. Look, I'm really sorry, but I gotta let ya go now, things are gonna get pretty ugly here, but I promise I'll call ya back later tonight, alright?"

She nodded in understanding, more than likely still surprised that he had actually stayed on the line as long as he had. Without another word, he flipped the device closed and stuck it back in his pocket. A quick glance at the hole he'd just made showed his opponent was still down, possibly repairing itself after the beat down he'd just laid down on it.

A single leap took him back behind the armored car, to kneel beside the Lieutenant. Daizo stared back at him. "Finally done talking to your girlfriend, Saotome?" he cracked, sounding slightly amused.

Ranma just glared at him. "Don't even joke about that, man. Now listen, I need you to keep that thing busy for a second, I gotta plan."

Daizo nodded confidently. "What's the plan, kid?"

Ranma's smile slipped slightly at that.

"Lieutenant, I'm afraid you're about to see a very ugly side of me."

* * *

Mecha-Boi stood up, all internal and surface injuries fully repaired. A quick diagnostic revealed no problems remaining and that he was fully prepared to re initiate battle. If such a thing were possible, the robotic boy was feeling . . . troubled. All of his data on humans and human nature indicated that his victory should have been swift and brutal and yet this human remained undamaged. Was even inflicting minor damage, damage that no human should be able to inflict with its bare hands.

The laser weapon, while potentially dangerous, was not unforeseen and well within his abilities to regenerate from. The other humans abilities though, they defied all logic. Genetic scans indicated no alien or mutated DNA, so the targets heightened abilities seemed to have no logical reason for existing.

Still, in the thirteen minutes and fifteen point three-five seconds since they had initiated combat, he had recorded a four point six-two percent decrease in his targets maximum velocity and a five point nine-one percent decrease in his reaction time. Thus, his CPU calculated that eventually fatigue would drop his designated target within combat parameters that he would be able to overcome.

Still puzzled by his targets unusual abilities, Mecha-Boi was, nonetheless, satisfied that his victory was assured. His opponent was, after all, only human.

All of this contemplation had taken approximately a tenth of a second. A fraction of a second later, his jets flared to life and he flew out the shattered wall that he had been thrown through. Two seconds after that, he landed on the ground and proceeded to scan his surroundings.

Still kneeling behind the remains of the currency transport, a red outline formed around the figure of the secondary target. The threat value of the uniformed officer floated dangerously close to zero. A second outline formed around the weapon in the officer's hands, its threat value showed it to be a moderate risk.

But where was the primary target? Auditory sensors and motion sensors didn't show any signs that matched his previous readings on the human. Breathing, heartbeat and vibrations from footsteps (based on mass to height ratio) were all suddenly absent. Had the primary target fled combat?

All evidence seemed to indicate that scenario. That decided, he switched combat priorities, reestablishing the secondary target as the primary target. Slowly, Mecha-Boi turned to face the cowering human, raising a glowing fist.

As predicted, the human chose that moment to leap up from his cover and fire his high yield energy weapon. Mecha-Boi simply oriented the angle of his own attack, then launched a plasma beam of his own. The two blasts met almost directly between the two of them, a shower of supercharged plasma raining to the street in a fiery display of thermodynamics.

Of course, Mecha-Boi's energy yield was roughly nine point nine-five percent higher than his opponent's energy weapon. Also, his records stated that the laser pistol could only maintain maximum output for only three point two-five seconds, whereas he had no such limits.

Three point two-five seconds later, the energy duel ended, Mecha-Boi's energy lance instantly blasting through the dying beam of his opponent's weapon. The target just barely retained the reaction time to dive out of the way before being vaporized.

Suddenly, Mecha-Boi spun to the side, glowing fist raised threateningly. The unknown figure, previously disregarded as a noncombatant had just breached his threat perimeter. Mecha-Boi scanned the human that stood roughly seven feet in front of him.

Human female, roughly five foot, two inches. Hair: Red, Eyes: Blue . . . After several seconds of processing, a green outline surrounded the figure and the words 'Noncombatant' flashed across his CPU.

Unlike his companions, Mecha-Boi's primary programming had not been significantly altered. While he had been programmed to attack any and all specified targets, his core programming forbid him from harming any innocent bystanders . . . especially females.

Her threat level continued to drop, as she leaned forward, smiling cutely. "Hello there, little boy! My, aren't you a little cutie. Do you want me to buy you some ice cream, little guy?" she asked in a cooing voice.

Suddenly, unused subprocessors flared to life and unknown subroutines began to run against his will. For no logical reason, a wide smile formed on Mecha-Boi's face and he began rubbing his hand against the back of his perfectly smooth head.

"Hey, that'd be really nice, lady. My name is Mecha-Boi, what's yours?" he replied happily. Wait a second! Happily? Where were these emotion protocols coming from?

The pretty girl looked at him oddly for a moment, before smiling widely again. "My name is Ranko, come on, let's go get that ice cream. I know a place that has great sundaes," she insisted. Ranko then offered a petite hand for him to hold. Before he even had time to computate why, he was already reaching forward to take it.

Just a moment before he reached her hand, his threat sensors flared to life, as a sad look descended on the girl's pretty face. An automatic threat analysis began to run in his CPU. All visual and auditory data compiled in his mind and started to form a complete scenario in his mind.

A thick cable was lying on the ground behind the girl, running up behind her back. Why hadn't his sensors recorded that before? He was about to fly back out of range, when the girl suddenly lashed out with a speed that defied all comparison, save one.

The sparking hydro wire, which Ranko had been holding behind her back, snaked towards him with viper speed. Mecha-Boi didn't even have the time to activate his boot jets, before it slammed heavily into his chest.

And then everything went black.

* * *

Ranma tossed the sparking cable off to the side, mindful of the danger it still presented. The pigtailed redhead was actually feeling a bit bad about her plan now . . . Sure, it had worked, but she'd only expected to distract the robot long enough to get close enough. Instead, Mecha-Boi had started to react to her in a completely different manner.

The tiny robot boy had begun to smile a _genuine_ smile and he'd looked so happy about the prospect of getting ice cream with her. It was like Mecha-Boi had become a completely different person when she had activated her curse. And that hadn't even been the worse part.

No, the look of utter betrayal, just a second before she'd hit him with the cable . . . It was eating away at her. She looked down at the smoking body of the robot boy, feeling like the biggest heel ever.

"Saotome, there had better be one **hell** of an explanation for this," grumbled the Lieutenant, as he came over to join her.

She waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, Gramps, I'll fill ya in later, it's a pretty long story. B-but didn't you think it was odd . . . how that robot kid was actin, just before I got him?"

Daizo stared at her impassively for a moment, before nodding slightly. "Yeah, I'm not sure why he didn't just blast you. Still, don't feel too bad about it, he was still a dangerous criminal, you did the right thing."

Ranma nodded to herself, still not feeling one hundred percent sure. None of the other badguys had acted like that . . . not that they really should, it wasn't like there was any connection between any of them, except that the last two had been robots.

That thought brought her back to their original problem. She looked over to her, now much taller, partner. "I'd like to know where all of these guys are comin from, and why they all chose pretty much the same time to start acting up. It seems like a bit much to be a coincidence," she stated.

The Lieutenant nodded in a sagely manner at that. "Maybe it's time I started doing some more digging. You head on home, Ranko, you need to rest up in case another of these loonies shows up."

"Hey now, none of that. My name is Ranma no matter what form I'm in."

Daizo just smiled smugly.

"Suure it is . . . Ranko."

* * *

Ranma shuffled tiredly out of the kitchen. After the fight he'd had that day, a midnight snack had been exactly what he'd needed. These super villain types were really different as far as fighting went. They didn't follow any code, like most of his opponents did, which made them much more dangerous to innocent people. And each of the bad guys that he'd fought so far had presented puzzling scenarios on how to defeat them. In fact, Mecha-Boi had been the first one that he'd actually and decisively put down.

It was odd, none of them were what he would consider fighters of any caliber, but their powers made them dangerous regardless. They were all really hard to hurt too, especially that last one. Not even Ryouga presented such an annoying level of durability . . . of course, Ranma knew a way around it now, but somehow doubted that it would be appropriate to jab the Lost Boy with a live hydro wire.

The idea did seem pretty damn funny though!

Oh, well. One thing was certain, he definitely **wasn't** looking forward to his driving lesson tomorrow. It seemed more than likely that it was going to be more Jusenkyo lesson, than driving lesson. Well, at least today's fight hadn't been televised, and it wasn't like it was something that his partner didn't need to know about eventually . . .

He nearly jumped out of his skin, when the phone rang just as he walked past it! "Crap . . ." he muttered weakly to himself, holding a hand to his heart. He was starting to get jumpy with all of these wackos jumping out of the woodwork lately.

Not wanting to wake anyone else up, he quickly picked up the phone before it could ring a second time. "Yo, Tendo Residence. Who may I ask is callin?" he asked politely.

"Cut the pleasantries, Ranma, I need to talk to you."

Ranma's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. The voice belonged to someone that he'd _never_ thought he'd hear from again.

"N-n-nabiki!" he whispered harshly, suddenly very worried that someone else might hear. "What the heck are ya callin for? I thought you were a super villain now!"

"I am, you numbskull, which is why I'm calling. You and I need to _talk_."

Still not sure what the heck was goin on, he reverted back to type. "Heh, you're pretty lucky then. Callin right when I was walkin by the phone like that. Pretty lucky coincidence, I gotta say."

He could practically feel the middle Tendo's eyes roll over the phone line. ". . . riiiggght, a _coincidence_. Look, I'm calling you about your little publicity stunt a few days ago. Really, getting into a fight with a super villain, on **live** television?"

He shrugged . . . before realizing he was on the phone. "Yeah, so what? Me and that Lieutenant guy chased the guy off, saved a lot of people to boot. What's the big deal?" he asked, a little curious.

Nabiki's voice rose an octave as she continued, apparently she was in a pretty bad mood tonight. "The problem is, _Ranma_, that you didn't even **try** to hide your identity! You've pretty much declared yourself a superhero for all the world to see and you're using your **real name**! Do you not see the problem inherent here?" she asked in disbelief.

"Umm, not really . . . I mean, Ryouga's been doing this for longer than me, and he ain't doin none of that dumb disguise of funny name junk."

This time Nabiki nearly hissed in his ear. He actually pulled the phone from his ear a few inches. "Yes, well _Ryouga_ isn't currently living in _my _house, with _my _father and _my _sister! Look, I don't care if you get yourself killed, you moron, but you'd better think twice if you think I'm going to let you endanger my family just so you can get a few thrills," she bit out angrily.

Sheesh! He couldn't remember the last time she'd been this mad at him. "Okay! Okay, I get it. But there isn't much I can really do about it now, it's a bit late for that, isn't it?" he replied, feeling a bit bad now. He hadn't even thought of that. His enemies had always known where he lived in the past, but they'd never been interested in doing anything but fighting him. But if these new villains started following him home . . . there was no telling what they would do . . .

Suddenly he was very worried for Akane and their fathers.

Apparently happy that he was finally understanding, Nabiki's voice returned to its normal cool tone. "Heh, well, luckily for you, your future sister-in-law is well connected. As soon as I saw you on the news, I had Gizmo start tearing through all of the government mainframes he could find, erasing all evidence of anything that could connect you to my family. In fact, he's spent the last few days erasing your old identity and creating a new one. As far as the world is going to be concerned, you aren't even going to know anyone named Tendo, and the only tie you have to Nodoka Saotome is coincidence, got it?"

He stared in shock at that. "Y-you're erasing my mom!"

Nabiki let out a tired sigh. "No, I'm not erasing your mom, just that you're her son. I'm also setting up a false address for you, I'll send you the mailing address so you can pick up anything anyone might send you later. So, no more parking your bike in the backyard, got it? I want you to find a safe place to hide it when you're done whatever it is you're doing, and using every stealth trick that you know to get back to the dojo, got it?"

He nodded with each point . . . man, she really knew what she was doing.

"One more thing, go check the mail box as soon as we're done here. There's a package there for you, it's a cell phone and a bank card. I want you to use that cell phone to contact the police _only. _I don't want you using it for personal things, and I definitely don't want you contacting your buddies on the force with our home phone."

He nodded again. "Hmm, that makes sense. But, what about the bank card, what's that for?"

"Two things, think of the first as a bribe to keep your mouth shut about this call. I'm setting up an off shore account for that card and you can use a certain amount of it to finance your super hero efforts. However, the remainder I want you to use to help pay off the bills around the dojo. I can imagine that daddy has been more mopey than usual lately, and I know that Akane isn't dealing with the finances, so I want you to start taking care of that for me. It's not too much to ask for, I hope," she finished sharply.

Wow, that was a lot to take in. Not only was Nabiki doing everything in her power to try to keep his identity secret, she actually trusted him enough to look out for Akane and her dad? To be honest, it was yet another thing that had slipped his mind lately. Mr. Tendo had been pretty despondent lately, so he hadn't really been going to work much, and his own father's job at Dr. Tofu's wasn't exactly bringing in the dough either.

"Heh, wow, you're, like, the nicest super villain _ever_, Nabiki!"

He could hear the cold hearted mercenary girl grumbling to herself on the other end of the line.

"Oh, shut up, Saotome!"


	12. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 4

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble In Little Tokyo

Chapter Four

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

His flailing limb tore through the air, slashing through a nearby beam with the horrid precision of a razor. He didn't even notice the contact, didn't register the angry groan of shifting lumber that filled the air around him. The dark figure slammed his hands to his skull, clutching the slick parchment which covered the bone with a manic intensity. The sensation of ripping paper was excruciating, as he tore the stained material away; splattering it against the walls and floor, graphic content in a black and white world.

He howled then, ink painting the ceiling above him, but not from the pain. Rather, the indescribable feeling of the paper which formed his skin regenerating, healing instantly. Brushogun stared in horror as . . . _something_ bubbled and boiled, just beneath the paper thin epidermis, something seeking release. He could feel it again, more keenly then ever before, that . . . _thing_ that stalked the dark corners of his mind. He could feel it lashing out once more, trying to steal what shreds remained of his stained soul.

He would **not** let it have him! He would serve his purpose, he would do all that it asked, but he would do it on **his **terms, **his** way!

With one last surge of pure will, very nearly caving in his own skull in the process, Brushogun pushed the _thing_ back into the black recesses of his soul once more. He could still feel it though, feel it pacing along the edges still, waiting for its chance. What was worse, just as every time before, he could feel that the stain on his soul had spread. It was such a small amount, a taint hardly worth noticing in a normal man, but within him . . .

He was already so close to surrendering that very last inch of himself, that tiny fragment which seemed to grow in importance with every passing second . . .

Suddenly, Brushogun stood straight once more, shaking his head to clear it of such strange thoughts. What had he even been thinking about? Such poetical nonsense did not befit a being such as himself! He looked around him, to the ruined interior of the temple which housed him. A derisive snort escaped liquid lips; it was long past the time that he moved on. This building had since served its purpose; there was no need to linger.

After all, he had a world to conquer, and more importantly, a nemesis to crush. A grim sneer etched itself across his nearly featureless face. **Four** failures so far, he had been certain that Mecha-Boi would have been able to deal with that fool, Saotome. Even worse, it appeared that the boy and his barely competent partner had been joined by another, a red headed girl of all things.

Admittedly, though, that last battle had been _extremely _entertaining, perhaps there was no reason to simply eradicate his enemy yet. He did, after all, have all of eternity to destroy the world. Perhaps a few more attempts before he decided to truly test the depths of his enemy's constitution. Practice made perfect, after all. He was certain there would be others to follow, more victims to pick up the tattered banner in resisting his endless power.

Perhaps he needed a slightly different tact, though. The mechanical wonders that he had conjured forth had failed, despite their immense strength and power. Perhaps something with somewhat more g_race _was required. The Ink Demon looked to the far corner of the temple, where his latest minion had been patiently waiting out his tantrum. His sneer stretched painfully into a smile, accompanied by the sharp sound of shredding paper.

This Saotome child, he appeared to be quite the heroic type, a martial artist and warrior the likes of which haven't been acknowledged for centuries. If he truly was the noble warrior archetype that he appeared to be, perhaps he might be a chivalrous warrior as well.

At his bidding, his minion stepped out of the shadows, her generous and perfectly formed curves highlighted dangerously in the play of light and darkness that filled the temple. Yes, technology hadn't worked so far, so perhaps something more primal was called for. And wrapping it in such an alluring package, certainly that would throw his nemesis off guard.

Of course, in the unlikely case that she didn't destroy the Saotome boy, there was no need to make it a completely wasted mission. He had yet to actually learn anything about his opponent and as Sun Tzu had written 'If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.' That thought in mind, a simple plan formed.

Without a seconds hesitation, Brushogun thrust his cruel claws into his own eye socket. He dug around hungrily, relishing the white hot agony, before the gruesome sound of rending flesh offered up that which he desired. He tore his talons from the bloody hole in a spray of ink, smiling all the while. He then held his hand before his face and slowly opened it to reveal his prize.

He stared at the ebony orb that sat so sedately in the palm of his hand. Already, he felt a matching one growing in its stead, replacing the stolen eye. He continued to gaze at the small orb, instilling it with a small figment of its own existence. Moments later, drawing upon further material from his own hand, the jet black eye of ink grew a pair of small demonic wings, before slowly standing on tiny insectile legs of its own.

Brushogun smiled at his latest creation. Certainly, he could see through the eyes of his creations, but what more symbolic way of watching and learning of his enemy could there possibly be? Now, given a mockery of life and clear in what he desired, the macabre creature took to the air on its newly created wings and flitted through the air. A second later, it landed upon his other minion's shoulder.

The Demon looked back to the lovely demoness and smiled once more. "Go now, my minion. Find the Saotome boy and destroy him."

With only the quickest of nods, she was gone in a flash of movement that even he could barely follow. Yes, he was certainly looking forward to this next battle.

Suddenly, Brushogun looked up and to the East. Oh yes . . .

There was one last thing he needed to attend to.

* * *

"Hey, Lieutenant, I just wanted to thank you again for havin' your boys fix up my bike," his rather short and rather . . . um . . . healthy companion chirped happily. Daizo just nodded, still not completely comfortable looking at the young woman that walked beside him. He shook his head in amazement, outwardly he was being just as stoic and unimpressed as ever, but internally, he was still trying to wrap his mind around the concept of a gender changing curse. Let alone one that was activated by something as inane as water temperature!

Even considering some of the really strange things he'd been subjected to lately, the least of which was being terrorized by robotic children that were just a little too reminiscent of childhood memories for his comfort, he had to admit that Saotome's curse was still pretty high up there. Of course, he didn't want to give the cocky little brat the idea that she'd gotten to him in any way, shape or form.

There was one question that he just had to ask, though . . . okay, maybe two. Slowly, he turned to face her, trying to catch her gaze but failing miserably.

"Saotome . . .," he trailed off meaningfully.

She turned to face him, possibly waiting to hear what he was going to say. "Yeah, Lieutenant?"

He took a deep breath, trying to find the best way to formulate his inquiry. Seconds passed and still nothing came, so he decided to just blurt it out.

"Why the heck are you still wearing that Motorcycle helmet? We're in the police precinct, for crying out loud!"

Honestly, there were times when he seriously contemplated the sanity of his new companion.

Ranko's helmeted head tilted to the side, the sleek red shell of her helmet reflecting the lights brilliantly. Then, the athletic girl turned her head from side to side, in what he assumed was a conspiratorial check to see if anyone was currently watching them. She then leaned forward, placing a dainty hand at the side of where her mouth was under the helmet, very much as if she were telling him some grand secret.

In a whispered voice, she finally answered. "Shhhh! I gotta keep my identity secret, ya know?"

Almost before he knew what he was doing, his right hand flew up on its own accord, preparing to pistol whip the girl into submission. With a great feat of will, he slowly forced his hand back to his side, before letting out an explosive groan.

"Secret Identity? _What_ secret identity? I know what you look like, I know your name, for the love of the gods, I have your cell phone number on my _speed dial_! Besides, you're practically a martial arts Demi-God, what possible reason would you need to worry about people knowing who you are?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Ranko looked around once more, before confirming that they were the only two currently in this section of the precinct. A moment later, she removed the helmet, revealing a shock of red hair even brighter than her helmet. With a sigh, she lowered the protective gear to her side and looked back at him with a defeated look.

"Yeah, I know all that. I know it's a bit late to try to keep who I am a secret, but I still gotta try. It ain't about keepin me safe, ya know? I got other people to worry about, my friends and family, people that aren't as good as I am. I mean, my buddy, Ryouga, he ain't worried none about usin a disguise, but then, he don't gotta worry 'bout no one finding _his_ family anytime this century," she explained with only a few grammatical abominations.

Daizo nodded in understanding at that. "I think I get it, and since no one but me really knows about your girl form, you still have a chance to keep it a secret."

She nodded, looking a bit depressed. "Yeah, I sure as heck don't wanna get stuck doin all of my crime fightin as a girl, but until I can find some better way of protectin my family, this is the best I could come up with."

Well, that made sense then. It was good to see the gir-kid, see the kid finally starting to take this situation seriously. He knew it was a ways off, but he was pretty sure that Saotome could make a heck of a cop, given the proper motivation. Of course, there was still another question begging to be asked.

"Okay, that explains the helmet. Now, why on earth are you carrying around that grocery bag full of eggs?"

She stared at him through lidded eyes for a moment, before shrugging. "Um . . . would you believe that I _really_ love omelettes?"

Actually . . . he would. Never taking Saotome out for food again was now on the top of his list of personal pledges to his wallet. He shook his head again, out of fear for his own sanity this time. Whatever . . . it wasn't important.

The two continued to walk on in relative silence. A few minutes and several security doors later, they finally arrived at their destination. They turned as one to face the transparent plastic wall that separated them from their quarry for that day. Of course, Daizo was pretty darn sure that whatever the clear wall was made of, it was likely a heck of a lot tougher than any simple plastic. Of course, that didn't make him feel even one iota safer.

He casually leaned over to his companion and whispered out of the side of his mouth, carefully keeping his personal worries out of his voice. "Are you sure this is gonna work, Ranko?"

The pretty little red head's hands rose up before her, her fingers twitching dangerously as she turned to face him, an almost deranged look in her eyes. "For the **last **time, _Gramps_, my name is **Ranma**! No matter what body I'm in!" The twitching finally stopped and she looked back into the cell before them. "And of course I'm sure this'll work, you didn't see the look on his face when he saw me in this body, it was like he was a totally different person."

Daizo nodded carefully, then looked into the cell, the cell that housed their latest super criminal: Mecha-Boi. The mechanical boy was currently sitting in a large steel chair at the center of the room. Massive manacles covered the robots entire forearms and hands. Large metal restraints also covered his feet and legs and each restraint was securely mounted on the chair. Only Mecha-Boi's head was unobscured by any form of restraint, revealing his currently lifeless eyes.

"I sure hope you're right, Saotome, this is probably our best bet to get any info on this crime wave. I don't know why, but something in my bones tells me that there's some kind of connection between our Blue Bomber in here and the rest of those psychos," he stated.

The red head nodded as well, a serious look on her face. "I think that as long as I don't go in as a boy, he won't attack me." She then turned to face him. "Okay, Lieutenant, turn him back on, let's get this over with."

He nodded weakly, unconsciously taking a step back as he pulled out the remote that controlled the chair the boy was imprisoned in. With a hesitant flip of the switch, a controlled electrical surge ran through the chair and into the robot boy. An instant later, Mecha-Boi's eyes flared to life, glowing with azure light.

Daizo took another step back, even as Ranko lowered the helmet and eggs to the floor and took a step forward. With a gentle gesture, she pressed the controls on the side of the cell door, opening the transparent wall for her to enter. Daizo carefully stepped to the side, doing his best to make sure that the girl, as small as she was, was directly between him and the robot. Hopefully, she would hold its full attention and it wouldn't notice him and go into attack mode . . . or whatever it did.

The red headed martial artist then stepped into the cell, purposefully holding her arms out to her sides to show that she meant no harm. She took another step forward, as the robot boy's head slowly began to rise, regarding her carefully.

"You know who I am . . . right, Mecha-Boi?" she asked quietly.

The robot continued to study her, Daizo would almost consider the look on the boy's face to be suspicious, if it weren't just a robot, that is. Slowly, the suspicious gaze faded.

"Ran . . . ko . . .?" The robots distorted voice rang out uncertainly. Daizo smiled weakly at that. It appeared that the kid's idea was working, for some insane reason.

Ranko quickly turned back to face him for a second, flashing him a wide smile and a thumbs up, before turning back to the robot. "That's right, Mecha-Boi. My name is Ranko, I wanna be your friend."

Mecha-Boi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ranko hurt Mecha-Boi . . ." a quick, robotic head shake. "I mean: you attacked me, why should I trust you?"

They had been expecting that, though they had hoped that the initial shock to the robots systems would have damaged its most recent memories. So, Saotome knew how to proceed; they had spent over an hour figuring out exactly what she should say in this situation. True, neither of them were what anyone would call diplomats, but he was sure it would work out.

True to the plan, Saotome nodded sympathetically. "I know that, and I'm sorry. You see, what happened was -"

It was pretty much that precise moment . . . where Mecha-Boi exploded.

Daizo was certain that it was going to be one of those moments that he would never be able to scour from his memories for as long as he lived. He had no idea what happened, why it happened, or even how it happened for that matter. One moment, Ranko had been talking to the robot boy, the next . . . Boom!

Only, it hadn't been an explosion of fire and shrapnel, like he had expected. That . . . that likely would have been preferable, in retrospect. Instead, Mecha-Boi, who had just been sitting there, completely still, suddenly began to bulge and stretch obscenely, looking very much like a tortured water balloon. Not even Saotome's reflexes were enough to get her out of the way . . . not that she even tried, her eyes had been just as glued to the macabre spectacle as his had been.

And then Mecha-Boi exploded . . . though exploded didn't really seem to fit the bill. Burst . . . yes, then Mecha-Boi had burst open like an over ripe melon at a Gallagher show. A spray of blue liquid sprayed out from the ruptured husk, painting the roof, the walls, the floor, the martial artist, the officer . . .

Uehara Daizo could only stand there, stunned into complete silence by what he had just seen. He could hardly discern Saotome's form out of the nightmarish blue ocean that had only moments ago housed a dangerous criminal. A bitter tang rippled across his tongue, and he nearly gagged at the thought of robot juice running into his mouth. Oddly . . . oddly it was a strangely familiar taste, but he couldn't place it.

Slowly, Ranko turned to face him, her eyes as wide as saucers, the sapphire blue of those wide, doe eyes standing out sharply from the pale cerulean that covered every other inch of her. Even more slowly, her mouth opened, struggling to form words.

"I . . . think I'm gonna be sick . . ."

* * *

Nya-Nya purred happily as she batted away at the pretty shiny things that dangled so temptingly from her claws. Her master had been kind enough to let her run free amongst her prey. It was the first time that she hadn't felt his presence directing her actions and she intended to enjoy it as much as possible. His orders had been simple enough, even for her, but not very specific.

Kill the Saotome-Prey; it was an easy enough thing to do. Of course, she had only a vague idea what he looked like; really, all of these prey-meat-creatures looked more or less alike to her, and none of her siblings had actually done anything _important_, like get the male's scent. What good were things like heart beats and breathing patterns if the prey wasn't already close enough to taste anyways? Really, her little brother had been so strange.

Besides, it wasn't like her master had told her to do it _right away_ or anything . . . Was it really her fault that so many of these lesser prey possessed such shiny, distracting trinkets? Enjoying the luxurious feel of the bed, she stretched out languidly, absently pushing the remains of her latest prey to the floor with a thump.

The sharp thump drained some of the simple pleasure she was enjoying, rolling around with all of the shiny pretty things surrounding her. She licked her lips, feeling slightly nauseated with the lingering taste that assaulted her tongue. The prey had been old and feeble, not even worth hunting, if it hadn't been for all of the shiny pretty things she'd been wearing.

A disappointed whine escaped her throat. Now she couldn't think about anything else! Annoyed, she dropped the trinkets to the soft sheets of the bed and hopped up to her feet. If she didn't get this taste out her mouth soon . . . With unnatural grace, she glided over to the window and began to scan the streets below for a more delicious looking prey to hunt.

Maybe she'd even bring her kill back to her master! That would show him what a good girl she was!

Ooooohh, a soft purr rattled her throat at the sight below her. A male was currently walking down the street below her; it was practically rippling with muscle and sinew, an alpha male if ever she had seen one before. In fact, even from the distance, he seemed to stand out from the crowd in conditioning, disposition and attitude. The graceful glide of his strides, the wild, untamed mass of jet black hair that nearly shone in the morning sun . . .

Oh, ho! It seemed that fate was on her side this day. With a single leap, she dropped the six stories to the ground, landing as lightly as an autumn leaf; a second leap cleared the distance between them. She extended all of her claws, preparing to land directly on the unsuspecting boy -

Without even turning to regard her, the boy suddenly spun to the side, doffing the large backpack that was resting on his back and tossing it forcefully in her direction. While unexpected, she simply landed on the leathery surface and bounded once more, landing in a low crouch before the wary looking male.

Little things caught her attention, the black shirt, the strip of cloth holding back his wild hair. However, what she didn't smell was fear, frustration perhaps, but no fear at all. She decided, then and there, that she would enjoy this hunt immensely, whether it was her true prey or not. Still, out of a (very) weak sense of duty, she slowly rose to her full height. As she did so, the male dropped back into a defensive stance, eyeing her carefully, but not appearing intimidated at all. Not that he really should have been, considering he towered over her by nearly half a foot.

She licked her lips in anticipation, purring seductively. "Are you Saotome Ranma?" she asked excitedly.

A dark cloud settled over the young man's face for a second, then it was replaced by a strange expression that she couldn't fathom. Letting out a humorless chuckle, he finally answered.

"Heh, not anymore, Lady, not anymore . . ."

Hmm, what an odd answer, it didn't make any sense to her. Either you were someone, or you weren't someone . . . How could you not be someone anymore? You can't just stop being who you are, can you? While she stared in confusion, the young male shrugged and began to turn away, already taking a step in the other direction.

Oh, no, no!

She leapt up and over him, landing lightly before him on all fours and eyeing him hungrily. A wide smile formed on her ruby lips as she stared into his fierce eyes. He stopped once more, stiffening slightly at the look in her eye. Her smile only widened at that, she was definitely going to have fun with this prey. A soft giggle escaped her lips as she leaned forward, finely honed muscles tensing for the pounce.

"Close your eyes . . . this is going to hurt."

* * *

Ryu Kumon desperately dodged to the side, blanching at the tug of his harness being torn from his shoulders by his opponent's razor claws. He quickly rolled backwards and flipped back to his feet ten yards away. He vainly tried to remember what it was like to actually be on the offensive in a battle, because it sure as hell hadn't been happening in the last ten minutes or so. Almost before he could register the movement, his magenta haired murderess was already flying his way.

He sidestepped nimbly, swinging out with his forearm to violently block her clawed hand. He smirked weakly at the meaty impact that sent the slight figure of the feline female stumbling to the side. It was short lived, though, as she spun rapidly with the momentum and lashed out with a blinding back kick straight to his chest.

A grunt of pain forced its way out of his lungs, as he just barely crossed his arms in front of him before the shapely limb crashed home. The impact sent him skittering back into a nearby light post, the concrete base fracturing severely when his back slammed into it. Just as quickly, he dove away before his heart could be torn out by a lightning fast follow up. The unfortunate pole suffered the wrath that was intended for him, a hole blowing clear through the center of it. The entire structure began to tip ominously, only the metal rebar at the heart of it keeping it even mildly vertical.

A painful sting grabbed his attention, drawing his gaze down to his forearms. Four long slashes covered each limb, trickling blood slowly in a powerful testament to just how sharp that damn girl's claws were. He chuckled weakly again.

On the bright side, if he was going to die here, he couldn't have found a more attractive girl to be responsible for it. He stared at the alluring female, strangely crouching down in front of the post she had just demolished, rather than continuing her relentless assault. She looked enough like a girl, but quite a few differences to be certain.

He'd never imagined that he'd ever actually meet a Catgirl . . . Let alone one wearing a magenta colored leotard . . . thingy. The ears were cute, the tail was weird, the claws were starting to get annoying! Speaking of which . . .

Smiling wickedly at him from her crouched position, the Catgirl suddenly dropped down on her butt and lifted one of her long, toned legs up in a most interesting manne-

Oh! That just wasn't right!

The Catgirl's tongue suddenly darted from between her colored lips, and hungrily lapped up the few drops of his blood that lingered on her hindclaws. A second later, she began to purr loudly enough for him to hear, nearly sinful in her apparent pleasure. It . . . wasn't exactly heartening. A few more strokes of her tongue and the girl finally lowered her leg and returned to her low crouch, smiling all the wider.

"You taste wonderful. I look forward to devouring you," she purred happily.

He backed up further, not feeling terribly confident about his future. This defensive fighting stuff went against everything he had trained towards his whole life. The very heart and soul of the Yamasen-ken was to attack your opponent with overwhelming force . . . to suddenly find himself in such a deadly battle and not being able to fight even close to his full potential . . .

The magenta feline began to crawl forward on all fours, slowly circling to his side, but her eyes never left him for a second, she never even blinked. Ryu took a deep breath, then, trying to clear his mind of all those irrelevant thoughts. None of that mattered, only the here and now, only this lovely young girl that was preparing to rend him limb from limb with deceptively deadly claws and deceptively inviting fangs.

Screw it!

Not waiting for her, he flew forward on the attack. The ground shattered under his heels as he devoured the distance between them. At the last second, he leapt into a devastating flying kick aimed at her torso. He might not be able to use his advanced skills, but he was still stronger and faster than most anyone else, thanks to a lifetime of harsh training.

Faster than most anyone but this Catgirl, anyway. She practically vanished for a second, diving under his kick and only the fact that _that_ particular maneuver was intimately familiar to him allowed him to dive to the side, avoiding having his exposed back shredded by steel claws. He countered just as fast with a spinning sidekick powerful enough to demolish a concrete wall.

All he demolished was air, though, as she easily leaped over his kick, planting both of her hands just above his knee, her claws digging in painfully. Then she used her hold to swing her entire body around into a massive double kick to his chest, appearing oddly like a gymnast on a pommel horse for a fraction of a second. Again, he barely managed to block the blow as the impossibly powerful legs slammed into him, launching him back ten feet to a skidding stop.

He nearly collapsed then, leaning forward to gingerly grasp his bleeding knee. The force of the blow had knocked him bodily away from her, leaving ten shallow gashes surrounding his knee from her stubborn refusal to simply release his limb. He had a dark feeling that if he wasn't in the shape he was in, he'd have lost his kneecap completely.

"Damn it!" he cursed loudly.

This was bad, this was very bad. Fighting back the pain, he stood straight and got into his fighting stance, carefully redistributing his weight to his good leg. Just in time, too! A pinkish blur of fur, fangs and claw was already hurtling in his direction. Even before he could think about it-

"**DON'T MOV-**" Shit! He cut himself off, mid-yell. He'd sworn to never use that again! Even worse, it actually worked! The pink haired devil had stopped only a few feet before him, perfectly placed for a Mouko Kaimon Ha! It took every ounce of will power he had to prevent his body from following through on sheer instin-

A kick like a sledgehammer slammed into his completely unguarded chest with enough force to nearly bury him in the pavement. A gasp of pain, joined jovially by a rather liberal dose of blood, burst from his mouth. Hell . . . this girl, that kick could have knocked down a Tyrannosaurus! The blood from his lips joined the new batch of blood that was leaking from the four punctures in his chest as he sat there, half in a daze.

"D-damnit . . .," he coughed out weakly. Now his own instincts were screwing him over. He struggled to move his arm, even as the Catgirl came to crouch only a few inches in front of him, licking her lips in a most unsettling manner. In a rather embarrassing display, he swung at her, only to have her foot slam into his wrist and pin it painfully to the road. Her predatory smile only widened as she leaned in incredibly close, before drawing her strangely dry tongue up his cheek.

Still feeling rebellious, he growled harshly and tried to headbutt her, only to receive a backhand for his trouble, four shallow cuts opening up on his cheek. He growled again. "If it weren't for Saotome, you'd already be dead . . ."

If he was hoping to start up a meaningful dialogue, his hope was dashed rather quickly. Rather than reply, the Catgirl simply opened her small mouth wide, revealing her startlingly long fangs for all the world to see. At the last second, he closed his eyes and looked away, fairly sure what was coming next-

A crack of thunder split the air.

Or, at least that's what he thought it was. A fraction of a second later, an angry yowl nearly deafened him and the pressure on his wrist was suddenly gone, the oppressive heat of his opponent's breath vanished from his throat.

A little uncertain of what was going on, he cracked open an eyelid and took in his surroundings. In front of him, roughly thirty feet away, was the Catgirl, clutching her shoulder tightly. Why she was doing that, he wasn't sure, since her shoulder appeared to be completely fine from where he was. He quickly followed her line of sight; after all, if something had happened, than she would likely be looking at the cause.

There! Roughly thirty yards behind him was an older police officer wearing a very pale blue uniform. Heck, even the pants were pale blue. The officer wore a grim look on his face and held a smoking pistol in a double handed grip before him. Almost instantly, Ryu decided that he liked this man.

Ah, and ten feet behind the officer was a bitterly familiar figure, though wearing a matching pale blue outfit . . . Well, actually the outfits weren't matching, just the color, not that that was in anyway important, it just struck him as odd.

Damn, it irked him so, to be saved by the person that was almost solely responsible for ruining his life. Still, considering the alternative. He chuckled weakly to himself.

"Heh, about damned time, Ranma."

* * *

Daizo kept his gun trained on the distant figure of the brightly colored criminal. He still couldn't believe how fast she could move! He'd been aiming for center mass, but she'd practically blurred at the last second, and all he had done was graze her shoulder. If it weren't for the fact that it probably would have seriously injured the person they were just trying to save, he wished he'd used the laser cannon instead now.

He was getting **sick **and **tired** of these super criminals. They just weren't equipped to deal with this crap! They needed some . . . some kind of damn super squad . . . or something.

Without breaking eye contact with the magenta garbed female, he turned his head as much a possible and growled over his shoulder. "Okay, move in, Saotome, I've got you covered," he stated quickly.

His aim never wavered in the slightest as he kept his sights on the, judging by the property damage, very dangerous young woman . . .

And continued to keep his sights trained on her . . .

And continued to keep his sights trained on her . . .

And contin-

He turned angrily. "Damnit, Saotome! What the heck are you waiting for!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

The sight that awaited him was not what he expected. The pigtailed boy was not standing at his shoulder; rather the boy was hanging back a good ten feet, veritably shaking like a leaf. What the heck was going on? Now was **not **the time for his secret weapon to be getting a panic attack. Wait, the kid seemed to be muttering something to himself.

"c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c. . ."

Huh? "Um . . . Ranma, are you okay, kid?" he asked tentatively. If anything, the kid's shaking got worse and the boy lifted a trembling limb to point behind the Lieutenant.

Oh crap! He turned quickly, training his gun back on the -

He turned to see the attractive face of the exotic girl about three inches away from his, her slitted, feline eyes piercing his own. "Holy Crap!" If he hadn't already seen something completely shocking and disturbing that morning, he might have soiled his trousers right there. He desperately tried to fall backwards, just to get some space, when a hand clamped around his neck with the cold finality of a vice. He felt his feet leave the ground, giving him a rather vivid reminder of his first encounter with one of these super bastards.

"S-s-saotome, _now_ would be good," he gasped out with great effort. The continued stuttering of the letter c was his only reply.

I swear, he thought to himself right there, if I get through this, I'm going to pistol whip that kid _right_ upside the head!

A second later, the girl's face was right up in his once more. She looked at him intently, her nose wrinkling up rather cutely; apparently she didn't like his aftershave.

"Did you say Saotome, Saotome Ranma?" she asked, her voice positively predatory.

He struggled to draw in breath, wheezing heavily. As soon as he got a good lungful, he answered the only way he knew how.

"N-no, I sa-said: **Screw you, She-Bitch**!" With that he unloaded five bullets right into her gut. Like hell Uehara Daizo was gonna go out a spineless snitch! He dropped to the ground a second later, gulping down air like it was an open bar. The Catgirl staggered back, clutching her ruined stomach. Five yen sized holes bled . . . bled a magenta colored liquid that matched her hair and outfit perfectly.

Instantly, he thought of Mecha-Boi, hell, his uniform was still soaked in the cerulean liquid that had filled the robot boy. The feline female staggered back several more steps, before suddenly straightening out and smiling at him dangerously. In a flash, all five holes sealed instantly, flashing yellow, then blue, then red, before matching seamlessly with the rest of her outfit once more.

It was his turn to stagger back, shock so raw and pure that he could scarcely think straight blowing through his mind. T-t-that was the same power that Mecha-Boi had! But - but she wasn't a damn robot!

A second later, his panic was his undoing, as she was flying forward again. This time her claws led the way, he desperately tried to dive out of the way, but knew he'd never make it-

Something collided with him hard enough to empty his lungs of what little air he had remembered to gather just moments earlier. The world blurred dizzyingly for a second, before resolving enough to let him see the Catgirl slash her claws into and through the pavement where he had been half-crawling a second earlier.

"Ranma! You idiot, don't just stand there, do something!" bellowed an irate voice from very close to his side.

Whoever was yelling, it seemed to get through to the panic-stricken martial artist. Ranma finally snapped out of whatever linguistic causality loop he'd been stuck in, turning to face the Catgirl that was now standing only ten feet away from him. Wait a moment, the look on the martial artist's face wasn't just panic anymore, it was full-blown-

"**CAAAT!**"

. . . terror . . .

Faster than anything Daizo had ever seen that hadn't been fired from the barrel of a gun (and even that was debatable) Saotome turned and starting sprinting down the streets at a rate that most bats exiting the depths of hell would kill for.

The Catgirl struggled with indecision for a fraction of a second, her head swinging from the dust cloud that was once Ranma, to him and his savior, then back to the dust cloud. A fraction of a second after that, she was practically flying down the road herself.

Slowly, Daizo looked to his side, to the young man that had dragged him out of the way of that last attack. He was a relatively handsome young man, asides from the cuts on his cheek leaking blood all over the place. Had a bandanna keepin the hair out of his eyes for some reason, but that hardly seemed important. Something about the boy's eyes though, they screamed discipline and devotion.

Seemed like a good kid to him.

He gave the boy a questioning look, before looking to the heavens. Again, he drew in a lungful of life giving oxygen. "What, oh by the gods, _what_ kind of mental breakdown is my partner suffering from _now_?" he beseeched the aforementioned gods above.

The young man just shook his head, looking just as confused himself.

"I honestly have _no_ idea, officer."

* * *

! The word cycled through his mind so quickly that it lost all meaning. If he weren't so busy doing just that thing, he probably would have started to notice what a strange little word 'run' was anyway . . . Of course, having a neon pink avatar representing everything that he feared and loathed suddenly fly, howling, out of the darkest pits of his nightmares and into a footrace with him . . . it did wonders for his focus.

Another yowl, impossibly sounding even closer this time, pushed his body harder than he'd imagined was possible. He leaned forward, his arms pistons, his legs were jackhammers; there was nothing else in the world except the road ahead of him and the abomination behind him. Conscious thought didn't even come into the equation, only pure instinct.

And one instinct was yelling more loudly than any other.

He absolutely, positively, **had** to find some coldwater, **now**!

He had no idea what was going on, where he was going, where he had come from, or what special and terrible hell had vomited out the creature that was pursuing him, but there was one thing that he knew with crystal clarity: There was **no** way that he wanted to go 'Cat' around that thing that was chasing him while he was still a boy!

There was only one thought in all of the world that terrified him more than the thought of being viciously mauled by hordes of cats . . . and he couldn't even bring himself to think about it, because he was pretty sure if he started throwing up in mid sprint, 'messy' would be a pretty shallow descriptor for the disaster that would soon follow. The tiny and very, very desperate part of his mind that still retained just enough awareness to actually take in his surroundings suddenly found a solution.

There was one-

Damn! He was already past it! A second later, he saw another one-

Damn! He was running too fast, that one had vanished in a blur as well. He focused everything he had to change his trajectory just a few inches.

Damn! Missed that one by a few inches! The gleaming red metal taunted him maddeningly. His panic started to blossom beyond his control, he could practically feel the beast's breath on the back of his neck.

Manomanoman! He'd get the next one for sure! If he didn't, he was dead! . . . A sudden thought, almost a foreign concept by this point, entered his mind.

. . . Oh gods . . . this was going to hurt . . .

The scream of tearing metal, crumbling masonry and rumbling water drowned out his own scream of pain rather nicely. The hydrant collapsed under his charge in a manner reminiscent to most pop cans, the collision sending him . . . now her, slamming face first into the pavement with punishing force, as almost all of his forward momentum instantly converted into _straight down_ momentum.

. . . daaamn . . . how did that Lost Moron do this all the time? Running headlong into infrastructure hurt like hell! Unfortunately, the geyser of water scant inches behind her was spraying her liberally with water and making it very difficult for her to simply fall unconscious. Spraying curses liberally herself, she sat up, wincing at every small flare of pain that blossomed across her abused body.

Now . . . why the hell had she done that again? In retrospect, running headfirst into a fire hydrant seemed like an incredibly stupid thing to do . . . She giggled to herself. Oh yeah! She was being chased by a murderous Catgirl!

Chased by a murderous Catgirl?

Ranma was on her feet, aches and pains be damned! The feline terror had practically been breathing down her neck when she'd plowed into the hydrant . . . So why wasn't she already sans eyeballs and intestines? Hmm, that was odd . . . The red head wearing the blue outfit turned around cautiously, scanning the streets.

She tried to stretch out her senses . . . not that she really _wanted_ to find the snarling beast, but it was pretty damn weird that she would just vanish after chasing him so far. Hmm, there was a fading sense of . . . something, but it was dispersing pretty quickly. Really, whatever it was, it could have been anything, nothing that he could tie to his pursuer in any concrete fashion.

Finally, the petite female shrugged her shoulders and started making her way back down the street to meet her partner. Actually . . . she really hoped he'd bring the squad car around, she really didn't wanna walk to whole way back.

Still, where the hell had that Catgirl gone?

She didn't even notice the last traces of magenta tainted water slipping into the sewers.

* * *

About an hour later, the three of them were back at the precinct, washed changed and bandaged after their various ordeals. Ranma sighed happily, dropping the towel that he'd just dried his hair with around his shoulders. It was definitely good to be a guy again, it was just too bad he didn't have a spare change of clothes with him, but the spare uniform he'd borrowed from that Kaneda guy seemed to fit pretty well.

He was perched on the corner of the Lieutenant's desk, said Lieutenant seated comfortably in his chair on the other side of said desk. Uehara had finally gotten rid of his stained uniform, now wearing a simple pair of black trousers and a white shirt. The long brown trench coat and matching fedora were new, but seemed to suit the older man. The officer also let out a weary sigh.

Sitting in a chair at one of the many empty desks, was Ryu. The guy had also changed out of his ruined clothes, replaced by another set from his convenient backpack. The only differences were the bandages on the guy's cheek and forearms . . . and those were only the ones he could actually see. Whoever that girl had been, she'd really worked the guy over . . . which kind of made him wonder how well _he_ would have done against her if it had come to that. He'd like to think he'd have done better, anyway.

The Lieutenant finally broke the tense silence that reigned over them. "So, Kumon, that's the situation as we see it so far." The older man looked to be studying the other martial artist seriously, waiting for a response.

He would have to wait, though, as another officer suddenly barged in on their conversation. The new officer, Suzahara from what he'd heard, slapped a folder onto Uehara's desk, a dark look on his face. "Looks like you've got your first fatality here, Uehara. "

"**What**?"

Ranma's shout of shock was quickly followed by Ryu's

"What happened?"

The homicide officer looked at the both of them, a serious expression on his face. He then turned to focus on Ryu for some reason. "Some rich lady was murdered. She was living in an apartment pretty much right on top of where your fight broke out. Time of death was probably only a few minutes before the assailant went after you. No idea what the motive was, yet, but I'm not even gonna say what we found in there," muttered Suzahara.

The Lieutenant nodded grimly, picking up the folder and absently leafing through its contents. "All the more reason for us to find out what's going on here." If the older man was at all fazed by what he saw in the folder, he didn't show it.

Ranma wasn't sure what had shocked him more, the fact that someone had actually died, or the cold indifference which the Lieutenant displayed over it. Sure, he hadn't actually seen the body, and logically knew that there was nothing he could have done to stop it . . . but still, no one had ever died from one of his escapades before and that was exactly how he had seen this entire thing until this point. Sure, it had been a bit more serious lately, but it was just another set of random goons coming out trying to beat him in a fight, nothing he wasn't used to.

Suddenly, this game didn't seem fun anymore . . .

A moment later, Lieutenant Uehara dropped the folder back down on his desk. "I don't know what it is yet, but there's a connection between our last two villains. Heck, I bet all of our recent villains are connected. We just gotta figure out how they're connected, how many more of them there might be, and if possible, who are they all working for."

Ranma and the homicide officer nodded in agreement. The pig tailed martial artist did his best to shake off the morbid train of thought and get back into a more analytical mindset. He wasn't gonna help anyone if he freaked out now. Slowly, he started to think about everything that had happened up to that point.

It had all been so random initially, but things had been falling into place more and more lately. All the criminals had that stupid color scheme thing going, something that they hadn't even thought about until now. Then, the first one, Saico-Tek, had been targeting the police, as had the second and third. The last two hadn't been targeting police, though. Mecha-Boi and that Catgirl had actually been after him, the Catgirl even asking for him by name.

So, someone was targeting law enforcement agents and anyone that associated with them. Then, of course, the real cincher, the fact that these last two shared the same ability to instantly regenerate their wounds. It made it pretty obvious that, if anything, they all had some common source to their abilities.

Unfortunately, there were a hell of a lot more unanswered questions than there were answered ones. Why had Mecha-Boi burst into a puddle of liquid? Why had the Catgirl attacked people that obviously weren't police or him? Why were they all taking turns for that matter? Ranma shook his head, starting to feel a headache coming on. So, instead, he turned back to the conversation between Uehara and Ryu.

"So, will you help us out with this, Kumon? You're the only other person we've seen, besides Saotome here, that can actually go one on one with these things. Things are getting more serious by the day; people are dying now, kid. Your assistance could be vital in stopping these bastards before they can kill again," stated the Lieutenant seriously.

Ryu matched the officer's gaze just as intently. The homeless warrior looked like he was considering the request very seriously, possibly even like he would accept it . . . Until the boy's gaze slid over to catch his own. Ranma nearly groaned at the resentful glare that formed in the boy's eyes as they locked gazes. A second later, Ryu swung back to Lieutenant Uehara.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Uehara, but as you saw, I'm unable to fight at my full capabilities any more. The way I am now, I'd likely just get in your way against such dangerous opponents." Ryu then rose to his feet and began to shoulder his pack once more. Almost as an afterthought, the headband wearing youth nodded in Ranma's direction. "Besides, there's no way in hell that I'd ever work with that bastard. You two are on your own."

There was no way that Ranma was gonna let that one slide. Where the hell was all of this hostility coming from? He'd thought they'd parted on relatively friendly terms . . . as far as such a thing was for him.

"What's the problem, Ryu, ya get beaten up by a girl and now you're too scared to fight anymore?"

_That_ did it. With a snarl, the former master of the Yamasen-ken spun to face him. "Go to Hell, Saotome! If it weren't for that damned promise you forced me to make, I would have dealt with that girl easily!"

Ranma waved his hand dismissively. "You're jokin, right? That was nearly a year ago. You tellin me you ain't gotten over that yet?" Sheesh, how lame could one guy get?

Apparently it wasn't the right thing to say, as Ryu stormed forward, twisting a fist tightly into his shirt. Ranma met the other guy's stare evenly. "You don't understand, you jerk! I spent all my _life_ mastering the Yamasen-ken. You didn't just make me seal away a technique, you made me abandon the very heart of my fighting style, you forced me to betray the dying wish of my father!" With a savage push, Ryu shoved him back and spun away again. "Why the hell am I even talking to you?"

The other boy then acknowledged the Lieutenant again. "Like I said, I'm sorry, mister. I'd like to help, but I'd just get in your way as I am. Maybe, someday, I'll find or develop something to replace the Yamasen-ken, but until then, I am a crippled man."

Lieutenant Uehara turned his way, shooting him a questioning look. Ranma could only sigh in response. Ryu did have a point, even without the Yamasen-ken, he was likely good enough to wipe the floor with most martial artists, but asking him to help against such powerful and dangerous opponents without it just wasn't fair. It'd almost be like someone telling him to give up the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling.

Still, Ryu was by far the best fighter he knew in Nerima at the moment (besides himself, of course), it would be a waste to let him leave like this . . .

"Ryu . . . wait a sec."

He wasn't sure why the other boy actually stopped, perhaps it was the tone in his voice, or maybe the guy was just naturally curious, but whatever the reason, stop he did. Without turning, Ryu fired a brief interrogative over his shoulder.

"Ryu, we really need your help with this. You gotta stay and help us," he not-quite pleaded.

An amused snort escaped his former enemy's lips. "I don't _gotta_ do anything. I don't like you, Saotome, never have, so why should I he-"

"Shut the **hell** up!" he yelled, angrily cutting Ryu off. He swung his arm out, punctuating his frustrated point. "I don't give a crap if you hate me! This isn't about me and it ain't about you! Ryu, people are _dyin_ here, man. Is your pride or my honor more important than that, are you willin to let people get killed just because you _don't like me_?" he spat out.

A look of shame descended upon the Kumon-heir's face at that declaration. Ryu looked away, unable to keep his gaze.

"Look, Saotome Ranma don't lose, not to no one and not to no thing. I've never hidden the fact that I'll do anything it takes to win, and that ain't gonna change now that people's lives are actually on the line. I don't know who's behind all this stuff, but I do know that me and the Lieutenant ain't gonna be able to handle it alone. If getting your help might stop even one more person from dyin, then I'll do whatever it takes to get that help. And if lettin you use the Yamasen-ken is what it takes to get you to help us, then that's what I'll do!"

Ryu spun around at _that_, his eyes becoming veritable dinner plates as he stared in shock. Almost instantly, Kumon was inches away from him, fists clenched into his shirt desperately.

"You-you would do that? You would unseal the Yamasen-ken if I agreed to help you?" he asked, just as desperately.

Ranma let out a long sigh, he wasn't completely sure about this. Ryu was right though, he wouldn't be much help if he was still struggling to rebuild his own style from the ground up. These enemies weren't the type to let you walk away and learn from your mistakes. After all, not even _he_ won _every_ fight . . .

Another sigh, "Not . . . exactly." He ignored Ryu's raised eyebrow. "Look, the Yamasen-ken is still a dangerous art, too dangerous for normal use. I'll allow you to use it if you agree to several conditions," he stated seriously.

Ryu released him, slowly moving back to lean against another desk. The look in the boy's eyes shifted from joyous to calculating as he prepared to hear the demands. Ranma obliged him quickly.

"First, the Yamasen-ken is still a sealed art, so you have to promise not to teach it to anyone else," he began. Ryu nodded easily. Of course, Ranma knew that Ryu was smart enough to see the loophole there. He couldn't force the boy to not teach any techniques that he innovated that were based on the style after all. Ryu wasn't a lazy thief like his old man, so if he did reinvent the style to suit himself, he imagined it could actually form a higher and nobler art in the long run.

"Second, you must _promise _to _only _use it in matters of life and death. That means no running around and challenging anyone you feel like. Only when your life is actually in danger, like it was today, got it?"

The fatigue wearing boy didn't seem quite as happy about this limitation. It took several more seconds of contemplation before he finally, and grudgingly, nodded. If he agreed to join them, it wasn't like he wasn't going to have any shortage of chances to use it. The most imporatant thing, was that Ryu would be allowed to practice the art once more.

"Fine, Saotome, I'll accept your terms, but only because of the severity of the circumstances. I only have one condition of my own," Ryu replied, a wicked smile beginning to spread on his lips.

His own condition? Ranma grumbled at that, Ryu wasn't exactly in a position to be making demands after how generous he'd been. "What's that?"

Ryu's smile only widened. "When we run into that Catgirl again . . . she's mine."

Ranma nearly laughed out loud at that demand. That was one ultimatum that the Saotome heir would only be _too _glad to agree with. Happy with the deal, or happy enough anyway, he nodded and offered his hand to the master of the Noisy Thief. Ryu returned his weary smile and took the offered hand in and shook it once.

Behind them, the Lieutenant let out a sarcastic groan. "Oh, happy days are here again, the bitter enemies are friends again. Sheesh, can we cut all the Nancy boy 'warrior rival' crap and start acting like we're living in the twentieth century again?" muttered the older man.

The cop only grinned in the face of the combined power of their withering gazes. Some people just didn't appreciate a warrior's bond anymore. "And while we're on the subject," continued the aging officer.

"What the hell is a Yamasen-ken?"

* * *

Brushogun spread out his arms and relished the distant walls and high ceilings of his newest lair. The abandoned warehouse was perfect for his needs . . . Of course, he used the term abandoned loosely, considering it had only become _abandoned _about an hour and a half earlier. He didn't even feel any remorse for the warehouse workers that he had snuffed out, either. But then, it wasn't like they were important characters. They had been killed out of panel, anyway, so their deaths were pretty much meaningless to the story.

What he _was_ disappointed with, was the rather ignoble fate that had befallen his latest minion. Reduced to so much ink by a fire hydrant? He was trying to write a tragedy here, not a comedy. Of course, she hadn't been completely useless; she had revealed some very interesting information before she had been annihilated.

So the black haired Saotome boy and the red haired girl were one and the same. It hardly made sense, but that didn't really matter anymore, if anyone understood the transformative powers of magic, it was him. More importantly, was how _boring_ it was! The boy turned into a girl when he got wet? Where was the crippling weakness, where was the sensational transformation sequence? Brushogun wasn't even certain that it was something that even merited a scheme; really, what was he going to do, embarrass the boy at school? It was just pathetic!

The fear of cats though, that was just absurd enough to be funny. Who in their right minds was afraid of _cats_? Not just afraid, but full blown phobia terrified. It was amusing enough to think about, but then, he did hate the idea of a repeat performance. He'd have to think of another way to come at his nemesis with the feline motif.

Oh well, he might have lost the battle, but he was one step closer to winning the war. The Ink Demon turned to face the north, seeing something far beyond the simple confines of his warehouse lair. Somewhere, deep within the heart of the Nerima district . . .

From a bird's-eye view, Brushogun watched Saotome Ranma and the unusual boy from earlier enter the back door or a rather nice dojo.

* * *

"And _that_, Akane, is why Ryu is currently training in the dojo," Ranma finally finished, wheezing heavily for breath.

The blue haired girl stared at the pigtailed boy, still trying to take in the entire retelling of the boy's day. It all just seemed so surreal to her. Now, more so than ever, she was certain of her decision to stay out of this business.

"You mean, someone was actually _murdered_ by that Catgirl?" she asked, still not believing it. It was just too terrifying to contemplate. Logically, she knew that people like the Headmaster were terrible people, more than capable of killing to fulfill their aims, but she had never actually heard about anyone actually getting killed before like this.

Was this the new kind of enemy that her fiancé was getting involved with?

Ranma just nodded, a somber look on his face. "Yeah, it hardly seems real to me, either. That's why I was so adamant about getting Ryu to help us. The guy's a jerk, but he's actually good enough to fight these things on the same level I do . . . now that he can use the Yamasen-ken again."

She shook her head, still bewildered about that as well. It wasn't like Ranma to go back on his word like that. For him to do something that so flagrantly went against his sense of honor, it was a very powerful indication of just how seriously he was taking the latest twist of this situation. Internally, she was relieved to know that he wasn't just looking at this like another game, like he had when they had gone to rescue her sisters. She knew that he knew just how dangerous these people were now.

"Well, if these people are as dangerous as you say, then why don't you unseal the Umisen-ken as well? You should be using every possible advantage you can get, and the Umisen-ken is incredibly powerful," she asked in concern.

He nodded slowly, but then his nods dissolved into a negative shake of his head. "Naw, I'd thought of that, but I swore to seal the Umisen-ken up, and I intend to honor that," he replied.

"What? But why not? You've already unsealed one art, why not the other?"

Ranma let out a resigned sigh. "But I didn't unseal it, not really anyway. Ya see, the only reason that I'm letting Ryu use it, is because he _needs_ to. To me, the Umisen-ken is just another set of techniques, but to him, the Yamasen-ken is the heart of his entire style. Asking him to help me when he can't even fight at his full potential, it'd be pretty much asking him to commit suicide," he tried to explain to her.

She wasn't quite getting it yet though. "But Umisen-ken is the more powerful art, sure, it might not be central to your style, but it could only help you in a fight," she felt her growing concern mirror in her voice.

The pigtailed boy smiled then, a sagely smile that just screamed 'I know something you don't, Grasshopper'. He lifted a hand up and raised a finger, as if illustrating that he had a point to make. "Ahh, Akane, that's not what my pops said at all. He said that the Umisen-ken is the _higher_ art, which it is. The silent thief relies on much more refined and subtle techniques than the noisy thief, but in all honesty, the Yamasen-ken is the more powerful art of the two."

She replied in the only way she could. "Huh? But your Silent Thief defeated his Noisy Thief, how could his style be more powerful?" This wasn't making any sense to her at all, and less sense by the second.

Ranma nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I did, but think about it, Akane. Of course the Umisen-ken beat the Yamasen-ken; pretty much all of the Umisen-ken maneuvers are direct counters to the Yamasen-ken techniques. I don't know why pops did something as dumb as create one style, then create a second one which seemed to be solely designed to counter that style, but that's what he did.

"Aside from the Umisen-ken opening move and the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist, each move is pretty much tailor made to counter the Yamasen-ken maneuvers. I mean: the Armored Door Splitting Fang Failure counters the Welcome Gate Iron Fang Fingers. The Self-Protection Shooting Star Cloth is a counter to the Jewel Held in One's Pocket Kill, which is followed up by the Carp-Fish Bodyflip and the High Mountain Reverse Sea Ability. And, most telling, the Demon-Guardian Searching the Sea Wrap is specifically designed to counter the First-Rate Demon God Assault Bomb, heck, I can't even imagine another situation where that move would work yet."

Akane was forced to nod, she remembered the fight keenly. She remembered how he'd used those very counters, even commented on how they had all linked together so well. It was obvious that Ranma had a much better understanding of the techniques than she did.

While she was contemplating that, he continued his lecture, apparently enjoying educating her. "I mean, when you think about it, the Yamasen-ken's attacks can work on anyone, they're all direct attacks. The Demon God Assault Bomb is enough proof of just how powerful and destructive of a style it is. So, yeah, while the Umisen-ken is a higher art, the Yamasen-ken is definitely the more powerful of the two."

She wasn't ready to give up on the discussion yet. If there was any way that using those sealed techniques could help keep her fiancé safe, than she wanted him to use them. "Then why not just use the opening move and the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist? If you had the ability to turn invisible, that'd make you much less likely to be hurt, wouldn't it? And then you could spy on the bad guys, sneak past security cameras and all that kind of stuff. It would be very helpful in tracking down these criminals, wouldn't it?"

This time, Ranma shook his head in disagreement. "The opening of the Umisen-ken doesn't actually work like that, dummy. It doesn't make me invisible, it just erases my presence," he explained carefully.

She scratched her head, just interested enough in his answer to let the dummy comment slide for now. "What's the difference? Either way, your enemy can't see you, right?"

Another head shake. "Wrong. It just means they can't follow my movements. As my pops said, the secret of the Umisen-ken is to make yourself invisible to your opponent, then attack from where your opponent can't see you coming. You accomplish that by, first, hiding your chi, and then by slipping into their blind spot when a distraction allows. Because of the speed training of the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist and the suppression of my chi, I'm fast enough to literally vanish into a person's blind spots and stay there. Why do you think all of the follow up attacks come from behind? If I were able to actually become invisible, I could just walk up to my opponent and punch them in the face.

"And the security camera thing is just way out, like I said, I don't actually go invisible, just the next best thing. So, yeah, I agree with you, using the Umisen-ken would probably help me out, but unlike Ryu, I don't _need _to use it. Sure, it's great, but definitely not powerful enough to make me unseal it at this point. Not to mention the fact that I'm not even sure it would work on these guys, I mean, Mecha-Boi was a robot, so I don't think hiding my chi would have helped one way or the other . . ." Ranma trailed off slowly, she could practically see the gears in his head turning. It was pretty obvious that he'd piqued his own curiosity as to the various applications of his own technique.

She knew he was downplaying the usefulness of the Silent Thief style, probably in an attempt to convince _himself _that he didn't need it, but he had made some valid points. And really, as much as she wanted to state she was as skilled as anyone else in Nerima, she didn't even know a fraction of the theory behind any of his techniques to actually argue him on any of his points. Even if she did, her stubborn fiancé would likely prove her wrong in short order, anyway. After all, he had learned the technique after seeing it just once, she'd watched an entire battle and she still didn't have the slightest clue how it was done.

"Fine, Ranma, fine. I won't argue with you anymore. I was just concerned for your welfare was all, no need to turn it into a lecture," she grumbled lightly. "You just better make sure that Ryu doesn't destroy the dojo while he's practicing his moves. I think one dojo destroyed by your father's legacy is enough, don't you?"

Ranma's good natured laugh brought a little smile to her face as well. "Ya got that right. Though it'd be a good excuse as any to give the Old Man another beating."

Any further discussion was derailed, as a sudden knocking at the front door startled the both of them. Akane looked up to the clock thoughtfully. "Hmm, it's in the evening, who could be visiting us at this hour?" she asked, honestly confused. Most of the people that tended to come by at odd hours were half a world away at the moment.

Ranma just shrugged in response, as lost as she was. Well, she didn't want to be rude. A second later, she hopped up to her feet and went to answer the door. Another knock came as she made her way over. "Just a moment! I'm coming!" she called out to their mysterious visitors. As stated, a moment later she arrived at the front door. She took a moment to straighten out her outfit and hair, wanting to look her best for any company, then opened the door, a Kasumi-esque smile on her face.

"Oh, my! It's you!"


	13. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 5

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble In Little Tokyo

Chapter Five

Tolerate if you will, enjoy if you won't.

* * *

Akane took a moment to straighten out her clothing and hair as she stood before the front door. After all, she wanted to look her best for their visitors . . . whoever they may be. Finally happy with her primping, she opened the door, a Kasumi-esque smile on her face.

The sight of the trio standing before her caused the smile to drop from her face so fast that it nearly broke her toe. Still shocked, she just blurted out the first thing she could think of, given the circumstances.

"Oh, my! It's you!"

The tallest of the trio, a rather stern looking police officer, took a step forward and bowed formally. He then straightened out and looked at her intently. "Excuse me, Miss, but is this the Tendo Dojo?" he asked politely.

She nodded absently for a moment, before suddenly finding her senses and stuttering out a response. "O-of course it is. May I ask what brings you here?"

What brings him here? What kind of stupid question was that? It was blatantly obvious why the officer was here, considering who he was shepherding around. The better question would be: what were _they_ doing here? And with a police escort no less?

"Well, Miss Tendo . . . it is Miss Tendo, correct?" he asked, again in that polite tone. She replied with a simple nod, motioning for him to continue.

"Well, Miss Tendo, Lieutenant Uehara put out an All Points Bulletin, he was very insistent on talking to these two young ladies." He gestured to the two young ladies that accompanied him. The older of the two wore her extravagantly long brunette hair in a sinuous ponytail, while her sharply cut bangs nearly hung over her narrow, chestnut eyes. The younger of the two tamed her rather wild, shoulder length brown hair with a long red ribbon tied into a large, cute bow at the back of her head. Both were wearing sailor uniforms, the former's a navy blue affair and the latter's a more traditional white and blue uniform. They each carried a large sack before them, as well, which carried all of their worldly possessions.

Both girls seemed to be slightly confused about the situation as well. But while the older girl wore a cool, neutral expression, the younger girl wore a hopeful look on her adorable face. They were both mindful of the officer though, and refrained from giving any form of greeting yet, aside from the elder sister's simple nod of recognition.

The officer chuckled weakly, drawing Akane's attention back to him. "You wouldn't believe the favors that the Lieutenant had to pull in on this. They were actually found by the Yokohama police force. Heh, but that's enough of that. We were told, once we found these two, to bring them here, to the Tendo Dojo."

She nodded, starting to piece the puzzle together in her head. "Did Lieutenant Uehara tell you why they were supposed to be brought here?" She hated to ask the question, especially right in front of her two guests, but she had an odd feeling she already knew the answer. Of course, she knew that Kasumi would never have been so rude to anyone . . .

The officer scratched the back of his head. "Well, he didn't give out many details, but he said that it was extremely urgent. Also, there is apparently a Saotome Ranma residing here, and that he would apprise them of the situation."

Akane hid her hands in the folds of her skirt, desperately hiding her painfully clenching fists. So _that_ was what that phone call that Ranma had made over a week ago had been about. Was he really so desperate for help that he sent busy police officers scouring the entire country looking for her wayward sisters? It appeared that she would have to . . . talk . . . to her fiancé about this.

The officer stared at her oddly for a moment, perhaps taking in the strained smile on her face. A moment later, the tall man simply shrugged. "Well, if everything is in order then, I'll leave these two ladies in your care." He then turned to the two girls and bowed to each one. "Miss Natsume, Miss Kurumi, I thank you for your cooperation in this situation. I hope that you haven't been too inconvenienced by this."

Natsume returned the bow, even returning a weak smile of her own. "Not at all, Officer Tsukino. You have been extremely professional and generous in your conduct. My sister and I both thank you for bringing us here so quickly."

Kurumi, on the other hand, was not so reserved. The lightning fast young girl ran forward and hugged the poor officer tightly. "Thank you for buying us all of those snacks as well, Officer! They were delicious!" she cried out happily. A moment later she released the man and fell back into step with her sister. Officer Tsukino chuckled happily once more, before waving farewell to all of them.

"Have a nice evening, ladies."

And then he was gone. Akane turned back to her not-quite-sisters. Well, it appeared that her initial conclusion about the two of them being in trouble with the law had been completely wrong. Now the youngest true Tendo felt bad for being so rude in her greeting earlier. Bowing deeply to Natsume and Kurumi, she gave them both her first real smile since seeing them at the door.

"Please, come in. We have a lot of catching up to do!"

* * *

Ryu casually draped the towel around his neck as he exited the dojo. He'd built up quite a sweat during his workout, but it had felt damn good to be practicing his true fighting style after so long. Of course, it would take him a little while to get back up to full speed, but it had surprised him how quickly many of the movements had returned to him. He just couldn't wait to run into that damned Catgirl again. At their next meeting, he would show her the true terror of the Yamasen-ken . . .

And then he'd kill her.

A grim smile spread across his lips. Whatever that feline monster had been, it wasn't human; no human could have possibly done what that Catgirl had done to those unfortunate people that it had attacked before it came after him. He swore, right then and there, that he would avenge not only his defeat, but also the lives of those unfortunates the next time that he crossed paths with that fanged terror.

Without another thought, he entered the dining room, absently using a corner of the towel to brush some errant sweat from his bangs. Ranma was already there, sitting at the table and munching on a pork bun from the large bowl set at the center of the said table. Silently, the fatigue wearing warrior strode over and dropped down at the head of the table, grabbing one of the morsels for himself. After his first bite, he noticed a tiny detail.

"Hey, where's that Akane girl? I thought you were explaining the whole situation to her?"

Ranma turned a rather lackadaisical eye his way and simply shrugged before taking another bite from his pork bun. After chewing for a small eternity, possibly just _trying _to annoy him, the pigtailed boy finally swallowed the food and answered. "Someone's at the door."

Well, a simple enough answer he supposed. Of course, the _way_ that his companion answered made him want to club him upside the head, but he figured there would be plenty of time for that later. Not really feeling up to chit chatting with the architect of his greatest defeat, he scanned the rest of the room for something more entertaining to pass the time with.

Hmm, there was a pile of comic books sitting at the end of the table. Come to think of it, Akane had been reading them when Ranma and he had arrived a few hours ago. It seemed like an unusually normal hobby for someone to have that lived in the same world of martial arts than he and Ranma did, if only for the fact that the life of a wandering martial artist generally didn't lend itself to actually having any money to spend on such a frivolous thing.

His stare lingered on the colorfully designed cover of the manga that sat at the top of the stack . . . It was a girl's comic and it certainly looked like it . . . but, then, it was that or actually talk to Ranma . . .

Well, that was no decision at all, really. He reached out slowly, purposefully ignoring the trailing eyes of the actual Saotome. Sailor Moon, eh? That didn't even make sense . . . there wasn't any water on the moon; sure, there were seas and such, but he was pretty sure it wasn't meant literally.

. . . The girl on the cover was pretty cute though. He was about to break down and open the cover, when -

Suddenly, Akane stormed into the room, a rather stormy expression on her face. Without even slowing, the young woman strode up to and straight past the table, not even slowing as she suddenly grabbed her fiancé's pigtail in a death grip and started dragging him out of the room!

Ryu quickly dropped the girly comic and turned to watch the spectacle. He smiled widely at Ranma's strangled cries of pain as he slid helplessly across the floor; this certainly seemed more entertaining than reading. Almost as an afterthought, Akane looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Hey, Ryu. Could you please entertain Natsume and Kurumi for me? I need to _talk _to Ranma." That said, she continued out of the room. He could only nod, for fear of bursting out in laughter at the sight. Suddenly a series of thumps filled the air, almost like something heavy being dragged up a set of stairs . . .

'Well, better him than me,' he thought to himself.

Still, Akane seemed like a nice girl, and she'd been nice enough to feed him, so he figured entertaining her friends was the least he could . . . do . . .

His casual turn back to the entranceway slowed down to a glacial crawl as he got his first look at the two girls that Akane had asked him to entertain.

He glossed over the shorter girl in a flash. Sure, she was cute enough, but looked too young for his taste and, well, too _cute_. Where his stare had passed over her in a fraction of a moment, though, it lingered dangerously on the older girl.

There wasn't anything cute about her, from her unbelievably long ponytail to her narrow, intense chestnut eyes. And, was that a . . . rug beater strapped to her back?

Just moments before he could catch himself for staring, both sisters suddenly bowed politely to him.

"Greetings, Mr. Hibiki, it is pleasant to meet you again," she spoke in an extremely formal tone, her voice surprisingly rich. A fraction of a second later, the younger girl flew forward and planted herself at the table, nearly slavering at the sight of the bowl containing the pork buns. Her eyes were saucers of glistening joy and a high pitch squeal escaped the kid's throat. He chuckled to himself; she must have been pretty hungry to get that worked up over some food . . .

Wait a second!

"Wait a second! Who's Mr. Hibiki? My name is Kumon Ryu," he stated in obvious confusion. He aimed his inquiry at the young woman with the rug beater, not expecting any useful reply from the food obsessed girl sitting in front of him.

She rose from her bow at that and suddenly did a double take as she looked at him again. An actual embarrassed expression bloomed on her face, something that didn't seem quite natural for such a forceful looking young woman, and she bowed quickly again.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Kumon!" She rose from her apologetic bow, apparently studying him more intently this time. "It's just that you bear a passing resemblance to a young man that was here the last time we were here. When I saw your bandanna, I just automatically assumed . . . please forgive me for my presumption."

Ah, so that was it, an honest mistake. No need for him to get offended. Though it was funny that he would get a case of mistaken identity after having stolen someone else's identity for so long. He decided to give the young woman a casual smile to try to put her at ease. He then gestured for her to sit down next to him, which she did obligingly.

"That's okay, these things happen, especially to me, lately. By the way, what's your name? I know one of you is Natsume and one of you is Kurumi, but not which is which, heh," he asked conversationally. The girl's cheeks suddenly burned red with embarrassment once again.

"How rude of me! Not only did I mistake you for someone else, I also forgot to introduce my sister and myself. My name is Natsume and my sister's name is Kurumi," she explained sheepishly. Ryu smiled, Natsume, eh? The name suddenly seemed so much more appealing now that he had a face to attach it to. Of course, not wanting to seem rude himself, he turned to Kurumi and gave her a polite nod as well -

Wait another second!

"Hey . . . wasn't that bowl full of pork buns just a second ago?"

"Hee hee, I'm sorry, Mr. Kumon, did you want some more?" replied the younger sister in that overly sweet voice of hers. He just shook his head in disbelief . . . how had she . . . ?

He shook his head again, apparently he'd underestimated just how starved these girls had been.

"Um . . . no, I'm fine." If the girl was really that hungry, he couldn't really hold it against her, now could he. Oh well, at least he had gotten one, anyway.

With one last shrug, he turned back to Natsume, just in time to catch her studying him out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't the appraising look that he was used to getting from young women, though; she almost seemed to be analyzing him with those cool, penetrating eyes. If he didn't know better, he'd guess that she was trying to gauge whether he was a martial artist or not.

Well, he decided to return the favor. His own analysis took only a single second, and as soon as he finished, he asked the most obvious question he could think of. Smiling widely now, he leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand, facing Natsume directly.

"So, how did you do against him?"

Natsume looked at him oddly for a moment. "Excuse me? Whatever are you talking about?"

His smile only widened at that. "How did your fight against Saotome go? It's obvious that you're a martial artist, and probably a good one at that. I'm assuming you must have fought him at some point," he stated confidently.

The ponytail wearing girl stared at him oddly again, before a small smile finally formed on her lips. It was, he decided, a rather unique smile. "Very well, but then _you_ must tell me how you fared," she replied, an interesting note in her voice that he couldn't place for the life of him.

He nodded, feeling a tiny twinge of competitiveness blooming inside him. He was sure that his story would be better, but she seemed to be very certain of herself. "Sure, fair is fair, after all."

The proper young woman settled in for her upcoming storytelling session. A far away look began to enter her eyes as the memories flooded back to her.

"Well, our first battle went exceptionally well; neither Ranma nor Akane could even touch us . . ."

* * *

Ranma grumbled loudly as he sat on his bed. Gingerly he rubbed the back of his head, trying to sooth the pain of being dragged up the stairs by his pigtail.

"Sheesh, Akane, what the heck did ya do that for?" he asked bitterly. He'd thought they'd been getting along really well lately.

Akane stopped her pacing across the room to glare at him. "Humph, as if you didn't know. You actually had the police hunt down Natsume and Kurumi and drag them all the way here, against their will, just so they could help you fight these new enemies of yours? That has to be one of the most** selfish **things you've ever **done**! Didn't you even consider their feelings in all of this, or that they might have had something important they were doing?" she breathed out in a huff.

Ranma reeled slightly at that . . . The cops had brought them right to the **dojo**?

Oh gods, Nabiki was going to kill him!

Suddenly, Akane's rather heated statement didn't seem quite as intimidating as usual. Still, he figured he'd better answer, lest the girl get even angrier. After all, he could always wail in despair over the hell Nabiki would likely make his life later, in private.

"Sheesh, 'Kane. I figured you'd be _happy_ to see them again. Besides, it ain't like they were dragged here, I just told Lieutenant Uehara to ask them if they could help me out. If they're here, that means it was their choice to come," he fired back, feeling strangely confident in his rightness on this one.

That confidence wavered quite quickly, though, as Akane's features darkened fearfully at his rebuttal. Her glare froze him in place as she stalked forward angrily. "Of **course **I'm happy to see them! At least I _would_ be, if you weren't planning on getting them involved in such a dangerous situation!"

He nearly snorted at that. "Feh, those two can take care of themselves, Akane. They're two of the best female fighters I know, heck, Natsume alone could beat someone as tough as Shampoo by herself. And as a team they're even better, after all, they even gave _me_ a little trouble, ya don't get much better than that!" he replied easily.

If he had hoped to put the girl at ease, though, his efforts appeared to be in vain. "These people you're fighting, they aren't martial artists, Ranma. You have to stop thinking about this like one of your stupid challenges! People are dying; just _one_ of these things nearly killed someone as powerful as _Ryu_! Natsume and Kurumi might not be my real sisters, but I still care about them. I don't want to see them get hurt . . . or worse," she exclaimed heatedly.

Ohhh, that made sense to the pigtailed martial artist. A little too much sense, really, he almost would have preferred her jealousy over this, at least that he was used to. "Hey now, I don't wanna see 'em get hurt anymore than you do! I didn't know things were gonna get this messed up when I made that call, ya know?"

He tugged his pigtail nervously. He honestly had no idea that things would ever get this serious when he had got involved with that Saico-Tek guy. Really, that guy had been a joke, but the fights had been escalating ever since. "Look, I'll give Raven a call later tonight. She helped out with Mecha-Boi, I bet she could give us an idea on how to find whoever is behind all of these bad guys."

Impossibly, Akane's glare only intensified! "You're going to call Raven _again_?" the temperamental girl muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Huh? What're ya goin on about now? I've only talked to Raven once in the past couple days."

"Yeah, for _two hours_!" The heat in Akane's voice was very different from the passionate concern she was showing seconds earlier.

Ranma groaned loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead. Then a thought suddenly entered his mind. "Wait a second! How'd you know how long I was talkin to her? Were you listening in on my call?" he asked, a bit of heat entering his own voice now.

Rather than get embarrassed over getting caught, his fiancée only got angrier at him. "No! Why should I care what you have to say to her? Heck, you can talk to Raven _all night_ for all I care!"

Man . . . not this again. It had been unbearable back in Jump city, in the days after their victory over the Headmaster. Akane, Shampoo and Ukyou had all been on his case over who he had decided to spend some of his time with. Well, that was enough! He jumped to his feet, quickly enough to cause Akane to backpedal a step.

"Hey! You can get angry, jealous, or violent about anything you want, but you do **not** get mad about **Raven**!" The forcefulness of his words shocked even himself. Akane's mouth actually snapped shut in shock as she looked at him with disbelieving eyes. And yet, he couldn't stop; he actually pointed an angry finger at her accusingly. "Raven saved all our lives back at the Academy, so she deserves a hell of a lot better than your paranoid jealousy. And Raven is my **friend**, damnit, hell, she's probly the only girl I know that ain't tryin to marry me or kill me at the moment, so **back off**!"

That seemed to do it. In a matter of seconds, her angry glower dissolved into a shamefaced expression that actually even made him feel a little bad. He didn't want to be so harsh to the girl, but there was no way he was going to stand for her getting jealous over the violet haired Titan.

"I-I'm sorry, Ranma . . . I didn't know you felt so strongly about her . . .," trailed off his fiancé. The hurt tone in her voice was so pronounced that even he picked it up. Aww, man, was she gonna start going the other way now?

Quickly, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. She tensed up fiercely at his touch for a moment, before slowly relaxing. Gently, he ran a soothing hand through her hair and began to whisper soothing.

"Heh, ya big dummy. Raven is the _last_ person in the world that ya gotta be jealous of. She's still hung up on the Lost Boy, remember? Besides, she made it pretty darn clear that I was . . . um . . . how did she put it . . . 'Exactly the kind of egotistical, chest thumping, testosterone pumping alpha male that she couldn't stand.'"

Akane looked up at him at that, a weak smile on her face. " . . . And yet she likes Ryouga for some reason?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

* * *

Kurumi glanced around the room anxiously . . . something seemed to be . . . off to her. She looked back at the two people across the table from her, her eyes narrowing slightly. The young martial artist wasn't sure what was going on with her older sister, but Natsume seemed to be acting strangely around this strange boy. It was obvious that that _boy_ was up to something, what with his evil chuckle and shifty smiles. Kurumi didn't trust him one little bit.

. . . But that wasn't what was bothering her.

No, there was something else, something much more subtle than the disturbing sight before her. Something seemed different about the entire house . . . an absence of some sort . . .

". . . and if _that _wasn't bad enough, then the arrogant jerk ran past and stole all my clothes!" Ryu exclaimed.

Ewwwww! Kurumi turned green at that thought! She knew that Ranma turned into a girl sometimes, but stealing a boy's clothes? That was just gross! It's a good thing he didn't try that on them, though . . . she didn't even want to think about that idea.

Natsume's reaction was pretty similar to hers . . . except she turned red instead. Wait, why was her sister turning red? She should be turning green like her, after hearing something like that.

"H-he took _all _of your clothes?" asked the red faced Natsume. Her sister's voice sounded strange, not at all cool and composed like usual . . . what was going on with her?

The older boy leaned back, actually chuckling to himself in a lightly embarrassed way. "Heh, well, not _all_ of my clothes, but you can imagine how embarrassing that had to be. Of course, there was no way that I was going to let a little embarrassment stop me from thrashing that cocky jerk . . ." Kurumi tuned out the rest of _that _conversation, the last thing she wanted to hear about was some boy fighting half naked.

A rumble in her tummy reminded her of her endless appetite. Hmm, she wondered where Kasumi was, she was always super nice and bringing out food for her to eat. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen anyone but Akane and a quick glimpse of Ranma before the two vanished.

The sound of the front door opening derailed her trail of thought. All eyes swiveled towards the front of the house, curiosity abounding. A second later, she jumped to her feet in joy as her pop- um as Mr. Tendo and Uncle Saotome entered the room. Right behind her, Natsume and Ryu also rose to their feet, respectful of their host and his friend.

The two older men wandered into the room, talking back and forth in somber tones. Mr. Saotome had an arm around the Tendo Patriarch, seeming to lead the other man about, they didn't even notice the room's occupants for several moments, so caught up in their quiet conversation. To Kurumi, Mr. Saotome looked more or less the same as usual, though perhaps a few more lines on his face than she remembered. Her poppa . . . or rather, Mr. Tendo, though, he looked very different indeed. The man that she had so wished to be her real father hardly looked like the strong, passionate man that she remembered.

Now, he almost seemed . . . broken to her, and she felt a strange queasy feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger begin to grow. She remembered he had always been an emotional man before, but now the look of pain on his face, and the tears that stained his cheeks were almost more than she could bear.

A quick glance at her companions showed equally concerned and curious expressions on Natsume's and Ryu's faces respectively. It appeared that even the Kumon boy hadn't been expecting to see anything like this.

And then the two men noticed the three of them . . . and time seemed to stop. The five of them all gazed at each other for what seemed like an eternity, at least to her. Slowly, a smile began to form on Mr. Saotome's face as he recognized them. The head-scarf wearing man then removed his arm from Mr. Tendo and stepped back. Ryu also seemed to fade into the background, a look of understanding dawning over him.

Mr. Tendo just continued to stare at them, shock fading into recognition, dissolving into joy. Amazingly, even the constant streams of tears ceased as he gazed at them.

"My _Daughters_!"

In a flash of movement that even Kurumi found hard to follow, she was suddenly being embraced by the long haired warrior. She nearly had to gasp for breath, being crushed between a rock like chest and a hard edged sister. The momentary discomfort was immediately forgotten, though, as she melted into the heart warming hug. She pressed her head against her poppa's chest, relishing the tender contact that she had been denied so lon-

The hug ended infinitely too quickly, as something suddenly pushed the older man away. Kurumi looked to the side in confusion, to see Natsume, her hand to Soun's chest, pushing him away forcefully.

"Please, do not do that . . . Mr. Tendo. It is highly inappropriate," stated Natsume. Her sister's resolve was somewhat betrayed by a tightness in her voice. The taller girl couldn't even match Mr. Tendo's gaze as he stared at her in confusion.

"B-but, Natsume . . ." The emotion in Mr. Tendo's voice was much easier to identify, and much harder to hide.

Natsume turned back to look at him once more. "Though we both greatly appreciated your hospitality when you took us in; you made it abundantly clear that you did not believe us to be, nor did you wish us to be, your daughters."

Kurumi stared at her sister, too shocked to even speak. What – what was she saying? Mr. Tendo had just greeted them like his own daughters and she was throwing it back in his face? Sure, he hadn't exactly been overjoyed at their claim of being his daughters, but he had still treated them more kindly than any one else ever had . . .

The glistening moisture of unformed tears began to appear in their almost-father's eyes at hearing Natsume's words. "But I – you . . . you have to understand . . ." Mr. Tendo trailed off, unable to think of a response to her sister's words.

Her sister continued, unhindered. "Please don't worry about it, Mr. Tendo. I understand why you did it; we tried to take the dojo from Akane, your rightful heir. We are the ones to blame; you were just an innocent victim in everything that transpired. But you must also understand, it has taken me . . . us, a long time to accept that we are not Tendo's . . . that we have no name to call our own, so it is for the best that you do not confuse the situation by treating us as such . . ." Natsume's gaze dropped as her words trailed off uncertainly.

Kurumi looked at her sister anew . . . she hadn't known that she had felt that way. Well, that wasn't entirely true, she had caught Natsume several times over the past months, crying in the dead of the night . . . But whenever she had confronted her about it, Natsume had always dismissed it as unimportant. She had also started to notice that her sister never referred to herself as Tendo Natsume, but never had the time to think about it with their constant life of traveling and training.

Behind them, Ryu and Mr. Saotome were striving to _not_ watch the display, acute discomfort on their faces. Mr. Saotome had been the most supportive of their claim, even suggesting that they be given the Dojo and they had treated him as a beloved uncle for that. He looked very much like he wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to interrupt. The eavesdropping _boy_, on the other hand, just continued to watch her sister out of the corner of his eyes, a myriad of emotions flashing across his face faster than she could figure out what they meant.

"I . . . if that is how you feel . . . then I will respect your wishes, my da . . . Natsume . . . But, if you did not return to rejoin our family, then why have you returned?" Mr. Tendo asked, curiosity and deep disappointment warring in his words. She felt so bad for him, but wouldn't, could never, go against her sister's wishes. Especially since she knew that Natsume must have felt as bad about it as her and Mr. Tendo did . . .

"Ranma summoned us. We were told, by the officer that found us, that there was an important situation that he required our help with. We do not know what it is yet, but it was said that Ranma would inform us of what it was when we arrived," Natsume explained carefully.

"And that's exactly what I'm gonna do."

A new voice interrupted their conversation and everyone turned to the staircase to see Ranma and Akane enter the room. The pigtailed martial artist wore a troubled expression on his face, as he glanced over the gathering before him. The mood of the room must have been pretty obvious to the usually carefree young man.

Ranma then glided across the room to the table and sat down, before motioning everyone else to do the same. Whether out of curiosity, or simply thankful for a change of subject, everyone did so with scarcely a sound. Ranma looked over everyone present one last time before nodding to himself, as if coming to a decision. Then, taking a deep breath, he began.

"Alright, everyone, this is what's been goin on lately . . ."

* * *

Natsume listened with rapt attention as the blue eyed martial artist began to conclude his rather lengthy and rather grim description of the scenario that they now faced. Unexplained attacks, unearthly opponent's with unfathomable abilities . . . at first, it had sounded like an intriguing proposition; life was training, after all. However, these enemies were becoming increasingly dangerous, and didn't hesitate to use lethal force.

She discreetly glanced to her side, where Kumon Ryu sat, a serious expression on his face. She found it hard to believe that such a warrior would nearly fall prey to such an enemy, but then, he had been extremely hindered in his fighting ability. It did make her question their potential involvement, if only for her sister's sake.

Her and Kurumi were of one mind and one body and she would defend her sister to the death, but was her dear sister truly prepared to battle such a dangerous and ruthless enemy? Was she, herself, prepared?

Her discreet gaze slid to the other side of the table, to where Akane sat. Her faux-sister had made it clear that she was not getting involved, for several very valid reasons. Though not the best fighter she had faced, Akane was still a powerful opponent, almost on par with Kurumi. In fact, were it not for her sister's superior chi manipulation skills, physically, the two were equally matched. If Akane believed that this task was too dangerous for her, then did she really want to place her sister into that danger?

She turned to look back at Ranma, as he was finally getting to the crux of the issue.

"So, Natsume, Kurumi, that's what's goin on. Things have gotten pretty bad since I called you back then, so I'll understand if ya don't wanna get involved. But, whoever is behind these guys, they sure as heck ain't done yet, so we gotta find em and stop em, whatever it takes." The Saotome Heir extended his hand over the middle of the table, offering it to them. "So, what do you two say? Are you in, or are you out?"

Natsume stared at the extended hand, trying vainly to analyze the offer in her mind. It was a large commitment, and would certainly guarantee placing them in danger repeatedly . . . Finally, she looked to her sister, just as Kurumi turned to stare at her. There were probably one hundred good reasons she could think of to not accept the offer, but . . . but perhaps this was one decision she couldn't make for the two of them.

"Kurumi," she began slowly, "I will let you decide our answer. I will abide by whatever choice you make, but I only ask that you choose carefully. I do not wish to see you put in such danger, but the need is great . . ." She couldn't think of what else to say, though she desperately wished she could.

Her sister looked away, a pensive expression blooming on her face. All around the table, everyone stared at the young girl with concern, curiosity and uncertainty. Finally, after a short eternity, Kurumi turned back to look at everyone -

And dropped her hand into Ranma's waiting palm.

"We have to do this, Older Sister. I-I know I'm not as good as you or everyone else, but together we can beat anything! Besides, once you told me that 'All it takes for evil to triumph is for good women to do nothing.' So if we don't help out, it'd be just as bad as if we were hurting all those people ourselves," proclaimed her young sister proudly.

Pride, almost painful pride, bloomed in her heart. To have such a sister as her own, what had she ever done to deserve such a gift? Smiling wider than she could ever remember, unshed tears in her eyes, Natsume slowly reached to the side and lowered her hand onto her sister's, squeezing it tightly.

"How could we do any less?" she asked, choking up slightly at her own words. Her musings were suddenly interrupted, though, as a warm hand came to rest on hers. She looked up to see Ryu's large, rough hand covering her own completely. It surprised her, that his hand would be so much larger than hers, though she didn't know why. She raised her gaze to match his, taking in the half cocked smile that covered his face as well.

"I guess that makes us a team then, eh, Natsume? Heh, too bad we're stuck with Saotome over there," he added, chuckling happily to himself.

"Hey now! What's that 'sposed to mean?" barked an irate martial artist.

Suddenly Mr. Saotome jumped up, nearly ecstatic pride on his face. The stout man practically dragged his life long companion to his feet as well, wrapping a companionable arm around the taller martial artist.

"Ahh, Tendo, to witness such a display of the camaraderie of youth! It reminds me of our own unshakable bonds. Truly I have never been more proud than this moment," cheered the aging martial artist. Mr. Tendo, so overwhelmed with emotion, could only nod in agreement, even as he pounded Mr. Saotome on the back, crying tears of pride.

Ranma just let out a groan of disgust at the display. "Sheesh, Pops, it ain't no big deal. No need to get all mushy about it." The pigtailed boy then turned back to them. "Man, how embarrasin, come on, lets head out to the Dojo, might as well start trainin for the next time we run into one of those bad guys," he suggested quickly. Everyone quickly nodded in agreement; training was always a good idea, really.

As one, the five of them rose up from the table and made their way to the dojo.

* * *

. . . As the door slid shut behind them, Soun turned to Genma, a serious expression on his face. So serious, that even the tears had vanished once more. With steel in his gaze, perhaps for the first time in months, he looked deeply into his friends eyes. "Saotome, come with me . . ."

"We need to talk."

* * *

His eyes snapped open.

Uncertainly, he looked around, confusion racing through his mind. Darkness surrounded him, he couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything aside from his own rasping, ragged breathing. Shifting uneasily, he spun around, trying to regain his bearings, filling the room further with the sound of rustling paper and spilling ink.

W-what was happening . . . had he – had he been asleep?

Brushogun slowed his frantic search as memory slowly began to filter back once more, filling in the terrifying emptiness that he had felt. Something was odd, though, something unusual and unsettling, even for him.

Why had he just snapped awake?

He hadn't slept since his transformation, had no need for such a pathetic mortal indulgence. But, then why had he been unawares? More disturbingly, why couldn't he remember anything since he had begun his surveillance of his nemesis, Saotome?

His face twitched suddenly. What was . . . what was that smell? Again, he sniffed at the air, trying to identify the smell . . . if such a thing even existed for him any longer. Even the act of sniffing seemed to be an offensive throwback to his former life . . . did he even have a nose?

Another sniff . . . whether possible by the laws of nature or not, the smell continued to assault him, growing more pungent by the second as he focused on it. He almost wished that he couldn't smell it now, whatever it was. If it weren't for his non existent digestive tract, he believed the smell would have made him quite sick.

Suddenly, the smell vanished, as if in answer to his desires . . .

A slow chuckle escaped his lips, what an unusual ability to have. So it was that easy, was it? That in mind, he decided that he could see in the darkness . . .

And the world revealed itself before him.

His smile only widened, yes, soon all of the world would bow to his will with the same ease. Such a simple thing, a small thing really, but so wildly liberating, to be able to shake off the fetters of mortality with such ease. Slowly, he swung around, taking in his midnight kingdom-

His slow swing stopped with deadly finality, nerveless arms dropping to his sides as he surveyed the interior of his warehouse lair . . .

It was a _charnel_ house . . .

The Ink Demon nearly gagged at the sight that surrounded him, another vestigial reflex that no longer had any right to exist. The bodies that surrounded him . . . he could see at least seven within his line of sight. He could only hope that was all . . .

By the Gods! These people . . . it wasn't like those two people that he had killed earlier. Those two had died instantly, cleanly . . .

This . . . this was something completely different . . . These people . . . they had not died a – they had not died a _good _death, none of them. The very fact that he had had to count the torsos to get an accurate number of the slain . . .

Faster than he imagined, he flowed out of the warehouse, gasping for the pristine night air which his lungs no longer required. W-what had happened? When had it happened? _Who_ had done it? He almost felt like weeping at that last thought.

He knew very well who was responsible. But, how had it happened? Those people, not even in his wildest nightmares had he ever imagined doing such things to his fellow man . . . at least, not before his transformation. Lately, his nightmares had been quite wild indeed, made only the more frightful by the fact that he no longer slept, that those horrid images ran through his mind every waking moment . . .

And that stench, it wasn't the stench of the freshly dead. Judging by the most decayed bodies, it seemed like at least several days had passed . . . That could also explain the number, the overpowering smell drawing the curiosity of other people working in the area to the warehouse.

He had lost _days_! How many days? What else had he done? Had he simply lain in wait in his lair, an infernal spider waiting to slaughter his prey? Somehow, that seemed to be the least horrifying possibility.

His gaze traveled to the ocean. Perhaps - perhaps that was the answer . . . This game wasn't entertaining anymore, his story had somehow crossed into horrific new territory that terrified even himself. It had been bad enough, knowing that he was now a monster, but to know that he had an even _worst_ monster buried inside him, one that could escape without him even knowing until it was too late . . .

No, it was all too much, he had to end it now!

With determined haste, he flowed towards the piers, towards the purifying waters of the ocean. The endless waters would dissolve the hatred that seemed to compose his very being, casting his vileness to the four corners of the world in time. It seemed a fitting end.

The trek seemed to take longer than he imagined . . . something seemed odd about his destination as well. Bah, no matter, he didn't have time for hesitation, he had to make it to the water, that was all that mattered.

The thought rang through his mind, even as he slithered across the concrete and pavement of the docks: He had to make it to the ocean. It bounced around, flashing again and again, until the very idea seemed to lose all meaning to him, like saying a word over and over again.

Finally, after a seeming eternity, Brushogun reached his destination. He looked out over the ocean, then looked down to his own reflection in the chill waters below him. He smiled widely, yes, he had finally reached his goal . . .

Why had he wanted to reach the ocean so badly again?

Hmm, for the life of him, he couldn't remember what had brought him so close to these dangerous waters at such an unusual hour. Judging by the position of the moon, the night was still young, perhaps only early evening, the cool air which heralded fall chilling his damned bones.

Well, the air _was_ brisk, perhaps he had just wanted to relish it. Now, what had he been doing again? Oh, yes! Spying on Saotome and his new companion. Now seemed like a splendid time to get back to that.

With only the merest application of will, Brushogun touched his mind to the tiny creature that he had made earlier.

* * *

The ink construct squirmed excitedly, the vague mockery that was its existence starting once more. It had no potential for higher thought, no understanding of the world around it, but it knew enough.

Its master had finally returned, and he desired something.

Relishing the comforting caress of its master's distant mind, the construct slid out from under the roof tile; where it had hidden an unknown amount of time ago, when it had lost contact with its master. More stain than creature at the moment, it took a moment to slowly draw itself together, to once more coalesce into a useful minion for its master.

The ink which composed it flowed up once more, rolling and solidifying into the all-seeing sphere which was its original form. Next, nine spindly, insectile legs grew from every angle, digging into the hard tiles of the roof with cruel, hook-like claws. It had no need for wings this time, instead it just scurried down to the roof's ledge.

Guided by its master's will, it quickly scurried over the ledge and to the wall, quickly finding its way to a nearby window. A moment later, with deliberately slow and silent movements, it crawled to the top of the window and lowered itself until it could see below the window frame.

Once it was where its master desired it to be, it swiveled around soundlessly, until its range of vision took in the interior of the building that it perched upon.

The room was large and bare of any furniture, it was not, however, empty. Five figures danced around the room. Two of them were familiar to its master: the two boys, one wearing a red shirt with long sleeves, the other wearing a black shirt with none. They were expected and the target of its search.

The three females were not expected, or familiar, at all. One of them, the one wearing her hair in a long ponytail, was battling with the two boys, fighting with an odd wooden implement. The other two females, one with brown hair and the other with blue, were pitting their might against each other at the other end of the room.

At the whim of its master, the construct slowly reached out one of its many legs, preparing to move forward for a slightly closer look -

As soon as its claw touched the wood, though, all of the battles ended in an instant. Suddenly, everyone in the room, save the blue haired girl, stopped what they were doing, and began glancing around the room uncertainly. Just as the red shirted boy began to slide his gaze in its direction, it scurried back out the window as quickly as possible. A moment later it returned to the roof and hid beneath one of the many roof tiles once more.

Though, somehow, its prey had sensed it was watching them, it had still served its purpose.

Now its master could plan his next move.

* * *

Brushogun sneered widely.

**Five **of them? When had Saotome's forces swelled to five? How could he have possibly missed something as critical as that? Hadn't he just been watching the pigtailed boy and his new companion earlier that same day?

. . . Something didn't sit well with the demonic entity. Something wasn't right at all, he remembered Saotome traveling to the dojo, it was late evening at the time . . . But it was only early in the evening now. How could such a thing have happened?

A brief flicker of memory seared his mind . . . several days worth of events . . . For the unlife of him though, nothing coherent formed, just a vague impression of the passage of time.

Brushogun scoffed loudly. As if it mattered! So, it appeared that he had given his nemesis a rather generous reprieve. And it appeared that his clever enemy had capitalized on his absence most efficaciously. Well, it certainly seemed as if his heroic friend deserved some heartfelt accolades for his diligent efforts.

His grim sneer melted away to reveal a manic smile beneath it. Yes, to have surrounded himself with so many warriors, obviously something _big_ would be required to celebrate his return. Without even thinking about it, Brushogun began to travel to the center of the Shinjuku district, completely forgetting about his lair as he went.

Oh, yes, he had just the thing.

* * *

Uehara Daizo sat at his desk; his feet comfortably perched on the corner of his desk. In one hand, he held the remains of his half eaten Adzuki roll; in the other a manila folder. The Adzuki roll was filled with bean-pastry and spongy goodness; the manila folder was filled with a stack of paper nearly a quarter of an inch thick. The delicious bean-paste was composed of Adzuki beans, the most Yang of beans; the papers were composed primarily of missing persons reports.

Yes, the Adzuki roll was superior in every conceivable way . . . it was a shame he didn't have another one in his other hand, in retrospect.

With a long sigh, he dropped the folder to his desk. That made five missing persons this week alone. They had all happened in the same general area, around the Toyo wharf in the Minato district, just next door. Hell, to rights, he shouldn't have even had the reports, they weren't in his jurisdiction, nor did they seem to have any bearing on his case. But, he had put out a few feelers the same time that he had started people looking for those two girls that Saotome had been asking after. It was a simple thing, he had just asked a few old friends to pass along anything unusual or odd that passed across their desks. This just happened to be one of those things that had been passed along.

There was no guarantee that, whoever these super villain types were, they would conveniently stay in his district all the time. Of course, he was pretty sure this was a dead end for him, sure so many disappearances in such a short time was odd, but not unheard of. He was sure that the Minato police would look into it soon enough and crack whatever it was that was goin on.

Confident with that, he looked to the folder beside the aforementioned one. That folder _was_ in his jurisdiction. Of course, _that_ folder should have been on Suzahara's desk, considering that _he_ was the homicide officer, but considering it contained the most up to date list of casualties from that Catgirl's attacks, it seemed to flock to his desk like a disease riddled pigeon.

They had only found two more . . . but that was three too many for his taste. It seemed only by divine intervention that things hadn't gotten any worse over the past few days. In fact, things had been eerily quiet for nearly a week since their run in with that fur covered menace . . .

Maybe . . . maybe she had been the last of them, maybe, finally, the nightmare that had encompassed his life lately was over . . .

Yeah, and maybe he'd find out that drinking fifteen cups of coffee a day was the secret to eternal youth.

Speaking of which, he struggled to lean forward enough to reach his coffee. With zeal, he drank the top half of the cup in a single gulp . . . only to spit most of it out! Gods, he _hated _cold coffee.

No . . . no, _something_ was going on. He didn't know what and he didn't know where, but he was sure that all of this peace was building to something. He hated to use the cliché, but if his time on the force had taught him anything, it was to recognize a calm before a storm. Hell, they were _all_ calms before the storm in this city.

He stopped suddenly, looking around curiously. He noticed his current companions doing the same. Suzahara looked down at his desk, staring at something only he could see. Katsuragi was looking around, shooting questioning looks to himself and everyone else. Kaneda just stood where he was, looking at the florescent lights hanging from the ceiling.

There it was again . . . not quite as faint this time. With all the haste of a glacier, Daizo looked down at his cold cup of backwash coffee . . .

Suddenly a ripple formed at the center, a perfect circle that raced out to the walls of the cup before bouncing back to the center, shooting a tiny drip of coffee up into the air.

He looked up in shock, his gaze locked with Katsuragi's, her gaze locked with Suzahara's, Suzahara's gaze locked with his . . . Kaneda just kind of stood off to the side staring at nothing. The three of them stared at each other, impossible realizations dawning on all of their minds simultaneously.

Another ripple, this one more violent than the last.

Oh, no . . . he was pretty sure he'd seen this movie before. There was _no way, _just _**no way**_ that what he thought was happening could actually be happening . . .

With a reluctance borne of complete and total dismay, he slowly made his way to the nearest window. As usual, the blinds were down and closed to keep out the sun which had set hours ago. Reaching out, he calmly poked two of his finger between the blinds and eye level and opened them enough to peek outside.

A second later, he pulled his fingers back, letting the blinds snap back together loudly. As casually as he could, he turned to face his fellow officers, his face completely devoid of emotion.

"Katsuragi, could you please call Saotome for me and ask him to come downtown?" he asked politely. The traffic officer nodded weakly, then turned back to her desk. He then turned to Suzahara.

"Suzahara, you might want to tell the chief that we have a situation in progress outside and that he might want to . . . give some orders . . . or something," he finished weakly. With robotic grace, the homicide officer began to shuffle to their superior's office.

Finally, he turned to the young officer that remained. Kaneda stared at him, an almost eager look on his face, obviously thinking it was his time to shine. "Kaneda . . .," he began seriously. The boy nodded quickly.

"Get me some coffee. This is gonna be a long night."

* * *

Ranma sat around the table with Ryu, Natsume, Kurumi and Akane. They had just finished another work out and were taking some time to relax. Still, something was bothering the pigtailed martial artist.

"It's odd, I could have sworn that someone was watching us," muttered Ryu.

All around the table, people nodded in agreement. Well, everyone aside from Akane, anyways.

"I too felt a presence, though I could not determine where it was coming from," added Natsume. Ranma nodded at that as well. It had been too brief and too faint for him to pinpoint either, not at all as obvious as Gosunkugi had always been in his efforts.

Akane just rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you guys aren't just all crazy? Who on earth would want to watch you guys work out, anyway?"

Ranma shrugged weakly, he didn't feel like arguing. It was obvious that his fiancée was just annoyed by the fact that she hadn't sensed the presence like everyone else had.

He was saved from said argument, when suddenly a ringing sound came from upstairs. Hey! That was his cell phone!

Oh, crap! Akane didn't know about his cell phone yet! He hadn't thought of an excuse to giver her about how he had gotten it yet. The girl in question looked around in confusion, obviously trying to figure out what it could be. As fast as he could, he jumped up from the table and flew up the stairs.

A second later, he dug into the pocket of his other pair of pants and pulled out the phone. He flipped it open quickly and held it up to his ear. He listened for a moment to the (semi) familiar voice of the female officer that he had seen at the police station the few times that he'd been there. As soon as she finished, he closed the phone with a click and dumped it carelessly into his pocket.

He ran back downstairs after that, just in time for Akane to catch him with a questioning look. "Ranma, what was that sound?" she asked curiously.

He sighed loudly. "We don't got time for that, Akane! There's something goin on down in Shinjuku, the Lieutenant wants us to get there ASAP!" he explained loudly. Then, waving his arm dramatically, "Come on! Let's Go!"

His hurried charge ended just as abruptly though . . .

He spun back to face his rousing comrades.

"Crap! There's four of us, how are we all gonna get there!"

* * *

Daizo stood outside the entrance of the Police Precinct. In his left hand, he held his trusty revolver, in his right hand, the finicky laser weapon that he'd been saddled with. At his back were nearly fifty uniformed officers, all just as heavily armed as himself. They were prepared, they were professional . . .

They were as good as dead!

Unfortunately, it was their legal obligation to protect their little corner of the city here. So finding the nearest fallout shelter and hiding until the national guard arrived just wasn't an option. Besides, he couldn't even imagine what that would do to their reputation.

He looked to his left and nodded at Officer Tsukino . . . he was a good man, Daizo would miss him when this was over.

Damnit! Where the hell was Saotome?

Without turning, he yelled back to his fellow officers. "Alright, men! This sure as _hell_ ain't what we signed on for, but we're all these people have got until the people with tanks deign to show up. So, as Tokyo's first and most expendable line of defense, let's show that_ oversized bastard __**what we're made of!**_"

With his moving speech delivered, he started walking forward, towards the battle ahead. It took a few moments and some shuffling of feet, but soon enough he heard his fellow officers begin to follow his lead. Gods, why had the Chief put him in charge of this mess again?

He made it about ten feet, when suddenly a car squealed around the corner of the intersection ahead of them. The yellow and red car skidded recklessly, burning rubber with abandon as it slid across the pavement. Finally, it straightened out and roared down the road, right at him!

The Lieutenant prepared to jump out of the way, when suddenly the Taxi squealed to a stop right before him, disgorging martial artists like a bulimic at a buffet! Instantly, the familiar form of his pigtailed partner ran forward, a panicked look on his face.

"Lieutenant! I need to borrow, like, five thousand yen, fast!"

Daizo just _stared_ at the martial artist. Reflexively, his hand shot pulled back, the desire to pistol whip the damned kid flaring more powerfully than ever before. It was _so_ tempting, but really not the right time. Was there not one single thing that his new partner could do that wasn't insane in some way . . . of course, only Saotome could make something as mundane as taking a cab seem crazy.

Instead of unleashing walnut-finish justice upside the kid's head, he just shook his own head in disgust.

"Um, Saotome, I think we have something a little more pressing to deal with at the moment," he stated more calmly than he felt.

"Yeah? Well you don't know what kinda tip I promised that guy to get us here as fast as he did. What could possibly be worse than a pissed off Cabbie?" asked his clueless protégé.

The veteran Police Officer simply pointed to something behind the kid's back. Slowly, Saotome turned, his eyes moving to follow the line of his finger, down the street, past the intersection, past the intersection beyond that, until the martial artist finally saw what it was that he was pointing at.

Ranma's arms dropped limply to his sides as he took in the sight before him . . . well, a few blocks before him at any rate. Looking decidedly less optimistic than Daizo had ever seen him before, Saotome turned back to face him.

"You have **got** to be kidding me!"


	14. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 6

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble In Little Tokyo

Chapter Six

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

Ranma spun around to look at whatever it was that the Lieutenant was going on about. Quickly, his gaze scanned down the street, then further down the street, then several more blocks down the street . . .

He let out an inaudible squeal as his eyes threatened to pop out of his skull!

Then his eyes scanned up, up, up and up some more . . .

His frantically flailing arms dropped limply to his sides at the impossible sight before him. All around him, his companions looked down the street as well, slack jaws and glazed eyes matching his own. Slowly, he turned back to the cop that had become his erstwhile partner, a disbelieving look in his eyes.

"You have **got** to be kidding me!" he cried indignantly.

Daizo just stared back at him, his expression completely unreadable to the inexperienced young martial artist. Ranma didn't quite feel that he'd gotten his point across, so with a grand wave of his arm, he gestured to the spectacle directly behind him-

To the **twenty some-odd story **giant **lizard **that was happily stomping down the center of the city! The thing had to be eighty meters tall, easy! Every single thing about it screamed "I'm very similar to, yet legally distinct from, Godzilla", it almost made the pigtailed martial artist want to run to the nearest copyright office and call it in. However, despite its rather familiar and 'guy-in-a-big-rubber-suit'ish' appearance, the huge beast still gave off an aura of menace and fury loosely restrained, as it marched towards them.

"You want us to fight **that **thing?" he asked incredulously.

To his side, Kurumi suddenly made a break for the taxi, waving her arms frantically. "_Taxi, taxi,_ get me outta here!" she screamed in a high-pitched squeal.

Before Natsume could even rein the young girl in, the taxi driver just scoffed loudly. "Forget you, girlie! I'm outta here!" The cabbie then put the pedal to the metal and tore off down the road, leaving only two streaks of melted rubber as a testament to his existence.

The Lieutenant just smirked at the display. "Heh, probably the two smartest people on this entire damn street," he muttered quietly. He then looked up, matching Ranma's stare with a piercing one of his own. "And you're damn straight we're gonna fight it! What's wrong, Saotome, things get a little tough and you wanna run away like a girl?"

Ranma bristled nastily at the pointed question, though not quite as badly as Natsume and Kurumi to his side.

"**What**!" all three of them shouted in stereo. Ryu chuckled weakly and the Lieutenant's smirk just widened. Ranma knew he was getting played, big time, but decided to just go with it.

So, he took an angry step closer to his partner. "I **ain't** no **girl**! How many times I gotta tell ya that! Why I oughta-"

He was cut off when Ryu stepped forward, pushing him aside bodily. "Look, Saotome, we don't have all day for you to complain. What we **do** have, is a _giant monster_ that wants to stomp us into paste. Now why don't you quit your _whining_ and lets get down to business!" barked the Yamasen-ken master.

Ranma stared at him incredulously for a moment, but he was cut off from responding _again._

Natsume moved to Ryu's side, dragging her rather more reluctant sister with her. Her intense eyes impaled his own with a piercing stare. "Mr. Kumon is correct, though the scenario is unsettling, it is unlikely that such a massive beast will be able to compensate for our superior speed and agility."

He mulled that thought around for a second, before a small smile began to form on his own lips.

"Well, sure, I already knew that _I_ could keep a step ahead of it. But, are you guys sure that _you _can keep from gettin squashed?" he asked cockily.

He didn't feel like pointing out the fact that he had faced _several_ massive beasts that were impressively fast as well as powerful. The Orochi had been hellish to avoid and Tarou's cursed form was insanely fast for its immense bulk . . .

Ryu and Natsume both nodded in the affirmative, handily outvoting poor Kurumi who was shaking her head from side to side wildly.

Ranma just smiled, meh, what the hell? When was he ever gonna get an opportunity like this again? The gods only knew that this was _one_ opponent that he didn't have to worry about holding back against. Besides, if it moved at all like in the movies, then Natsume's claims were quite believable. That in mind, he returned their confident nod.

"Alright then," he started. He then put his hand out before him, feeling oddly companionable for some reason. It was odd to actually work _with _people, instead of constantly infighting all the time. A second later, Ryu and Natsume put their hands on top of his, smiling nearly ferally. They all turned to stare at Kurumi for a moment, before the girl finally submitted and placed a hesitant hand on top of her sister's. At that signal, Ranma smirked the cockiest smirk he could muster.

"Alright then! Let's show that oversized bastard what the masters of the Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling can do!"

The dynamic moment was broken almost instantly, though, as Ranma felt someone's hand smack into the back of his head. He turned irately to glare at the perpetrator . . . only to see it had been the Lieutenant. The gruff older man just glared at him in return, before grumbling loudly, "Damn kid, quit stealin my lines!"

Before Ranma could say something that wasn't age appropriate for his current company, the officer then turned to face the gathered police force. "All right, you lazy bastards, you all just won the lottery! Now I want everyone to spread out and take up sniping positions at whatever the hell the maximum effective range of these damn guns are! I'm going in with Saotome's team, so you ladies sure as _hell_ better mark your targets carefully. If I even see a _pen light_ aimed in my direction, I'll bust every god damn one of you idiots down so far that you'll be scrubbing toilets with _tooth brushes _for the rest of your natural _lives_, you **hear me**!"

The Saotome Heir could only watch in awe, as suddenly, fifty grown men scattered like a herd of Gazelle in front of a hungry lion. Heck, he nearly wanted to run himself. Behind him, Natsume and Kurumi both watched, wide eyed and clutching each other; Ryu, on the other hand, gazed on with grim satisfaction. Ranma shook his head, it figured that a paramilitary looking goon like Kumon would just love something like that.

A second later, the cop turned back to them, smiling widely. "Heh, I wonder how long it'll take those guys to realize that half of them are my rank or higher?" he asked in an amused voice. Shifting gears suddenly, the older man suddenly turned serious once more. "Okay, Saotome, how do you think we should go at this thing?"

Ranma mulled that over for a second. Quickly, he turned back to survey the truly mammoth monster, in the few moments they had been talking, it had already covered a block and a half. It would likely be literally on top of them in another half a minute . . . providing that it didn't run or blast them to ash with some kind of radioactive breath or something . . .

With a shrug, he turned back to Lieutenant Uehara. "Well, I figure we can take the elevator from its toe up to its knee and work our way up from there," he muttered sarcastically. He quickly waved off the heated glare aimed his way. "Sheesh, Gramps, I dunno, this thing is just _huge_, let's just go with the direct approach and figure it out from there."

Ryu nodded. "That's as good a plan as any right now, we need to gain its attention so it doesn't destroy everything around us, and once we've actually moved in, we can use the buildings to get high enough to actually attack its vulnerable points," offered the serious young man.

The Lieutenant nodded in agreement, even as Kurumi scowled irately at the bandanna wearing boy. Natsume just stared at the young man out of the corner of her eye, an odd look on her face that Ranma couldn't place. Rather than waste time figuring out what she was thinking, he just nodded. It made sense, if the thing was trying to kill them, it was less likely to kill anyone else. Of course, it had been _his _plan, Ryu had just explained it a bit better, that was all . . .

Feeling the need to take back control from his (subordinate) teammate, Ranma quickly spun around and gestured grandly to the monster. Taking orders from an adult police officer was one thing, taking orders from one of his old enemies was quite another! "Alright! Let's head in! Lieutenant, you cover us!" he yelled out.

Lieutenant Uehara ran up beside him at that, and dropped to a knee taking aim at the monster's immense head. The older man then looked his way. "Heh, let's get this soiree started right then," barked the older man confidently.

Then the policeman lined up his shot carefully, and pulled the trigger. Coherent light blazed through the night sky, lighting up the entire street for over a block and a half, as it flew forward with deadly intent . . .

It's journey would turn out to be a much longer one than anticipated though, as the massive beast had chosen several seconds earlier to look to the side at one of the many helicopters circling the area.

The beam of concentrated energy passed by the creatures skull, missing harmlessly by several yards.

For just a second, Ranma forgot how to run, collapsing to the ground in shock. Not even bothering to get up, he swung around to stare at Daizo, complete shock on his face . . .

"You . . . you **missed**!" he nearly shouted in disbelief.

The cop just looked back at him, wearing a slightly sheepish look. "What? Nobody's perfect, ya know?"

Ranma just shook his head in wonder. He didn't even know what to say to that. No, he wouldn't think about it. He knew there were a thousand jokes he could make, concerning barns and the broad sides which support them, but he just couldn't bring himself to speak them. So instead, he simply shook his head, hopped back to his feet and charged after his companions, his companions that hadn't been witness to weeks of flawless marksmanship, his companions that hadn't even been fazed by the near miss.

Hell, he'd show _everyone _how it was done! The big dino-freak hadn't even noticed the beam of light nearly grazing its head. Well, _he'd_ give it something to notice! Skidding to a stop, he crossed his arms tightly over his chest, willing all of his power to a swelling sphere before him. Confidence boiled up from the center of his soul, confidence in his victory over the Yamata no Orochi, confidence in his victory over Pantyhose Taro, confidence in his victory over the Dragon Prince. Damn straight! He'd give monster-boy a present to remember!

"_**Mouko Takabisha!**_"

* * *

From several hundred yards away, Shotaro Kei, Ace reporter of the Fuji News Network, watched in awe from her seat in the company's news helicopter. She literally couldn't believe the sight that loomed before her. It was so unreal, yet so tangibly present, that even a seasoned news person such as herself was left at a loss for words . . . truly a rare occasion indeed.

A smile crept across her face, one that she studiously hid from the camera currently perched several inches to the side of her attractive face. She couldn't believe how incredibly _lucky_ she was! Imagine, her, one of the first ones on the scene! She wouldn't be surprised if her face was on televisions _the world round_, by this time tomorrow.

She shook off her gleeful thoughts for a moment; carefully constructing the proper, serious, expression that such a catastrophic event called for. Slowly, she shuffled around the cramped cabin of the helicopter so that her face was in front of the camera, the colossal monster carefully framed behind her. It was time for her to start telling it like it was.

Behind her, barely even visible to the ridiculously expensive camera that was recording her . . .

Like the twinkle of a star, a tiny speck of light flashed on the monster's knee, then was gone.

* * *

Ranma looked down to his smoking hands, then back up to the massive beast that he had just blasted with the full extent of his rampant ego . . . he then looked back down to his smoking hands.

"Ahhhh, hell," he muttered weakly.

He couldn't even see high enough up to tell if the attack had so much as scratched the monster's scaly hide. Sadly, the closer he got, the worse his sense of scale was becoming. He had aimed that attack straight at the beasties ugly face . . . and he had only managed to hit its _knee_. Of course, considering that was a good five or six stories up, and from a block away, it was pretty damn impressive . . . just not impressive enough apparently.

He let out a long sigh; this was going to be a _long_ night.

Unfortunately, as ineffectual as his attack seemed, it did have one very notable effect indeed. He stared in dread, as the snarling mass that composed the creature's head swung away from glaring at the circling helicopters. Much like a crane swinging into place, the creature swung its head in his direction, he could actually feel its gaze pick him out of the crowd, could practically feel those jaundiced orbs of hatred pin him to the ground.

Then the monstrosity reared back, its entire body wracking with the motion, before letting out a _**bellow**_ of challenge. The dragon's roar tore through the city with hurricane force, windows shattered for a hundred yards in every direction, helicopters were sent spinning wildly. Everyone on the street, himself included, were nearly blown off their feet by the force of the roar, Ranma could almost feel his ears bleed at the inconceivable volume.

After thirty seconds that felt like thirty eternities, it finally ended and Ranma was able to remove his hands from their positions of desperately clutching his ears. Luckily, he noticed there was no blood actually on his palms . . . Also luckily, he was more or less in the middle of the street, so the rain of shattered glass that the roar had heralded hadn't lacerated him to the bone.

He noticed that he was still shaking slightly, his entire body vibrating from the experience . . . probably due to the sonic effects of the roar. Yeah, that was it, he sure as heck wasn't gonna get scared by something as trivial as a monster mating call. Straightening his back stubbornly, he glared right back at the monster as it once more turned its eyes his way.

Still . . . he looked around the street, seeing the devastation that the creature had caused with a simple howl. Hell, the thing hadn't even _started_ fighting yet . . . Ranma gulped a bit nervously at that thought.

"Damn . . . where are the anemic mecha when ya need them?"

* * *

Natsume dove to the side using every ounce of energy her legs could generate. Not a second too soon, either, as a foot as large as a transport truck smashed into the pavement only a scant few feet behind her. She had to admit, this megalithic beast was slightly faster than she had first estimated . . .

But it was playing perfectly into her plan.

She rode the torrential gust of air displaced by the enormous impact beside her and flipped in midair; a second later, her feet hit the side of the nearby building and she pushed off with all of her considerable strength. The added energy and height allowed her to land safely on the top of the creature's foot.

The rough, scaly surface rocked under her wildly, as the monster lifted its foot again to smash some other infuriating martial artist, however it was a simple matter for her to maintain her balance. A second later, her weapon of choice, the ornate rug-beater that had been in her possession for longer than she could even remember, was in her hands, and she swung it with lethal force.

The unique weapon didn't just tear through the air, imbued as it was with her frozen chi, rather it shepherded the air, guided it to her whim even as it chilled the winds to an arctic gale. While her swing itself was unimpressive, missing the heavily armored ankle of the beast by a dozen yards, it was, rather appropriately, only the calm before the storm.

A deadly whirlwind shrieked to life in the aftermath of her masterful stroke, winds honed to a razor's edge by her very will. The tiny typhoon screamed through the distance, before tearing hungrily into the hide covering the beast's vulnerable ankle; dense, emerald pieces of scale scattering to the four winds under her ferocious onslaught . . .

To reveal a roughly circular patch of wind torn hide roughly six foot around and about half a foot deep at its heart.

Natsume let out a long, put-upon sigh, looking up, up, up at her opponent. She hadn't even pierced its scaly skin, let alone harmed it. Obviously, this was going to take some serious effort. Knowingly, she looked across the gulf, to where she knew her sister to be.

Kurumi was standing easily on the beast's other foot, her crimson, glowing ribbon lashing out again and again. A dozen lines of scorched carbon covered the monster's shin, a testament to her sister's tenacity, and also a testament to the ineffectual nature of her attacks.

The elder Not-Tendo sister sighed again, unconsciously maintaining her balance as the creature stomped heedlessly after the pigtailed boy and the police officer that had been with him.

Hmmm, where was their other partner, that rather interesting young man, Ryu? No doubt he was having a much less frustrating time than her. Though she hated to admit it, she was somewhat envious of the young man's abilities. The many techniques that he had practiced over the past week, they were all so violently powerful, perhaps even outshining her and Kurumi's ultimate technique.

Suddenly, she lashed out again, unleashing an even more furious whirlwind, then danced to the side and used her momentum to unleash a second, even more powerful cyclone or razor winds. She wasn't sure why, but her thoughts of the intriguing young man made her want to push herself harder. After all, why should he be any stronger than her? Did they both not have such similar backgrounds? Both orphans, both training in Anything Goes styles their entire lives?

Yes, if anyone could understand her, asides from her sister, Ryu seemed to be that person. Essentially homeless after his father's tragic accident, wandering the world with only the distant hope of rebuilding his families dojo. It did not seem so far removed from her own history.

A spectacular spinning pirouette unleashed a fifth and sixth cyclone in rapid succession, both attacks tearing mercilessly into the deepening crater she had created. Now over a dozen feet in diameter and nearly two feet deep, the deepening hole looked like it had been clawed out by a thousand thousand feral cats.

And yet she had not _injured _the great beast!

The familiar sound of her sister's footfalls sounded behind her. Without even thinking, the elder sister rolled to the side and took up a new stance as a blazing ribbon tore through the air to slash a slightly deeper scar into the heart of the widening crater.

"Wow, sister! You're doing so well over here! Way better than I was on that other leg," cheered her adorable younger sister. Natsume simply nodded, understanding why her sister decided to come and join forces with her. It wasn't that her sister was less skilled, just that her ribbon attacks were less well suited to this particular task.

"Then let us combine our efforts to hobble this leg. If we can limit this beast's mobility, it will make it much easier to attack its head later," she stated calmly.

Kurumi smiled widely, dancing around as she lashed out with her deadly ribbon. Natsume narrowed her eyes, carefully calculating her target. If only the creature wasn't moving around so haphazardly, it was the only thing preventing them from simply using their ultimate attack right then and there. Surely a full power strike from their Ring of Dragon Fire would cripple the monster's leg easily. Unfortunately, it would be impossible for them to maintain their precarious perches long enough to actually pull off the intricate maneuver as things stood.

So, instead the two sisters entered into a dazzling dance, intent on accomplishing their goal. Despite her total concentration, though, Natsume still found her attention wandering . . . looking for a certain bandanna clad man amongst the chaos of their battle. She wasn't sure why she was scanning the area for him, why she desired to see him at all, though she would hesitantly admit that he _was_ rather pleasing to look upon.

Ahh, there he was. Ryu had just alighted on the other foot, taking up where Kurumi had left off. Instantly, the muscular male began a furious assault, lashing out with terribly violent strikes of every kind. Natsume found herself watching the display out of the corner of her eye, even as she danced expertly around her sister. Unconsciously, her own attacks became more intense, even as an odd thought ran through her mind.

She would not be left behind.

* * *

Ryu lashed out again and again, chunks of scale flying with every heavy impact of foot and fist. He smiled to himself, noting how much more effective even his mundane attacks were compared to that ribbon wielding girl's rather lackluster efforts. Of course, he was still just warming up himself. Gauging his opponent's speed, its movements, its intelligence, he wanted to make sure that he had a good measure of the monster before he began using his full potential.

Luckily, speed and intelligence didn't seem to be this monster's strong suits. In fact, it seemed to be completely ignoring both him and the two girls on its other foot. Rather, it seemed to be focusing all of its rather singular efforts to stepping on Saotome for some reason. He turned to regard his erstwhile companion, as the pigtailed boy ran frantically back and forth down the street, doing everything in his power to keep the beast's attention while keeping himself alive.

The last Kumon smirked, enjoying the rather undignified show that Ranma was putting on . . . His smirk died away quickly though. He knew that the pigtail wearing martial artist _was _just putting on a show, Ryu knew in exquisite detail just how effortlessly Ranma could simply vanish from his enemy's sight. If the Saotome boy so chose, he could have escaped at any time, leaving Ryu, Natsume and Kurumi to deal with the monster's wrath.

Hmm, speaking of which, he let his gaze travel over to the monster's other foot, so far away. His eyes shot open in surprise at what he saw. If Kurumi's efforts had proven ineffectual on this limb, Natsume's efforts had yielded a much more impressive result. He let out a small whistle at the damage that the weapon wielding girl had produced in such a short time . . . though he had to admit that some of that whistle was dedicated to the girl herself.

Considering what a conservative girl she appeared to be, Natsume wore a _very _revealing top to fight in.

He shook his head quickly to clear it of such unworthy thoughts. Well, the last thing he wanted to do was appear to be a slacker in front of the cool and serious young woman. He chuckled evilly, he'd show those girls how a real man fought his battles. Rearing back his right arm, he brought all of his focus to bear on a single point before him-

"_**Poison Snake Deep Hole Blow**_!"

His hand shot out in a blur of violent fury, his fingers as rigid as steel, a most literal spear hand strike. Any other person would have shattered every bone in their hand attempting such a reckless strike, but a lifetime of rigorous and dangerous training had honed Ryu's hand into a lethal weapon beyond compare. Just like the spear it emulated, his iron hard fingers tore into the armor-like scales of the beast.

Leathery hide parted around his hand, as his heart-rending strike continued almost unimpeded. First his wrist vanished, then his elbow-

Then his strike ended abruptly, as his shoulder slammed heavily into the beast's leg.

Ryu just stood there for a moment, eyes wide as he took in his predicament. Sure, this was the move that he had used to nearly kill Ranma in a single strike, but not even _he _had anticipated anything like this. Hmm, an odd sensation gained his attention . . . Idly, he wiggled the tips of his embedded fingers slightly.

A wicked chuckle escaped his lips.

He felt blood on the tips of his finger! He had actually pierced the monster's invincible armor! Of course, from the feel of it, it was only by an inch or two, but still, it was pretty damn impressive! At that, he looked up, hoping to see if he had actually gained the monster's attention with his successful attack. Unfortunately, since he was pretty much hugging the monster's leg, he couldn't even see past its damn knee.

He chuckled to himself again, though a rather less joyful chuckle than before. Considering just how massive the monster was, what he had just done wasn't even the equivalent to a splinter, he bet. In fact, he was starting to wonder if it was even possible for them to _actually_ defeat this monster. Sure, it had seemed like an interesting challenge, but now that they were actually fighting it, and he was close enough to realize just how excessively huge it was . . . he wasn't so sure.

Well, it wasn't like they were all out of tricks yet, that was for certain. Giving a quick tug, he pulled his arm out of the rather deep hole he had p-

Instantly, his world turned jade and a sound like a fire hose spraying at full blast exploded right in front of him. A force like a sledgehammer slammed directly into his chest and he felt himself flying through the air, being pushed along forcefully by something he couldn't see as some kind of green substance filled his eyes, his nose and his mouth!

He slammed heavily to the ground a few seconds later, bouncing and sliding in a slippery mess until he finally stopped, the gods only knew how far away. Even as he threw up a disgusting lung full of the green liquid, he quickly wiped the gunk out his eyes so that at the very least he could see somewhat clearly. He ignored the aching bruise that he already forming on his chest as he struggled to his feet.

There! Right where he had struck the beast, which he was now fifty feet ahead of him after his short flight, a tiny stream of green liquid was jetting out of the ankle not much unlike the firehouse he had imagined hearing earlier. It just didn't make any sense! Blood didn't spray out like that when you pricked someone with a needle . . .

Suddenly, there was a hand on his arm, helping him to his feet. He looked quickly to his side, seeing it was Saotome that was helping him up. Angrily, or more to the point, somewhat embarrassed, he quickly tore his arm out of his nemesis' grasp.

"What the hell was that?" he asked rhetorically.

A second later, the stream of liquid stopped dead, the remains of the emerald liquid arcing through the air to slosh onto the ground ten feet in front of the two of them messily. Almost as if he understood what was going on, which Ryu was pretty sure was impossible, Ranma nodded somberly.

"Hmm, it looks like it just healed the damage ya did. It must only kick in when it's actually hurt, though, considering Natsume made a heck of a lot bigger mess than you did, and the damage she's done hasn't healed yet," muttered the young man, almost to himself.

Ryu shook his head at that. "_What_? Not only is this thing as big as a mountain, it's gonna heal all of the damage we do to it instantly?" he asked in shock.

Ranma just rolled his eyes, even as he grabbed Ryu's shoulder again and started dragging him into a dead run. A second later, the calamitous sound of monstrous footsteps began to follow them. "Ryu, you already knew about that, we mentioned it after the c-c-cat fight."

Ryu scowled darkly as he continued to run, his brightly stained shoes skidding uneasily beneath him as he ran. In retrospect, he had known, he just hadn't thought it would be possible for such a monster to do the same thing. Heck, it wasn't even _fair_! How could such a monster be so huge and have such a power as well? Now he was even less confident in their ability to win.

Still, it would be a cold day in hell before he admitted something like that to Saotome.

Without warning, the night sky above them lit up with over a dozen beams of crimson, coherent light. Apparently the cops had finally started getting into position. Ryu spared a few moments to look back at the monster that chased the two of them so mercilessly. As the Yamasen-ken master expected, pretty much all of the shots were aimed at the monster's head and face, the angry beams digging hungrily into the creature's hide.

Of course, from this distance, he had absolutely no clue how effective the lasers were. Considering the monster's head was over twenty stories away, it was a wonder he could even see the lasers at all, really. Still, it did seem to get the monster's attention, as it noticeably slowed in its pursuit of the two Anything Goes masters.

A weak chuckle from his side gained his attention. Balefully, he turned to glare at Ranma, just daring the boy to continue laughing at his condition. Unfortunately, the boy obliged him. "Heh, heh, Ryu, you look just like that love letter that Ryouga wrote for Akane that one time!" laughed the infuriating boy jovially.

Ryu just scowled in return. "Ha ha, aren't you just the most clever little girl in the world?" he muttered with dark sarcasm. The indignant look that formed on the pigtailed boy's face was enough to lighten Ryu's mood right back up. Hmm, speaking of matters of the heart . . .

Studying his pigtailed companion for a moment, a small smile formed on his lips. "So . . . that Natsume girl, she's pretty cool, huh?" he asked rather casually.

Ranma looked back at him, even as they both continued to run along, a slightly confused look on his face. Then the pigtailed boy shrugged absently. "I guess she's alright. I mean, that whirlwind technique of her's is pretty awesome, but I think she overuses it way too much," replied his companion.

Ryu just stared at him, almost at a loss for words. "Um, I wasn't talking about her fighting style, Saotome."

This time, a clueless look entered the Saotome heir's eyes. "Whatchya mean? What else is there to talk about Natsume . . . um, about?"

It was precisely that moment, that Ryu remembered he despised Saotome Ranma. Ryu was just as dedicated to the martial arts as anyone out there, but did Ranma not have one single clue in his possession? What else is there to talk about a girl than her fighting style? What kind of moronic question was that?

Ryu let out a disgusted grunt, still continuing his run.

"Why the _hell_ am I talking to **you** about this for?"

* * *

"Darn it all to heck," Beast Boy grumbled loudly to himself, "Eleven hundred and forty-two channels, and there's _still _nothing to watch!"

Absently, he continued to flip through the channels. He looked around the darkened interior of the main room that surrounded him, desperately wanting someone to wander in and distract him from his mind numbing boredom.

Of course, considering it was about four in the morning, that was highly unlikely. Not even someone as prone to unexpected entrances as Ryouga would be popping up at this hour. Of course, if Beast Boy knew the guy at all, the Lost Boy was probably still down in Terra's cavern, having passed on the all night movie marathon offer that Beast Boy had made around eight hours ago.

Which was exactly why Beast Boy was up all night in the first place. The emerald changeling knew for a fact that even without the totally awesome movies gripping his imagination so completely, he would have been completely incapable of sleeping. The past few days had been particularly stressful for him, the way that Hibiki kept floating around, almost like a ghost, a far away and contemplative expression on his face all hours of the day, no matter what he was doing.

Beast Boy just _knew_ that the master martial artist was close to a breakthrough. He could feel it in his bones. Heck, Ryouga was so obsessed with freeing Terra, that he only came out of the cave when Starfire went and bodily dragged him out of there to eat. Even then, Ryouga just sat around with that spaced out look on his face.

Not that Beast Boy was gonna complain, he could live without a little conversation if it meant he'd get to see Terra again. Of course, Raven didn't seem to be quite as understanding as he was . . . which was just plain weird now that he thought about it. Raven was _always _more detached and objective than he was, but the Lost Boy's complete lack of attention to anything that wasn't: a) stone or b) Terra, was really getting under the Goth girl's skin for some reason he couldn't understand.

He chuckled evilly to himself. It served the girl right, really, she'd been ignoring him and Cyborg for years, it was about time she got to feel what it was like to have someone completely ignore her for a change.

Ah, well, it wasn't like there was anything he could do about it; asides from covering for Ryouga whenever some petty criminal popped up. He groaned loudly as his train of thought came full circle to the, apparently, imminent revival of Terra.

It was always there now, the racing thoughts at the back of his mind. Was it really possible? Could Ryouga actually do it? If he did, what the heck would Beast Boy say to her? Hundreds of scenarios played themselves over and over again in his mind; some heart burstingly wonderful, others heart breakingly tragic.

"Argh, dammnit!" he cursed loudly.

He clicked the up button on the remote again, continuing his desperate search for something to distract his sorely overtaxed mind.

"The Wonderful World of Fungus . . . hmm, I should Tivo that for Star . . ."

-Click-

"Nascar . . . Oooh, only three hundred more laps in _that _race – Not!"

-Click-

"Japanese Weather Channel? Heh, looks like the weather outside is frightful, there."

-Click-

"Hey! A Godzilla movie, _sweet_!" he cheered happily. If anything could numb his poor, abused brain cells for the next few hours, this would be it.

"Hmm, which one is this, anyway? Looks like a new one . . . what the heck is he even fighting?"

The emerald changeling looked closer at the screen. Man, the camera work on this one was just terrible, all shaky and stuff, you'd think they were shooting it out of a helicopter or something. Ahh, now he saw what was going on.

He groaned loudly in disgust.

"Godzilla versus Martial artists? That's gotta be the lamest idea for a fight _ever_." Man, not even _he _was that desperate for entertainment. He was about to hit the channel changing button again, when suddenly something caught his eye, a strangely familiar flash of red that just seemed to catch his hind brain and twist . . . hard. Instantly, the changeling's face was practically plastered to the television screen.

"_**No**_ _**way**_!"

* * *

Ranma leapt up quickly, gripped the outstretched arm of the lamppost and used it to instantly reverse his momentum and send himself flying in the opposite direction. A moment later, the post and everything within thirty or so feet of it were crushed to less than nothing by another tremendous crash of the beast's foot.

He landed easily about forty feet away, landing gently between his heavily breathing companions. To his left, practically dyed green from head to toe, was Ryu. On his other side, Natsume and Kurumi were also gasping for air, though now the two sisters wore outfits that nearly matched the Yamasen-ken master's.

Apparently, the only reward for their hard earned success of hobbling the monster had been a tremendous burst of green liquid spewing out of the gash they had carved. Luckily, the girls proved to be slightly quicker than Ryu, and had gotten away with only a moderate splashing, as opposed to a complete dunking.

Of course, that left the four of them in the rather depressive state they were in now. Sure, they were easily capable of staying out of harm's way, especially considering that their opponent's only method of attack appeared to be stomping them . . . so far,anyway. It was far too huge to actually reach down and swat them, thankfully.

"So -gasp- what . . . the hell are we supposed to do now?" asked Ryu rather irately.

Kurumi nodded desperately. "We should run away! Even when we do hurt it, it just heals up anyway! There's no way we can beat this thing!" she cried out.

Ranma was starting to wonder if that might not be the smart thing to do. Unlike Mecha-Boi, the Godzilla look-a-like hadn't even been fazed when he tricked it into following him through a set of dangling hydro lines. His chi blast had already proven woefully inadequate, and there was no way in heck he would be able to lead that thing into a spiral without destroying half the city anyway.

Unfortunately, it appeared that he didn't have anything powerful enough that would actually work on this thing. Rather reluctantly, partly out of stubborn pride and partly out of envy, he looked at his companions. With a long sigh, he took a step forward.

"Alright, I'll go ahead and distract it. Natsume, Kurumi, when it's safe, use your ultimate technique. Ryu, you use yours at the same time. Maybe, the combined forces of your two attacks will be enough to faze this thing," he stated seriously.

Rather than argue, which considering the kind of guy Ryu was, surprised him greatly, all three of the master martial artists simply nodded. A second later, the fighters leapt back, looking for favorable places to launch their attacks from.

Letting out another beleaguered sigh, Ranma turned back to the walking maelstrom that was trying to kill him _this _week. Craning his neck painfully, he once again stared his enemy right in the beady eyes.

"Alright, ya titanic Geico commercial! Let's dance!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. Who knew, maybe the thing even heard him?

Then, things went crazy . . . the monster lifted its leg once more to crush him, but suddenly moved the leg back behind it. Ranma's danger sense suddenly flared to life with the force of a bomb, as the monster's whole body began to twist around.

Ranma stared in shock, as the locomotive sized tail of the beast suddenly started swinging through the air towards him! The air howled in angry resistance to the unbelievable mass that was now tearing through it. The vacuum left in the tail's wake lifted debris and cars alike, sending it all flying like chaff. Then at least forty feet of the monster's tail smashed into the buildings on the far side of the street, tearing through entire foundations like wet tissue paper.

His stare of shock turned into a scream of terror as a three story wall of solid muscle and scale came flying in his direction, a row of five commercial buildings collapsing completely in its wake. The deafening cacophony of the demolished buildings, the angry roar of the monster and the screaming protest of the very air itself, it all came crashing down on the young martial artist like a ten ton statue of Buddha. It was all so much, that it wasn't until he was seconds away from becoming so much ground beef . . .

That he remembered he could easily jump _five _stories.

Mentally kicking himself at Amaguriken speed, a second later, he was airborne. He easily cleared the swinging tail, grinning madly with relief . . . At least until he got caught up in the windstorm that was trailing the tail!

For about seven and a half seconds, Ranma had a pretty good idea what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the Hiryua Shoten Ha when you didn't actually know the technique. After being tossed around like a rag doll and smashed into several different pieces of flying debris, he finally crashed to the ground, a veritable mass of bruises.

Groaning weakly, he lifted himself up onto his elbows, watching as the monster continued it's massive spin. Eventually, its attack was stopped as its tail crashed fully into about seven buildings on that side of the street. Gods, he hadn't seen this much destruction in his entire _life_! Luckily, having half of a city block collapse on the monster bought Ranma enough time to drag himself to his feet.

Ranma was about to start moving forward to continue his distraction, when, finally, he heard his companion's war cries at his back.

"_**Hiryua Karimbou**_!"

"_**Saidaikyū Kijin Raishū Dan**_!"

The pigtailed warrior smiled grimly. The monstrous monster had just enough time to face his direction again, when suddenly a flurry of massive vacuum blades slammed heavily across its stomach and chest. Each blade, probably a dozen feet across, slashed through the beast's hide like a knife through butter. Half a dozen sprays of green liquid sprayed out into the night sky-

Just in time to get sucked into a swirling wind funnel that snaked through the air to slam heavily into the center of the monster's chest. The crimson and azure wind tunnel actually pushed the monster back several yards, even as the energy of Natsume's and Kurumi's combined attack tore angrily into its scaly skin.

Ranma could only stare, impressed, as the two girls continued to pour on the attack. Ten seconds, twenty . . . twenty three . . . finally the ultimate technique died away. Behind him, even from such a distance, he could hear both girls collapse to their knees, breathing heavily in exhaustion.

The result of their attack was even more noticeable than Ryu's. A hole, over a dozen feet in diameter, had been drilled into the creature's chest. Where each of Ryu's attacks were spraying wide arcs of goo into the air, their attack was pouring out a veritable waterfall of the stuff . . .

For about five seconds anyway, before the hole and all of the slashes suddenly sealed up, glowing a bright crimson, then azure, then yellow, before once again blending in seamlessly with the rest of the monster's hide.

The beast rocked unsteadily for a moment, before reorienting itself once more, as if nothing had even happened. It then took a threatening step forward.

Ranma cursed loudly. It just wasn't _fair_! Hell, even as amazing as the attacks had been, they had been little more than scratches, really. This thing didn't _need_ to regenerate from their attacks . . . the fact that it did was just – just _insult _to _injury_.

Still . . . something about the way it was spewing green liquid everywhere was rebounding around the back of his mind. Why was it reacting like that? It made him think of Mecha-Boi for some reason . . . or more specifically, the robot boy's grim demise. When the mechanical kid had exploded, well, it had just burst apart, almost like a water balloon or something . . .

. . . Like a water balloon . . .

All coherent thought fled his mind, though, leaving him quite unable to continue on that particular line of reasoning. In fact, he nearly lost control of his bladder at what he saw next.

The draconian beast reared back its head, a dancing emerald light starting to flare at the back of its throat.

* * *

Akane sat about three inches away form the television, a pillow clutched tightly to her chest, as she watched the screen with morbid fascination. She chewed fretfully on the corner of the pillow, not caring if she ruined the textile in the least. It was all just so unbelievable, so impossible, so terrifying!

Thank the Gods that she had decided to stay out of this madness!

As proud as she was of her martial arts skills, even she wasn't crazy enough to think that she would have actually been of any help out there at all. It was like – like fighting an entire _apartment complex_. How did one even go about something like that?

Another near miss made her nearly tear off the corner of the pillow with her teeth. She couldn't stand the suspense, wondering if her fiancé would be alright or not. Every missed stomp, every swing of the tail; it was all she could do to stop herself from pulling out her own hair. This wasn't anything at all like watching the stormy eyed boy battling against his usual rivals.

Even the Orochi hadn't been this impossible of an opponent. It had been deadly, for sure, and tough as nails, but it could still be knocked out, injured.

She watched as a hail of vacuum blades and a familiar wind funnel slammed into the monster's chest, hope flaring in her chest for a second . . .

Only to be dashed, as she watched every single wound heal like magic. If Ryu's ultimate attack couldn't hurt it, then what could?

A sudden flash of light from the windows shocked her, nearly lighting up the entire night sky. A second later every window in the house rattled dangerously as it was followed by a titanic crash of thunder! So close, too! It almost sounded like it had been right next door.

Just shocked enough to be distracted from the television for a moment, Akane rushed to the nearest window . . .

To look up at the black velvet dome and brightly twinkling stars of a perfectly clear sky.

* * *

Lieutenant Uehara carefully peeked out from the remains of the post office, taking in the current scene before him. A second later, he ducked back behind the crumbling wall, breathing in long, wheezing gasps, just thankful that the battle wasn't coming his way that second. Not that he was a coward, and he'd pistol whip anyone that said otherwise, but seriously, what could one normal man do against a monster like that?

The experienced officer took a moment to take in his own condition. He was currently a mess, covered from head to toe in dust and glass shards from the billions of yen worth of damage that now surrounded him. He hadn't run so long or hard since his academy days; frankly, he was amazed he was still alive.

"Gods," he groaned weakly, "This just ain't working. We need some kind of . . . some kind of special task force for this, not an old man and a pack of crazy kids . . ."

Never in his life had he imagined that he would end up in a situation even half as crazy as this. Huddled behind a destroyed building, clutching a half dead laser weapon and desperately hoping that the city destroying monster that he was fighting didn't notice him . . . Sure, he'd heard about crazy things like this happening in the States, but those lucky bastards had super heroes crawling out of the damn woodwork!

He snuck another peek at the battle, marveling as Kumon unleashed a series of blade shaped . . . well, he didn't actually know what the arcs were, but they slashed into the monster's chest with devastating force. Then he stared in awe as the two girls somehow unleashed a Technicolor typhoon right into the beast's chest as well.

Of course, neither attack had any lasting effect, but it was still pretty inspiring . . .

No, Daizo wouldn't trade any of these crazy kids for even a dozen super heroes. The pigtailed brat that he'd been saddled with for these past weeks and his friends, they had trained hard and reached a level of skill that few people in the world could even imagine. They might not be immortal supermen, but he damn well respected them for their achievements.

Well, never let it be said that Lieutenant Uehara Daizo would let something as fleeting as sanity stop him from standing side by side with his nearly mythical comrades.

He saw his opening instantly, as the beast reared back, an ominous light beginning to glow from its slavering jaws.

He dove out from behind his tenuous cover and aimed carefully. A second later, protesting angrily, his laser flared to life again. With unerring grace, the beam of crimson energy lanced through the air, burning a dime sized hole at the very center of his target. He smirked proudly, damn he was good!

Instantly the monster flailed to the side, a belch of radioactive gases escaping its mouth at the aborted attempt to breath fire. The earth quaked under its feet as it staggered around blindly, its limbs and tail swinging wildly in every which way.

The Lieutenant chuckled to himself. Well, he supposed getting a laser in the eye _would _hurt, even as small as it was.

He knew the thing was likely already healing, so he ran out and skidded to a stop next to his pigtailed protégé. He nearly laughed at the look of mingled shock, fear and relief that rolled over the boy's face like a luxury sedan.

"Heh, I don't suppose you kids have any more tricks up your sleeves, do you? I really hope so, because I sure as heck can't keep up the corrective surgery all night," he stated perhaps a little too lightheartedly for the situation.

Surprisingly, Saotome just laughed in reply. "Heh, don't ya know that necessity is the mother of all invention, Lieutenant? I'm sure if we last a few more minutes, something'll come to me . . .," the boy stated, maybe a little unconvincingly.

A moment later, Natsume, Kurumi and Ryu joined the two of them, all of them looking just as worn out and weary as himself . . . though decidedly more green. Behind them, the monster's thrashing began to slow, and would probably stop all too soon.

Ryu glared impotently at the mammoth beast as it continued its thrashing. "If we don't get out of here soon, we're likely going to die," he stated seriously. He then turned to face Daizo, "How long do we have to distract this thing before the people with the big guns get here?"

Uehara considered that question for a moment, impressed with the boy's ability to accept that they couldn't win, but to keep fighting regardless. "Unfortunately, this fight is happening in one of the busiest districts in the entire city, and it's only been about half an hour so far. I wouldn't be surprised if it took another ten minutes before any air support gets here and likely a half an hour at least before any tanks arrive," he summed up quickly.

Of course, he had no real idea if he was right, he'd never seen the army mobilize before, but he didn't wanna make it seem too hopeless for the kids.

Any further discussion was killed quickly, as the Godzilla-looking beast suddenly stopped its agonized flailing. With another bellow, the monster turned their way once more, blinking its completely uninjured eye for all the world to see. The beast then reared back again, the temperature of the entire street raising by several degrees instantly, as it prepared to unleash its atomic fire on them.

Kurumi screamed in fright as the nuclear furnace in the monster's mouth built up to critical mass, a glowing aurora Borealis shimmering in its open mouth.

"_Ryu_!" Ranma screamed desperately.

At the same time that Daizo himself was trying to line up another shot on the beast's eye, to no avail, suddenly the other martial artist sprinted ahead several yards.

Then Ryu suddenly leapt forward, both hands clenched tightly together at his side. As soon as the boy's toe left the ground, he swung his powerful arms in a massive arc before himself, spinning himself completely around in midair. The movement of Kumon's arms were so blindingly fast, that Daizo didn't even register the movement until the boy had already landed from his spin . . .

However, the effect was immediate, as the air _shrieked_ in protest to the inhumanly fast passage of his joined hands. The unearthly shriek gave life to a massive distortion in the form of an arcing blade, easily three times larger than any other that the boy had unleashed earlier. That had to be it! The boy's movement was so fast, that it had actually created a vacuum in the air, and now that vacuum was traveling through the air at unbelievable speed.

The fact that Daizo actually figured that out, or that it suddenly seemed so reasonable compared to everything else he had seen lately, worried him to the bone.

The massive vacuum blade was so powerful, that it almost dragged its creator along for the ride! Ryu had to spin and slam his fingers into the unforgiving pavement just to stop from being sucked along by his own oversized attack!

Its trajectory, curved, but true, slammed heavily into the monster's chin. The esoteric attack actually snapped the monster's mouth shut, jets of radioactive exhaust shooting out from between its clenched teeth as the atomic fire sought escape. The beast staggered back, as suddenly its mouth burst open to release a fifty foot mushroom cloud of nuclear gases. The force of the blast sent it to crash bodily into a nearby mall complex, devastating another several billion yen worth of real estate.

Kumon then dropped to his knees, utterly exhausted. The Lieutenant and the three other martial artists ran forward to check on the young man. When they got there, though, Ryu simply waved them off.

"Heh, I'm fine, just took more out of me than I expected to make such a huge one . . ."

Saotome stared at the other boy, confused. "Why did ya make it blunt? Why didn't ya just cut the damned things head off with that?"

Daizo nearly pistol whipped the insensitive brat, but Ryu quickly replied. "Shut it, Saotome! If I cut off its jaw, it probably just would have started spraying fire everywhere, then heal instantly. At least this way we have a few more seconds while it recovers," stated the bandanna wearing youth.

The Lieutenant just grumbled to himself. "Damn, all we're doing is delaying the inevitable here! It's just gonna keep on doing that and we can't keep this up for ten minutes, let alone all night!" he growled loudly.

Just then, their insanely persistent opponent turned their way, wafts of smoke escaping its mouth. Daizo could feel the hate in its gaze as it just stared at the five of them standing there. Not even the few, random laser blasts that were striking it from all angles fazed it in the slightest. There was something suddenly different about the beast, something that terrified him more than he ever imagined possible. It was like all of the hatred in the world was swirling in those yellow spheres.

They all understood, then and there, that they wouldn't be able to stop the next attack. No laser, no vacuum blade, nothing they could do would stop this monster from unleashing a radioactive hell storm right in the heart of downtown Tokyo . . .

A silent rumble filled the air, no doubt from the monster before them.

Slowly, the monster opened its mouth one final time.

The silent rumble gained in volume, now like distant thunder.

Once again, an unholy glow filled the beast's gaping maw, though this time they could see the hellish furnace at the back of the monster's throat with their own eyes.

The roll of thunder continued to build, as if a storm was rapidly approaching; boy, but this thing liked to build up the tension.

The demon beast loomed over them, looking like it was just going to vomit a gout of flaming napalm right on their heads, as if destroying the five of them was the sole purpose of its existence . . .

When, against all reason, the sky was torn asunder by a flash of light so pure and blinding that everything went completely white! It took the Lieutenant several precious seconds to rub the sight back into his aching eyes, just in time to see a streak of azure light flying through the sky from the west, a shooting star flying just above the buildings. The roll of thunder seemed to follow the small stream of light, shaking the earth and rattling every shard of glass for as far as his spot filled eyes could see.

Daizo watched in awe, starting to wonder if, perhaps, miracles actually did exist. The shooting star flew a thousand feet in the span of seconds, a plume of debris following in its wake as it began to descend closer to the buildings it passed over. Absently he heard Natsume whispering a prayer to the Gods . . . maybe they were making a house call?

Natsume's prayers were answered, then, as the careening comet slammed directly into the side of the great, staggering beast's head. The sky was torn asunder again, this time by the sound of a thousand thunder claps all happening at the same time! A spherical wave of force washed out from the point of impact, demolishing buildings, overturning vehicles . . .

And then Daizo's world turned upside down.

Suddenly, he was rag dolling through the air; it felt like a bulldozer turned race car had scooped him up and taken him for a ride. He shut his eyes tightly, expecting a painful landing followed quickly by a number of harsh impac-

And then it was over . . . The police officer looked around in confusion . . . why wasn't he bean paste again? Slowly, his sense of touch returned to him, though he figured his sense of hearing would be a little longer in recovering. There was something wrapped around him, something warm, yet cool; something soft, yet very hard . . .

He looked up tentatively . . . to see Tendo Natsume holding him tightly to her chest. A second later, his savior landed lightly on the ground, apparently she had jumped to catch his sorry butt. As soon as they touched down, she looked at him, possibly inspecting him for any injuries. She said something, then, but he had no idea what it was. Not only couldn't he hear a word she was saying, he was just lousy at lip reading.

So instead, he just shot her a thankful look and gave her a thumbs up. Then he carefully grabbed her shoulders and pushed himself back up to a standing position. He chuckled soundlessly to himself, he was far too old to be caught in a compromising position with such a lovely young woman. That kind of thing was better left to his young partners.

After taking a moment to reorient his spine after his uncomfortable flight, he turned to see what the heck had happened. Not too far ahead of him, he saw Saotome, Kumon and the younger girl . . . um – Kurumi, yeah, that was it, he saw the three of them also land gracefully from their turbulent travels.

Damn kids, making this look so easy!

Further down the ruined street, the immense bulk of the beast toppled to the side, collapsing heavily into a row of commercial buildings, causing yet another billion yen of damage. He could only thank the Gods that he couldn't be held responsible for _those_ buildings at least. It was all so surreal, though, watching entire buildings being destroyed in complete and absolute silence. The only thing that he could hear, was the ringing in his own ears.

He looked around to his companions, seeing them all staring around in confusion as well. Ranma was sticking a pinky in his ear and twisting it around, while Ryu banged the side of his head. Obviously they had suffered the same hearing loss that he had . . . he sure as heck hoped it was just temporary.

And then, another impossible thing happened, which brought the count for today to around seven . . . hmm, a pretty slow day since he started hanging out with Saotome, really.

Suddenly, from the perfectly clear sky above them, a bolt of lightning lanced down from the Heavens themselves! The bolt crashed down into the ground several dozen yards ahead of them, dissolving the world into another wash of white filled with dancing spots of black. When it finally cleared once more, the bolt of lightning had resolved itself into . . .

A young man!

Though his back was to them, Daizo could see the slender youth was wearing a bright orange breast plate that looked like it belonged to an ancient set of samurai armor. He was also wearing an ornate orange head guard that held up a shock of pale yellow, almost white hair which invoked the very lightning bolt that he had just descended from the Heavens in. Most striking, was the boy's skin, it was such a pale white, that the boy wearing it looked almost . . . divine . . .

Holy Hell! The Gods actually _had_ arrived to save them!

Daizo desperately tried to remember the last time that he had visited a temple, and how they had gone about praying there. He was about to drop to his knees in prostration - Except he was distracted, as surprisingly, it was about then that sounds began to trickle back to the tired Lieutenant . . . another miracle? There were three sounds that stood out. He turned to his left, to see Natsume and Kurumi on their knees, praying. Apparently they had beaten him to the punch. On his right, the two boys were sputtering in shock, unsure _what _they were seeing. Before him, in the distance, the sound of rubble raining to the ground as the behemoth started to drag itself out of the husks of the destroyed buildings.

Then the young God raised its arms before it . . .

It started small, a small spark at the young man's elbow. It was followed by an arc of electricity dancing along his forearm. Then another, larger arc appeared. All too soon, his arms were wreathed in lightning, dancing to a chaotic rhythm that no mortal could understand. The dangerous energy sinuously climbed up the boy's arms until the infant bolts of lightning gathered in his hands, forming a sphere which crackled angrily over its unnatural containment.

And then the wrath of the Gods was unleashed! A bolt of lightning exploded out from the God's hands, scorching through the air in search of its unfortunate prey. Over a hundred yards away, the lance of electrical fury lashed out at the great beast, scorching a three story gash up the monster's underbelly.

Instantly, a waterfall of green liquid began to rush out of the immense wound, and the creature crashed back down into the demolished buildings once more.

Then, the young man turned around, a broad smile on his pale lips and a joyful laugh on his lips. A second later, another figure appeared, descending from the sky riding what appeared to be a living cloud. This second figure, also looking like a young man, was the polar opposite of his companion. Where the first was fair and slight, the second was dark and massive. The newcomer wore a breast plate that was similar to his companion's, though a dark blue in color. He also wore a simple helmet which flared out to protect the back of his neck. Oddly, the young man's skin was a pale blue, almost purple in color. Surely, if riding to the earth on a living cloud wasn't enough of a sign of supernatural origins, that skin had to be.

"What tremendous _fun_ that was, my brother!" cheered the fair youth.

The large framed youth nodded, smiling weakly himself. "Indeed, brother, your skill is magnificent as always . . . But I feel that this is not that which we seek."

Daizo could only stare in shock . . . still not sure what to do, what to say. What did you say to a god, really?

"W-who the **hell **are you two!"

Daizo groaned loudly at the sound of Saotome's voice. It appeared that he was about to find out exactly what you _shouldn't _say to a god.

The two colorfully clad youths turned their way, as if just noticing them for the first time. Suddenly, the lighter of the two stepped forward, a look of such intense pride on his face, that Daizo was certain that it belonged on his idiotic protégé's face. The young man then gestured grandly with a sweeping of his arm.

"We are **Thunder **and _Lightning_!" he stated dramatically, his voice high and excited. Behind him, his sibling, Thunder, bowed politely to them.

The pigtailed boy strode forward, sputtering angrily, and poked an irate finger into the center of Lightning's chest.

"Yeah, well, _Lightning,_" Ranma sneered the name disrespectfully, "Who the hell do ya think you are? This was **our** fight, we didn't need your help!"

The Officer slapped a hand to his face, desperately groping for an implement to pistol whip the loud mouthed idiot with. What was he doing?

The self titled Lightning stared back angrily at the blue eyed martial artist, obviously not amused by the blatant lack of respect or gratitude. However, his angry retort was cut off, as the fair haired God was interrupted by something tugging insistently at the bracer which covered his forearm.

Everyone looked down to see Kurumi holding the youth's arm, looking up at him with a look that was so hopeful, that it nearly broke his old, policeman's heart.

"Excuse me, sir . . . but are you really . . . really a God?" she asked, wonder and awe overflowing in her voice.

At the same time, a look of sheer superiority formed on Lightning's face and a look of indignant rage appeared on Ranma's. However, before either youth could blurt out whatever it was they were going to say, Thunder suddenly stepped forward.

The seemingly soft spoken Thunder carefully dropped to a knee directly in front of Kurumi and placed his hands reassuringly on her shoulders. He then looked deeply into the girl's eyes, smiling weakly, and shook his head slowly.

"No, young one, we are not Gods. My brother and I are merely gifted with the powers of nature. However, these powers do not make us any better than you, or anyone else. So please, do not look at us with such eyes," explained the young man with surprising eloquence.

Behind him, Lightning deflated visibly, apparently disappointed for some reason. Ranma also deflated, though more likely out of shame then anything else. Daizo smirked weakly at that . . . so, not gods, eh? Well, that didn't mean he still couldn't chalk this whole thing up to being a miracle.

Kurumi suddenly leapt forward, ensnaring the large youth in a tight hug, tears in her eyes. Thunder actually looked around in surprise, totally unsure what was going on. Well, that settled that then, getting flustered by a pretty girl was a definite sign or mortality.

A moment later, the young Tendo girl released her constricting hug, then stared tearfully at the larger teen. "I don't care if you're not a god! You still saved us all, so I wanna thank you anyway!" she stated in a cutely firm manner.

Again, Thunder looked to everyone present, looking for any help on what he should do. Apparently getting thanked for his actions wasn't something the large boy was used to.

Behind the two, Lightning turned to Ranma, a cocky sneer on his lips. "Yes, _boy_, we did _save you all,_ so feel free to thank me any time you like."

Uehara nearly choked on his tongue as he watched Saotome's face turn as red as a beet. "Are you crazy? Why on earth would I thank an arrogant jerk like _you_ for? There's no damn way that you saved _me, _cuz _I _was never in any danger!" shouted the irate martial artist.

Lightning matched his scowl. "Who are _you_ to call _me_ arrogant? You are unable to even admit that you were in danger! If my brother and I hadn't arrived when we had, that great beast would have unleashed its fire breath upon you all!"

"As if! I woulda stopped that thing easy! I don't need no fancy dressin lightning bugs butting in on _my _fights!" fired back the pigtailed fighter.

The electrical powered teen gasped angrily. "You **dare** to compare one such as myself to a lowly insect? Are you completely lacking in common courtesy, you debased scrapper?"

Daizo groaned loudly again. Was this the time or the place for an argument like this? These damn kids were embarrassing him in front of his fellow officers! Luckily, Thunder stepped forward and began to calm his brother, even as Kurumi started kicking Ranma repeatedly in the shins for his rudeness-

"Hey, **idiots**!"

The shout gathered everyone's attention in a flash. Everyone present turned to face the speaker, glaring slightly at the Yamasen-ken master. Kumon met all of the glares evenly, before pointing casually over everyone's shoulder.

"In case you morons hadn't noticed, this fight isn't over yet." Everyone followed the path his finger made, to see the collapsed Godzilla-clone climbing to its feet once more, not a scratch present on its massive body. "So, unless you all wanna get killed over a stupid argument, I suggest you all shut the hell up and we figure out how to take this thing down for good."

Thunder and Lightning turned to face each other, shocked expressions on their faces. "B-but how is that possible?" asked the gentle giant. "Your strike had rent its flesh asunder . . ."

The Lieutenant stepped between the two boys and clapped a hand onto each of their shoulders. "Look, we'll fill you in on what the hell is goin on later. Here's the basics: big lizard thing no die. There, you're caught up now, lets move on."

He just smiled wickedly as the two teens stared at him, totally confused. He chuckled happily, tweaking these super powered kids was one of the last simple joys that life seemed to be offering him lately. Of course, he had absolutely no idea how they were gonna do it, but hey, the more the merrier.

Then suddenly, apparently for no reason at all, Ranma snapped his fingers loudly. Everyone turned to face the boy, curious as to why the young man had started laughing in such an evil manner. He just met their gazes, a slightly manic look in his eyes.

"Oh, yes, I gotta plan."

* * *

Everyone stared at him, worried and confused looks on their faces. He didn't even bother answering their unasked question. He didn't have time, the inspiration was burning too hotly in his mind, it was co-opting every neuron that wasn't dedicated to breathing or pumping blood. The plan was rough, but it was all sliding together like some mad genius' jigsaw puzzle.

He wanted to laugh out loud -

Water Balloons! Of course, he knew it would work, there was no way that it _couldn't _work, all of the pieces were right there and waiting to be used!

Oops, the looks on everyone's faces were starting to slide from worried to concerned for their own well-being. He didn't want to scare them away now . . . though he was having trouble hiding his smile.

The heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling took a long, calming breath. He then looked around to he collective comrades.

First, he pointed to the massive teen, Thunder. "Alright, Thunder, on my signal, I want you to do that flying attack again. I need you to stun the monster long enough for the rest of us to get ready," he stated carefully. Thunder looked to his brother, a questioning expression on his face. Lightning looked to Ranma, then back to his brother . . . then nodded, once. With that, the blue armored warrior also nodded.

Ranma then looked to the other four fighters. "Alright, I need you all to do what I say, when I say it, okay? It probably won't make a lot of sense at the time, but just trust me, I know this will work," he asked eagerly.

He then looked to the Lieutenant. "Hey, old man, you might wanna get clear, this is gonna get pretty wild in here." Rather than argue, the tired looking officer simply nodded and retreated.

A minute later, Ranma had everyone arranged like he wanted. The six of them facing down the eighty meter monstrosity. The pigtailed fighter was nearly shaking in anticipation, it was an all or nothing gambit, but then, they all were really. The monolithic beast stared down at them, rage boiling out from its hateful eyes.

Then the monster took a step forward.

"_Now, Thunder!_" he shouted.

In a flash, the cloud riding thunder spirit took off, a tail of azure light trailing him. A second later, Thunder crashed into the beast's head again, unleashing a punch with all the fury of a thunderbolt behind it. Though not nearly as impressive as his first strike, it was still enough to send the monster's head snapping painfully to the side.

Ranma quickly turned to Natsume and Kurumi. "You two, use the Hiryua Karimbou on its chest, now." he ordered quickly.

With grace borne of countless repetition, the two girls came together. Kurumi unleashed her crimson ribbon and started twirling it rapidly, a second later, it began to glow ominously as she funneled her molten chi through the narrow strip of cloth. Then Natsume pulled out her rug beater and expelled a gust of her arctic chi in a whirlwind of force. The two opposing powers combined instantly, and a massive wind funnel a dozen feet in diameter roared to life.

"_**Hiryua Karimbou!"**_

Just like before, the sinuous cyclone tore through the air and slammed into the monster's chest, pushing it back slightly with the intense pressure they were creating. Ranma nodded, happy with the progress so far. Now it was his turn. He positioned himself carefully around eight feet to the side of the girls and focused his own power. He clinically studied the rapid flow, the spiraling power of the girl's cyclone attack . . .

"_**Hiryua Shoten Ha!**_"

The pigtailed martial artist chuckled evilly to himself. He had done this before, used their Hiryua Karimbou to create a horizontal Hiryua Shoten Ha. Of course, he had been countering their attack that time, and thus his attack had been much weaker than normal . . .

This time he was adding the power of their attack to his own!

Suddenly the base of the wind tunnel the girls were creating swelled to double its original diameter, growing in his direction so that the center of the vortex was now between him and the sisters; rather fitting since it now belonged to both of them. The power of the combined attack flowed up the entire length of the cyclone, transforming an angry serpent into a raging dragon! Then the force of his super attack slammed into the chest of the monster, actually forcing it back several steps.

The monster howled in pain, as the full-fledged tornado began to tear angrily into its leathery hide.

Then, shouting as loud as he could to be heard over the howling winds, Ranma turned to Lightning.

"**Lightning! Fire right up the middle of the tornado! Tear this oversized bastard a new one!"**

The master of lightning actually stood there for a moment, staring in awe at the elemental force they had wrought. A second later, the spiky haired warrior shook off his amazement and stepped between Ranma and Natsume and Kurumi. He then unleashed a terrible and powerful bolt of lighting, which traveled straight and true up the length of the vortex. In the blink of an eye, the bolt hit home, exploding a hole in the center of the beast's chest. For a moment, green ooze began to spray out of the wound, but almost instantly, the force of the winds pushed the liquid forcefully back into the gory wound.

Finally, Ranma turned to the master of the Yamasen-ken.

"**Ryu! Start firing vacuum blades into the tornado!"**

Quickly, Lighting moved out of the way and Ryu took his place at the center of the tornado's mouth. The Kumon heir looked at him quizzically for a moment, before simply shrugging. Then -

"_**Saidaikyū Kijin Raishū Dan**_

His arms blurring faster than anyone other than Ranma himself could follow, Ryu unleashed his ultimate technique. Vacuum slash after vacuum slash flew into the mouth of the ravenous wind tunnel. Ranma smiled, as he critically watched each and every blade, marking exactly how far each one made it up the length of the tornado before dissipating into the winds. Carefully, the blue eyed martial artist started creeping off to the side, away from the center of the tornado.

Ryu just continued his deadly onslaught, sweat flying in arcs as the boy put every possible ounce of energy into his attack. Judging by the confused look on the guy's face, it was becoming apparent that he had no idea what Ranma was thinking. The Yamasen-ken master could see just as clearly as Ranma could that the vacuum blades were all dissipating harmlessly before even reaching the monster's chest, which had already been cut open anywa-

Suddenly, a great howl filled the air, as the monster suddenly started roaring in pain. The bellow was quickly followed by a loud, incredibly loud rumbling sound. Ranma took several more quick steps to the side, positioning himself on the very outer edge of the massive tornado, just close enough to continue feeding his powerful cold aura into the wind funnel.

Ranma smiled widely then, as the rumbling sound rapidly increased in volume, beginning to sound suspiciously similar to a raging river. Suddenly, Ryu stopped his assault, dropping his arms to his side. Instantly, the Kumon boy turned to face him, stark understanding appearing on his face.

"**Wait a second! I know what you're up t-"**

The word 'Splash' didn't even do justice to the sound as the torrential river of green ooze being sucked down the wind funnel suddenly crashed into the poor boy with the force of a runaway freight train. Luckily, Natsume and Kurumi had mirrored his movements, so they were at the far side of the tornado as well, and weren't washed away in the flood like Ryu had just been.

Ranma laughed loudly in triumph! "**Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling Ultimate Attack!" **he roared to the heavens themselves.

"_**Demon God Assaults the Flying Dragon Drinking Through a Straw Technique! You scaly bastard!**_"

The master of the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling shouted the name of his masterful new technique for all to hear. It had all come together so perfectly, even better than he could have imagined!

The way that the monster had behaved when injured, spraying out green liquid, hadn't coincided with any known injury he had ever seen before. Instead, it had reminded him strongly of what happened when you poked a hole in a water balloon. The water shot out in a spurt, and the lower on the balloon you made the hole, the stronger the stream because all of the weight of the water above it was pushing it out.

A living body didn't work at all like that. Blood traveled through veins and arteries and capillaries, people just weren't blood filled sacks (contrary to what it seemed like in some anime he watched), if you pricked a person, blood would just drip out. And that had made him think back to Mecha-Boi, when he had burst open, there hadn't been anything inside, no computer parts or circuits, or whatever was inside a robot. It was like the mechanical boy had just been a sack of liquid.

And since this Godzilla-look-alike shared the same powers, it only made sense that it was made of the same goo . . . just green in this case.

Of course, none of that information had actually meant anything to him before. After all, what did it matter if it was a sack full of juice, if it healed nearly instantly anyway? Not even an attack as devastating as Lightning's first strike had been enough to keep it down.

It had all clicked, ironically like a bolt of lightning in his mind.

He squinted his eye and looked away, not wanting to get any stray drops of juice in his eyes as the river continued to flow past him. In the distance, at the other end of the tornado, he could see the monster, still writhing and howling, even as the vortex continued to drain its lifeblood out at an astonishing rate. And, if he wasn't mistaken, the monster actually seemed to be . . . deflating.

He smiled even wider. It might take a few minutes, but . . .

This fight was over!

* * *

Lieutenant Uehara continued to watch in morbid fascination. It had taken ten minutes, but the monster had finally collapsed into nothing more than a huge pile of empty leather. It was probably going to be another one of those traumatic events that would be forever branded into his memory.

He had never seen anyone _bleed out _a monster before, it was . . . a powerfully disturbing image. It had long since stopped moving, but apparently Saotome and the girls weren't taking any chances, they hadn't stopped until the every last drop of green liquid had been sucked out of the damned beast. He looked down the street, the river of emerald stretching out beyond sight. May the gods take pity on the poor bastards that had to clean that mess up.

He didn't even turn to regard the slopping sounds of someone approaching from behind him. With an exhausted sigh, what he . . . assumed to be Kumon, dropped down to sit on the tipped over phone booth beside him. The entire boy was coated from head to toe in a thick layer of the stuff that covered the street.

Nasty trick that had been of Saotome, getting Ryu stuck in the middle of all of that. He wouldn't have been surprised if Ryu had been washed out into another district by the river of goo that had carried him off. Shame, that, Saotome and Kumon didn't seem to get along that well before, this probably wasn't gonna help much.

A few minutes later, an exhausted group came over to join them. Ranma was practically dragging himself across the pavement, as Thunder and Lighting carried Kurumi and Natsume respectively. The younger of the two sisters was completely unconscious from the effort and the elder sister didn't seem too far behind. Apparently not feeling up to carrying the larger girl, Lightning walked over to their seat and was about to set her down beside him.

Daizo rolled his eyes at the young hero and nodded his head to the side forcefully, indicating the boy on his other side. Lighting looked at him, confused for a second, before smiling slyly. The pale boy then walked over and placed the girl at Ryu's side, leaning her carefully against him. If the bandanna wearing boy or the pony tailed girl minded, neither one gave a sign.

"Well, Saotome, maybe once you're done smiling like you just found the cure for cancer, you could tell us just what the _hell _that was that you just did?" he barked, a little cranky. Hmm, not that he should have been cranky, considering they had just done the impossible . . . what was that, the eighth time that night, or the tenth? But . . . it had been one _hell_ of a night, that was certain.

The look on the boy's face was priceless as he mulled over the request. It was obvious that the boy had an entire spiel prepared, explaining every detail of his oh-so clever plan in intricate detail, but the boy looked so damned exhausted that even he realized he'd probably pass out before he actually finished his explanation.

So instead, the pigtailed boy took a long, deep breath. "That thing healed any wound instantly a few seconds _after_ every attack. So we just made an attack that _didn't_ stop," Saotome stopped for a moment, taking a few more breaths before continuing. "The only real trick to it, was usin Ryu's attacks together with ours. The Hiryua Shoten Ha, it sucks things up from the bottom and shoots em out the top, same with their attack." He gestured meaningfully to Natsume.

"All we did was use the vacuums that Ryu made. They dispersed all of the air in the tornado, and since air could only get in the top and the bottom, but not the sides, _something _had to fill the vacuum. Since Kumon over there was pretty much stopping anything from getting in on our end, the only thing that could fill in said vacuum was the goo that filled up that monster."

Ryu nodded, "And by the time the stuff shot out and washed me away, there were already thousands of liters of the junk shooting out the bottom of the tornado, so no air could get back in. After that, it was pretty much all the work of gravity: the monster goo escaping to the lowest point."

Daizo stared back and forth between the two boys, astonishment clear on his features. "W-what the hell? That actually sounded like you knew what the hell you were talking about? Who are you two and what have you done with Saotome and Kumon?"

Ranma just chuckled. "Heh, as much as I don't care about school, old man, martial arts is pretty much all physics. We might not look like those fancy guys with lab coats, but when it comes to knowing how things work we _do _know what we're talkin 'bout," stated the boy, a hint of pride in his tone.

The Lieutenant could only shake his head, utterly amazed. It was so easy to forget just how skilled these crazy kids were, and the incredible amount of knowledge they would need to possess to attain those skills. Still . . .

"Kid, I just gotta know, where the heck did you get the idea?"

The pigtailed boy shrugged weakly, actually blushing slightly in embarrassment. "Well, ya see, right at the end there . . . I suddenly remembered something that I had seen earlier . . ."

Everyone continued to stare, urging the kid to continue. "Well . . . ya see, I just remembered this nifty commercial I saw on TV the other day . . ."

"For Cyclonic Vacuum Cleaners . . ."

* * *

Brushogun howled in rage! His clawed limbs flashed out, tearing through wall, furniture and minion alike. Everything around him vanished in his fit of rage, torn to shreds, smashed to pieces or splattered into unrecognizable ink splotches against the remains of the building's interior.

And every single ink blot looked _exactly _like Saotome being disemboweled in the most painful ways imaginable!

_How_? How was it possible for Deka-Mido to be defeated? His creation had been unstoppable, indestructible . . . and yet, it had been destroyed . . .in the most bizarre method imaginable. He had no idea how the martial artist had done . . . whatever it was that he had done, but it was becoming crystal clear that his enemy's power was growing more dangerous with every passing minute.

And now the bastard had _two more _comrades! These ones wielding power over the elements of thunder and lightning no less! If things continued at this rate, the Ink Demon would be buried under a veritable mountain of martial artists and super heroes before two months passed.

No . . . no, it was time to end this! He had to stop Saotome and his companions _now_, before they had a chance to gain even more power and allies. Not only that, he needed to make an _example _of these impudent heroes. He had to crush them so utterly, break their spirits so completely, that no one would _ever_ dare to even raise a hand in defiance _again_!

Yes, a duel, that was it! A final, climactic battle between the forces of good and evil. Brushogun with his infinite power and evil versus Saotome and his pathetic skills and worthless companions.

A long, liquid chuckle escaped his lips. Yes, a duel, at a time and place of his own choosing, just as it was meant to be. It was time to close the chapter on the life of Saotome Ranma . . .

And he knew _exactly _how to make the challenge.

* * *

Ranma led his rather sizable entourage back to the Tendo Dojo. They had left the Lieutenant back at the scene of the battle, literally shouting curses to the heavens at the mountains of paperwork that were going to result from that battle. The pigtailed boy certainly didn't envy the old man that task, in fact, he was pretty sure that he had gotten the better end of the deal, after all, Ranma only had to defeat a twenty story, radioactive dinosaur, the Lieutenant was stuck actually cleaning up after that fight . . .

The walk back had been long (there wasn't a taxi in the city that would pick them up the way they were looking) and it had been rather quiet as well. They had taken a few minutes to explain the situation a bit to the elemental twins, and how bad things had been getting lately, so the two of them had agreed to stick around for at least a little while to see if they couldn't help out.

The reason that the walk had passed in comfortable silence was because of the sleeping girls in Ryu's and Thunder's arms. Natsume had lasted pretty much just long enough to hear Ranma's explanation of their victory, before she had joined her sister in slumber. So, no one really wanting to wake up either girl, and everyone being pretty much just too emotionally drained to wanna talk anyway, they had silently consented to introduce themselves a little more formally later.

Preferably after a bath, or three.

Finally! Finally, after what felt like forever (he was so going to ask for a ride next time) the roof of the Dojo came into sight. Gods, that was the last time that he ever walked that far after a pitched battle against a Godzilla lookin monstrosity . . .

Hell, he sure as heck hoped that _was _the last time that he had a pitched battle against a Godzilla lookin monstrosity.

Wait a second . . . something was wrong - something felt off.

He stiffened slightly at the foreign sensation, his companions doing likewise.

"There is a foul scent in the air, one that runs contrary to the laws of nature itself . . .," muttered Thunder in a somber tone.

Well, that was a good a way to put it as any. Not wanting to wait, Ranma signaled for Ryu and Thunder to wait and for Lightning to come with him. No need to endanger the sleeping girls.

The two of them ran towards the Dojo. Damn! There was a hole in the exterior wall! It looked like something had just smashed through the structure, spraying the backyard with rocks and mortar. They ran through the hole, scanning everything quickly. He . . . he didn't sense anything there, just the lingering traces of something that had been there. But whatever it was, like Thunder had said, it didn't feel right, not at all.

It took less than a second to see that a battle had taken place here. There was a gaping hole where the screen door used to be, but not from the usual, relatively controlled entrances of Shampoo, this looked like something had just torn half the wall away in one furious swipe.

In a flash, his armored companion hot on his heels, he jumped through the hole and into the Tendo's dining room. Again, the room was utterly destroyed, the obvious signs of a terrible and terribly swift battle everywhere.

A sense of dread began to build in the young martial artist's heart. He was sure he knew exactly what had happened here, exactly why they had come. He knew, without even taking another step, that he wouldn't be able to find his fiancée within the confines of this house . . .

Suddenly feeling the exhaustion of the entire night drop down on his head, he collapsed to his knees, lacking the strength to even stand any longer. All he could do was stare at the floor, his eyes as empty as his heart. He was pretty sure he was going into shock . . . but strangely, the knowledge didn't seem to help him do anything about it.

It – it was all his fault . . . It was just like Nabiki said, because he was such an idiot . . .

A . . . Akane . . . she was . . .

"Ranma, look at this!" Lightning's shrill voice seemed like it was coming from another world, the words didn't even register to him as he continued to kneel there, the weight of his actions starting to crush down on his soul.

"It looks like a – a _challenge letter_ . . . how traditional . . ."

The words continued to flow over Ranma like water over a rock, nothing the other boy could possibly say could reach him, not in the state he was in.

"Hmm, very nice calligraphy, hmm, I wonder who this 'Akane' girl is that he keeps going on abo-"

An instant later, Lightning was embedded in the far wall as Ranma slammed into him and tore the piece of paper from the boy's fingers with wild desperation. Quickly, as quickly as he could, Ranma started to read the artfully written letter. It began rather poetically . . .

'Dear Saotome,'

'I am known as Brushogun,'

_'I have Akane.'_


	15. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 7

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble In Little Tokyo

Chapter Seven

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

It was almost eerily quiet as the five of them sat around the low dining room table. Not even a gentle breeze or a jumping koi disturbed the painful silence; the only sounds that she could hear were the quiet intakes of breath from her and her companions. Ranma's breathing was notably erratic, as the wide eyed warrior gazed in horror at the slip of paper in his hands.

It had been a rather rude awakening for Natsume and her sister, to discover that their pseudo-sister had been violently kidnapped while they had been out battling that monolithic beast. Even she, herself, the cool and calculating master of the Female School of Indiscriminate Grappling, was feeling an uncharacteristic tightness in her chest at the thought of the possible fates that Akane could be facing. Of course, as worried as she was, she knew it was as nothing compared to what the girl's fiance must be feeling at that very moment.

No one else dared to even speak, just staring at the pigtailed youth with sympathetic expressions. Even Ryu, much to her surprise, was wearing a concerned look on his face. Over the days that she had gotten to know him, it had become obvious that there was no love lost between those two young men . . . However, as ruthless as the bandanna wearing boy tried to come across as, moments like this revealed that he was not nearly as cold blooded as he would like everyone to believe.

The letter dropped from Ranma's nerveless fingers, but even then, he continued to stare vacantly through the space that it had just occupied. She refrained from looking too closely, but she noticed his lips start to move . . . not trembling, more like . . . like the boy was silently whispering to himself. Not wanting to intrude on his pain, she carefully reached out and grabbed the piece of paper to read herself.

No one else reached for the offending piece of parchment; rather they all looked at her expectantly, as if thinking she would read it aloud to them. She decided to ignore them for the moment and scan through the document herself. Perhaps it would shed some light on the fate of the missing Tendo girl, since Ranma was currently unable to speak of it.

She was immediately impressed by the penmanship of the writer, their calligraphy was easily the most beautiful she had ever seen. The author had also opened with a rather clever haiku, a very interesting, if highly inappropriate artistic flair showing in their enemy's character.

So, their enemy was named Brushogun . . . hmm, how odd, it sounded very much like a portmanteau. Brushogun . . . Bru Shogun . . . Brush ogun . . . Brush Shogun? Well, it certainly didn't make any sense to her. It did seem to indicate, however, that their enemy thought quite highly of themselves, thought of themselves as a leader of men. Which did seem to make sense, considering he held an apparent army of dangerous creatures in his sway.

Regardless, she was getting sidetracked with meaningless contemplation. She quickly read through the rest of the beautifully scripted letter. Whoever the writer was, they were extremely verbose and delved deeply into the melodramatic with their writing; however, once one looked past the flowery rhetoric and prose, the heart of the letter was basically a call to challenge. Once she read the note a second time, just to be certain, she looked up to her fellow warriors.

"Our enemy, this . . . _Brushogun_," she stated the name with no small amount of disgust. "Has challenged Ranma, indeed, he has challenged all of us, to a duel; one last, climactic battle as he put it."

Incredulous expressions joined confused, concerned and outraged expressions as her companions reacted to her news.

"Brushogun has deigned to give us a week to prepare for the duel, which he states shall take place at the historic meeting place between Ranma and Saico-Tec . . . Directly before the twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building," she continued seriously.

Kurumi jumped up first. "But – but he has our sister! We can't leave her with him for a _whole_ week, who knows what kind of terrible stuff he could be doing to her right now?" she asked in a panicked voice.

Strangely, Kurumi's last words got a response from the comatose Saotome, if only to cause him to whimper pitiably and drop his head to the table. Natsume sighed sympathetically, she didn't even want to imagine how hard this was for him, even without the aid of her sister's overactive imagination fanning the flames.

"I know, Kurumi, but Brushogun has also sworn that he will not harm her until the duel . . . unless we try to find him before that. However, he also writes that if we attempt to locate him before the appointed date, he will . . . um . . . he will . . . well . . . the passage is quite descriptive, but suffice it to say that Akane's fate will be sealed."

Ryu nodded, his gesture harsh and his posture stiff. "The bastard can do it, too. He obviously knows where we are and he can spy on us whenever he damned well wants. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he was watching us this very second, somehow," growled the angry teen.

"But . . .," ventured Thunder with concern, "How can we be certain that this Brushogun will honor his word? How can we even be certain that your friend is even . . ." The large youth slowly trailed off, looking back toward the catatonic boy slumped across the table. The thunder spirit then looked down, his cheeks darkening in shame at his words. It was obvious to Natsume that he hadn't meant to make Ranma feel even worse.

Surprisingly, it was the ivory skinned Lightning that spoke up next, his voice empty of the superiority and condescension that it had held earlier. Lightning looked directly at Ranma, placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "I am certain that your Akane is still with us, warrior. This _Brushogun_ is a fool of the _highest _order! Rather than strike at us now, when we are weakened and vulnerable, he has given us an entire _week _to prepare. An entire week to prepare . . . his _funeral_, yes?"

The sharpness of those last words nearly cut Natsume to the metaphorical bone, but they seemed to be just the words that the pigtailed boy had needed to hear. Slowly, Ranma rose up from his slumped position, staring at Lightning silently. His blue-gray eyes shone in the darkness, as if a great storm were gathering within the endless depths they contained. The defeated air that surrounded the boy seemed to melt away, only to be replaced with rigid iron.

With glacial slowness, Ranma locked eyes with Lightning . . . Natsume could almost see bolts of confidence arcing between them as they communicated their thoughts as if by telepathy. Ranma smiled, then, a grim smile, devoid of humor; instead, malice dripped from his curved lips like soured honey. Lightning matched the smile with a haughty, malevolent smile of his own.

Were it in her nature, Natsume would have actually felt concern for their villainous enemy.

Of course, Nerima being as it was . . . or at least how it had seemed to be to Natsume lately, fate chose that very moment to make things even _more _complicated. Eerily reminiscent to her own arrival roughly a week ago, the sound of the front door opening snatched the attention of everyone in the room. The sound of wood sliding over wood was quickly followed by a pair of voices flowing from just beyond their line of sight. Slowly, everyone turned to face the entrance hall, confusion on the faces of Thunder and Lightning, looks of dismay on the faces of Kurumi, Ryu and herself.

Ranma's expression very quickly plummeted from vengeful, through dismayed and directly into horrified realization.

A moment later, the familiar forms of Mr. Saotome and Mr. Tendo rounded the corner, speaking animatedly to each other. This was a marked departure from the much more somber entrance they had made initially. Strangely, despite the tragedy of his two absent daughters, their almost-father had been slowly coming out of his endless grief, acting more vigorous and energetic then she could remember. Somehow, she doubted tonight's events would contribute to his marked improvement.

Mr. Saotome noticed them first, a wide smile on his face as he took them in. Of course, Saotome Genma, being who he was, completely missed the mood of the room and launched into an excited greeting.

"Ahh, our young heroes are enjoying a late night meeting! How dilligen-"

Suddenly, Genma did a double take, finally noticing the two new arrivals. How he could have possibly missed the dark giant and nearly luminescent youth was completely beyond Natsume's ability to fathom. The two older men studied the two new arrivals intently for a moment, taking in their odd appearances and attire.

Their one-time-uncle then laughed, loudly and obnoxiously. "Ha, Ranma, my boy! It seems like you've inherited the 'Saotome Charisma'! It seems like every time that Tendo and I turn our backs, you find another pair of martial artists to help you. Ha, if you keep up at this rate, we'll be buried under a mountain of martial artists before two months even pass."

Ranma, despite the seriousness of the situation, rolled his eyes in disbelief.

Unfortunately, while Mr. Saotome had been trying to claim some obscure form of genetic credit for Ranma's ability to draw comrades, Mr. Tendo was proving himself to be the more observant of the two. She watched the mustached man nervously as his eyes slowly traveled around the room. First, he surveyed the table, likely noticing the obvious absence. Then his eyes traveled up to the massive hole in the wall behind them; yet another thing she could not understand Mr. Saotome not noticing . . . or perhaps he did notice it, but was just so used to it that it didn't register . . .

Before Mr. Saotome could continue to damn his son with faint praise, Mr. Tendo placed a hand on the man's shoulder, silencing him surprisingly quickly. The Tendo patriarch then stepped forward, staring forcefully at the Saotome school heir.

"Ranma . . . where is Akane?" he asked with surprising iron in his voice.

Genma's head snapped up at that; he looked around the room as if just noticing all of the not so subtle clues for the first time himself. Ranma, on the other hand, dropped his head shamefully, unable to even match Mr. Tendo's steely gaze.

"Ranma, please tell me where my daughter is," reiterated the older man, the iron in his voice beginning to corrode away.

Finally, the young Saotome looked up from his desolate position. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Tendo . . . she's not here . . . she's been taken . . ." he trailed off weakly.

Mr. Tendo just sort of . . . stared at the boy, as if not quite believing what he was hearing. However, behind the long haired man's back, Mr. Saotome just rolled his eyes.

"Akane, kidnapped? Must be Tuesday . . .," he muttered quietly to himself.

Not quietly enough, apparently, as Soun suddenly spun on his oldest friend, his entire head expanding to monstrous proportions! The Tendo patriarch's face took on a demonic appearance and his tongue began to flail disturbingly as he hollered angrily at the bespectacled martial artist.

"**Saotome! How dare you joke about this?**" wailed the man in a fairly passable imitation of a banshee.

Natsume's eyes nearly popped from her skull at the display. Never had she seen such a sight! Around the table, Kurumi, Ryu, Thunder and Lightning all flinched back at the demonic presence, completely in shock. Was Mr. Tendo a demon . . . how could he perform such a feat? If it weren't for the fact that both Genma and Ranma were so completely unaffected by the display (Ranma still too distraught to notice and Genma wearing a slightly bored look) she would have probably lashed out violently.

Mr. Saotome's nonchalant reaction put everyone else at ease as well, as he casually patted his old friend's shoulder. Shaking his head in amusement, the head-scarf wearing martial artist chuckled lightly. "Come now, Tendo. There's no need to worry yourself like this. My boy will go and get her back, just like always."

Then, Ranma surprised her, standing up and glaring heatedly at his father. "No, pops," he bit out harshly, "This ain't like all those other times. Whoever this guy is, he ain't no loopy prince or cursed martial artist." The boy looked down then, actual moisture forming in his eyes.

"Po . . . D-dad," He looked up, an emotion on his face that Natsume had never seen there before, not even when they were battling that mountainous beast. "I'm scared, dad, more scared than I've ever been in my life. H-he'll kill her, if we don't do what he says, he'll do it . . . gods . . . Akane . . ." he trailed off in anguish.

Apparently this latest revelation did nothing to put Mr. Tendo at ease.

"_**What**_!" Suddenly the older martial artist grabbed Ranma's shoulder and pulled the boy within an inch of his face. "Then what are you still **doing **here, Ranma?" Tears started to stream down Mr. Tendo's face as he shouted in impotent fury. "You were supposed to **protect **her! How could you let this **happen**?"

"**Enough**!"

Natsume's shout stopped everyone dead in their tracks. She couldn't stand watching Mr. Tendo yell at her comrade in arms; as if his own self-recriminations weren't bad enough. "Mr. Tendo, release Ranma this instant!" she barked out. The look of surprise on his face was strangely satisfying for some reason. A second later, he did just as she asked. Looking at the older man critically, she took a moment to calm and center herself once more.

"Ranma is not to blame for this," she stated forcefully. "While this abduction took place, he was with us, doing our best to protect the city from a powerful evil. There was no way that any of us could have known this would have happened and nothing we could have done even if we did.

"Furthermore, there is only one person here that is truly obligated to protect Akane, however," She sniffed the air then, her nose wrinkling noticeably at the disgusting odor coming off of the two adults. "However, while Ranma and the rest of us were out battling a mountain made flesh, apparently _that_ person decided that their time would be better spent at the _bar_," she finished sharply.

Ryu let out a low whistle from across the table, "_Ouch_," he murmured quietly to himself. The storm brothers seemed to share his thoughts, markedly looking around the room, avidly _not _looking at anyone else.

Just as she intended, though, her words cut deepest in the target that was Tendo Soun. Almost instantly, the man seemed to deflate in shame. In mere moments, the once tall and proud martial artist went from holding up his future son-in-law, to suddenly leaning on him like a crutch as all of the life seemed drain out of him.

In about the same span of time, Natsume's feeling of righteous indignation died a withering death. Suddenly, Mr. Tendo didn't look like some angry person, senselessly blaming Ranma for everything that went wrong . . . all too suddenly, he looked very much like a loving father who had just discovered that his youngest daughter was in the clutches of a murderous monster and he didn't know what to do . . .

To say that she now felt like the most incredible heel in the history of the world was a gross understatement. She shifted uneasily for a moment, unable even to find the words to apologize . . . what _could _she say after what she had just spewed out? Even Kurumi was staring at her, w-was that actual _anger _in her eyes? Her sister had never looked at her like that in her life . . . but how could she blame her?

"It's okay, Mr. Tendo." Natsume's dark thoughts were cut off as she looked up in surprise. Before her, Ranma was carefully placing his arm under Soun's shoulders and using his body to support the older man. There wasn't any anger or shame on his face, no pain at being unfairly blamed for Akane's disappearance. Rather, he stared at the distraught man with perfect understanding and sympathy.

'How sad was that?' she thought to herself. That Ranma would understand Mr. Tendo's lashing out while _she _jumped to conclusions . . .

"This Brushogun guy just made the biggest mistake of his life," Ranma began in a quietly confident tone of voice. "Nobody kidnaps Akane and gets away with it. I swear that I'll get her back, I'll get her back or die trying."

Once again, almost too quiet to hear, Ryu mumbled to himself, "It _better_ not come to that." The boy looked away and crossed his arms in annoyance.

Slowly, Mr. Tendo looked Ranma in the eyes, measuring the young man carefully. Then, he nodded, as if coming to a decision. He then pushed himself off of Ranma, standing straight once more. "I-I believe you, Ranma. I have faith that you _will_ bring her back, just as you've always done. However, if I can't help you in the battle to come, then at least I will help you prepare for the fight," stated the, now deadly serious, martial artist.

Ranma just nodded, agreeing easily with Mr. Tendo. "Alright, but we'll start tomorrow. Why don't you show Thunder and Lightning to the Dojo, they can stay there since Ryu is in Nabiki's room and Natsume and Kurumi are in Kasumi's?" he suggested.

Well, it hardly mattered to Natsume where everyone slept, really, but she _was_ interested in learning more about their two newest comrades. After nodding solemnly, Mr. Tendo wandered over and bowed politely to the two armored young men, before leading them off towards the Dojo. Quietly, she followed after them. Honestly, the introductions had been put off long enough, she could stave off her exhaustion for a few more hours if it meant finally sating her burning curiosity.

Absently, she sensed Kurumi follow behind her . . . at least until the younger girl suddenly got a spurt of energy and bounced past her into the Dojo. She smiled weakly; it appeared her younger sister was even more eager to know about their new friends than she was. Almost out of the corner of her eye she noticed the Kumon boy rising to his feet finally. He seemed lost in indecision for a moment . . . until finally he uncrossed his arms with a sigh and started to follow them into the Dojo.

Her smile widened slightly at that. However, as observant as she was . . .

No one noticed as Ranma quietly glided up the stairs.

* * *

The minute flash of the digital clock as the numbers changed, yet again, drew his attention. It was the only real light in the room, asides from the dim starlight filtering under the heavy curtains, and really, it wasn't exactly doing a great job of illuminating the room. With a sigh, Ranma leaned back against Akane's bed, pulling his knees tighter to his chest.

It was well past three in the morning, and yet sleep still evaded him like Happosai on a panty raid.

It wasn't his father's incessant snoring that kept him awake, he was more than used to that by now, though it had driven him from their room. In search of silence and solitude, he had slipped into his fiancée's room after everyone had settled down for the night. Really, it was the only place he wanted to be right then. As confident as he had tried to sound for Soun, he was still worried, so much that he couldn't bare the idea of sitting around and chatting with Ryu or the others . . . as selfish as that sounded.

He took another deep breath, savoring the lingering scent of the stubborn Tomboy that hung in the air. It was odd, it wasn't like Akane hadn't been kidnapped before . . . but he'd never felt like this those other times. Sure, he'd been angry before, pissed right the hell off, even, and charging off without a moments notice to beat down whatever jerk had been stupid enough to do it . . .

But this wasn't like those times, was it? Like he'd said, this wasn't some idiot prince looking for a bride, or ol' Pantyhose Tarou trying to get his name changed. In the former situations, Akane's greatest threat had been getting fat from eating all the fancy food or getting all tangled up in some ridiculously expensive clothing. In the latter case, well, even as much of a jerk as Tarou was, all he wanted was his name changed. People didn't brutally murder other people just to get their name changed . . .

His eyes squeezed painfully closed as he vainly tried to shut out the images his imagination conjured at that thought. What Brushogun had wrote in that letter . . . what he had threatened to do to Akane . . .

Gods, could he really do this? Was this the kind of stuff that actual super heroes had to deal with all the time? When had everything gone so crazy? What happened to his carefree days of fighting endless and pointless duels just for the sake of fighting endless and pointless duels? Where all of his enemies cried "Prepare to die!" but none of them really _meant it_. As bad as Ryouga had been, as Ryu had been, heck even as bad as Herb had been, it had always just been a challenge, someone to test his skills against. They all wanted something, that something just happened to involve beating the tar out of one Saotome Ranma, but none of them were ever a threat to his friends, his family.

Well, that wasn't entirely true . . . There had been one opponent that had drawn these feelings out of him before.

When they had faced down with the Headmaster . . . He shuddered unconsciously at the memory. He'd stared death in the face several times that night, his own death, Ryouga's death, Akane's death; he'd thought they were all goners there a few times. For just a moment there, when the Headmaster had vanished with a comatose Ryouga, Ranma had felt a fraction of what he felt now; knowing that someone that was almost like a cornerstone in his life was helpless at the hands of a madman.

Oddly, though, as brutal as that fight had been, he'd never really doubted their victory. With Ryouga at his side and Raven at his back . . . especially with Raven at his back, he just knew they would win.

So . . . why didn't he feel that same unshakable faith now? Heck, he had twice as many superheroes at his back and _three _times as many martial artists at his side, so why was he still so worried?

A sudden beep shattered the deathly silence. So involved in his thoughts, Ranma didn't even think to panic and start frantically searching for a bomb . . . really, it'd been weeks since he'd fought that power ranger wannabe anyway. A tiny jolt of enthusiasm seemed to pop out of seemingly nowhere, as he pulled out the round device from his pocket. It shone . . . well, actually, under the non-existent light of the alarm clock, it was pretty much just a round patch of black on the hand shaped patch of black beneath it. Of course, he was pretty use to these late night talks, so he flipped open the tiny communicator without any trouble.

He had to look away for a second, as the tiny view screen flashed to life before him. It took him a few seconds to let his eyes adjust to the sudden flood of light . . . flood of light being relative here. Unsurprisingly, the screen was filled with the pale face and violet hair of the Titan known as Raven; not that he'd have it any other way.

Somehow, despite everything, a moxibustion weak smile curled up the corner of his mouth. "Well, speak of the devil," he murmured quietly.

Any other time, he would have laughed madly as Raven sputtered indignantly at his greeting. A moment later, she leveled a glare at him that would have taken his head off if he had been anywhere on the same continent with her. "You have _no idea _how much I _loathe _that expression," she growled in that cutely irate manner she seemed to use constantly when speaking to him.

He forced himself to chuckle weakly. She wasn't actually in the room with him, so maybe he could fool her into thinking everything was alright, the last thing he wanted to do was burden his friend with his problems, or heaven forbid, have her pass those problems onto the tower's other residents. "Sorry 'bout that, Rae, I guess I wasn't thinking. So to what do I owe the honor of your call, it is kinda late, ya know?"

Raven nodded, her own smile looking a little more strained than usual as well. It seemed like she had something on her mind too. He chuckled sadly to himself, what a pair they were. "Well, Beast Boy managed to stumble across your rather impressive fight on the news last night," she started off. The corner of her mouth curved just another fraction of an inch, starting to look more like a sincere smile. "Though I'm loathe to admit it, I was worried about you and I wanted to make certain that you were unharmed."

Something odd happened in Ranma's chest then, some kind of odd tightness that he couldn't identify. He had no idea what it meant, but he found himself looking away and blinking his eyes rapidly, feeling an extremely uncharacteristic buildup of moisture beginning to form.

She had been _worried_ about him? She'd wanted to make sure he was okay? Well . . . damn . . . there was a first time for everything it seemed. Rather forcefully, he pushed the unfamiliar _feelings_ back down where they belonged, healthily twisted up into a tight little ball and safely bottled up. A second later, he looked back to his friend, a cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"Heh, but, Rae, I thought you didn't _do_ worried?"

The young sorceress rolled her eyes in bemusement. "Yes, well I generally make exceptions for people that get into fights with anything over ten stories tall. Of course, if you tell anyone about this rule of mine, I shall be forced to hurt you," she replied in good humor.

Against his will, his smile grew a fraction of an inch at her words. His fingers tightened around the cool plastic of the communicator for a moment as he berated himself for being happy for a moment. What was he doing? Hadn't he just thought to himself that he didn't want to talk to anyone, and yet here he was, actually smiling at a pretty girl?

Gods, Ryouga was right, he _was _an enemy of women.

"Yeah," he continued hesitantly, "Well, it was touch and go there for a bit, but I had a lot of help. Heh, I already told ya bout Ryu, and Akane's sisters, but we actually got two _more _people helpin us now. Heh, these ones pretty much just dropped out of the sky, even."

One of the girl's eyebrows arched cutely, as she looked at him with a knowing expression on her face. "Yes, we saw them on the news. My only regret is that you weren't there to see Beast Boy's face when he saw our old friends, Thunder and Lightning, show up. I must say, none of us were expecting that."

Ranma nodded for a moment, before doing a double take. "Wait a sec! You _know _those two? Man, talk about your small world, here. So what, did they help you take out some other bad guy back in the good ol' days?" he asked in amusement. Man, what were the odds of running into someone that the Titans had already worked with?

The other corner of Raven's perfect lips curved up, turning her amused smirk into a genuine smile. "Actually, they were terrorizing our fair city when we first met them. It turned out to be quite the battle, I must admit those two were a handful. Luckily, though I can't imagine how, our earnest little Beast Boy helped them to see the error of their ways. I think they'll make a good addition to your team, they are quite powerful," she explained.

He just shook his head in amusement. "You actually _fought _those guys? Sheesh, can I not get _one _person to work with that wasn't an antagonist at one time or another? And what's this _team _stuff that you're talkin 'bout? I ain't startin up no Titans Way Far East here, just doin my best to stop this Brushogun guy from tearin about the city," he replied earnestly.

Hell, he didn't wanna say it out loud, especially not to Raven, but he didn't even know if he wanted to continue with this whole super hero thing. Of course, he was going to take down Brushogun, whoever the heck the jerk was, and get back Akane, but . . . but after that . . . he just wasn't sure he could do it. There was just so much more at stake than he was used to . . .

"Ranma?" a concerned voice cut through the darkness.

He suddenly started. Looking at the clock, he realized that he'd been spaced out for a whole minute, just contemplating everything that had gone wrong lately.

"Is everything all right?" she asked again, her voice becoming slightly insistent.

The pigtailed boy shook his head quickly, trying to regain his composure. "Um . . . uh, yeah, everything's fine on my end, just a little tired . . . yeah, that's it," he replied lamely.

He noticed that sometime during his loss of attention, his tele-friend's warm smile had descended into a worried frown. And as soon as she heard his rather pathetic response, her usually intense gaze became even more so.

"What's wrong, Ranma? I know I haven't known you very long, but I've never seen you look so . . . frightened before," she stated, a tiny amount of wonder in her voice.

Quietly, Ranma weighed his options. He could continue trying to ineffectually hide his problem, continue deceiving one of the few people that actually considered him to be an honest and true friend . . . or, or he could just get over himself and tell her the truth. As much as it would hurt his pride to admit that things weren't under his control here, this was Raven; he knew he could trust her.

This time there was nothing he could do to stop the water beading up at the corner of his eyes. He could almost feel the strength drain from his body and he curled up into a ball in front of Akane's bed, clutching the communicator tightly in his hands.

"It-it's Akane," he said in anguish. "While we were out fighting off that monster, that Brushogun guy came in and kidnapped her!"

Raven let out a shocked gasp. "No!" Suddenly, there was a flurry of motion behind Raven, it looked like the girl was quickly rising to her feet. "I'll tell Robin right away, we'll be there within a day at the most," she stated rapidly.

"Gods, **no**!" he nearly shouted. He quieted down instantly, looking around suspiciously to hear if anyone had awoken to his outburst. He then looked down to the surprised face of Raven.

"What do you mean: 'no'?" she asked in confusion.

He let out a long sigh. "Look, don't take it the wrong way, Raven. I mean, if it were just you, then I'd say 'sure, come on over', but you can't tell anyone else over there what happened, not Kasumi and '_specially _not Ryouga," he stated emphatically.

She offered him a quizzical look. "Why ever not? Kasumi is her sister, and Ryouga would be the most insistent on helping you to rescue Akane."

He took her quizzical look and returned it in the form of an incredulous stare. "If you tell Kasumi, all it'll do is worry her, and . . . um, do you even _know_ Hibiki Ryouga? If you tell him that Akane got kidnapped while I was out doin something else, that moron will be here in fifteen minutes trying his best to _brutally murder _me." Not that he was _actually _worried about Ryouga trying to kill him . . . not really, it would just be a major distraction that he couldn't afford.

. . . And . . . he hadn't _exactly _figured out how to beat the guy's new toughness yet.

"You really shouldn't say such terrible things about your friend, Ranma, he was just as worried about you as I was," she fired back, sounding slightly miffed. Well, it seemed Raven and Akane did have one thing in common, they both seemed to take Ryouga's side in an argument. Then suddenly the last thing that Raven had said rang through his mind.

He let out a disbelieving snort. "Ryouga actually said he was _worried _about me?"

Raven chose that moment to look at something on the ground uncertainly. "Well, not in so many words, no. He did grumble about you getting all the good fights for a bit, and he _did _call you an insufferable showoff when all of you did that last attack, but trust me, he was still really worried," she answered rather unconvincingly.

Ranma shook his head at that. Yeah, right, like the Lost Boy would actually be worried about him. "Look, as much as I'd appreciate your help, Brushogun has us over a barrel here. He knows where we live and he's probably watching us already. He set up a duel for a week from tonight and said if we try to find him before that, that he'll kill Akane. If six more super heroes suddenly show up and start scouring the city for him, Akane is as good as dead," he explained. He was starting to feel angry again, though not at Raven, or her generous offer to help. Rather it was the feeling of helplessness that he hated so much, he hadn't felt it this badly for weeks and he'd been quite happy at the absence.

His violet eyed friend nodded in understanding. "Very well, I won't tell the others, for now. However, if things go badly at the duel, I want you to tell me, we'll help you any way that we can, I promise."

He smirked weakly, her words lifting his sorely sagging spirits a tiny bit. "Don't you worry, Rae, I got this in the bag. Heh, though I gotta admit, I was half expecting some bigwig in a cape to drop in on the fight tonight. I mean, it ain't every night that a twenty story nuclear lizard goes rampaging through downtown Tokyo . . . contrary to popular belief," he joked half heartedly.

Strangely though, Raven seemed to take his joke much more seriously than he intended. Rather than grace him with one of her mysterious little smiles, or even more rare and precious, an actual giggle, she shook her head from side to side, her lips pressed together in a flat line.

"The Justice League won't be interfering with any of your battles," she stated in a strangely serious tone.

He looked at her curiously. "Huh? Why the heck not? I mean, sure, a lot of the stuff lately has been pretty small and quick, but aren't they supposed to look out for the really big stuff?" he asked, confused.

The corner of her mouth quirked up a fraction of an inch. "They will not, because we told them not to," she explained quietly.

"**What**?" He clapped his hand over his mouth, hoping he didn't wake up anyone with his latest outburst. He continued more quietly, nearly hissing. "You _told _them not to help me?"

Raven rolled her eyes once again; hmm girls seemed to do that a lot around him, he wondered why. "We did, but not in the way that you think. You see, when the Titans first started, Robin had a long argument with his mentor, the Batman."

"Really? Why the heck did he do that?" he asked, interested despite himself.

The pretty girl let out a long sigh. "Apparently, Batman was very concerned about the makeup of our team. After all, we were all so young, some of us barely into our teens when Robin brought us together. It was glaringly obvious that he didn't think we could handle the rigors of functioning as a team of superheroes."

Ranma grumbled to himself, stupid adults, always acting like they knew what was best for everyone. Gods, if he listened to everything his pops told him, he be married ten times over and dead twenty.

"As you can imagine, Robin disagreed with him in a most heartfelt manner. Robin was aware that we were young, that was the whole idea really. He didn't want to bring together a group of individuals, he wanted to grow a real team. He also knew that would be impossible with such an imposing safety net hanging under us, waiting to clean up after us if we ever messed up," she continued quietly.

He nodded silently, he could definitely understand that. People had to do things for themselves, having someone watching over your shoulder to make sure you were doing it right, it was probably the most condescending thing he could think of. Of course, the only one that fell into that category for him would be Cologne, but she understood that fact better than anyone. She would offer training and advice, but when it came down to fighting, he was always on his own.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"So, after a most verbal debate, it was agreed that the Justice League would stay out of our affairs and we would stay out of theirs. Of course, since you are an honorary member of our team, and more importantly, you have one of our communicators, you won't see any of the old guard at any of your fights."

Ranma let out a loud snort at that. "Feh, so Batsie gets into a cussing match with Robin, and now none of them will help us out at all, no matter how bad it gets? Man, talk about your world class jerks!"

"Well, that's not exactly true," she interrupted his rant abruptly. "The League isn't quite that fickle. They'll gladly give us their help at any given moment, all we have to do . . . is _ask _for it," Raven trailed off meaningfully.

The pigtailed boy mulled _that _particular piece of information over for a moment. So, all they needed to do to get help from the head honchos was ask for it, eh? All they needed to do was crawl back to Robin's mentor, tell him that he was right, they were wrong and that they actually _couldn't _handle the big bad battle against evil all by their lonesome.

He let out a harsh bark of laughter. Ranma was pretty damned sure that he would choke to death if he ever tried to swallow his own pride like that; he imagined it was pretty much the same for Robin and everyone else as well.

"So," he chuckled weakly, "No help from the Justice League then, eh?"

Against all expectation, he was rewarded with the rarest of the rare, Raven actually laughed.

"Yes, that sums it up nicely. Now, please, tell me everything that happened."

* * *

Ryu stretched out languidly on the smooth tiles beneath him. The afternoon sun was just warm enough to offset the slight chill in the breeze, so he found himself in an almost mythical aura of comfort that he rarely had time to enjoy. Lying back on the gentle slope of the roof, he casually placed his hands behind his head so that he could still watch the goings on in the backyard below him.

He did feel like a bit of a slacker, resting on the roof while Natsume and Kurumi were still training, but then, he'd slept terribly last night anyway. It had been an exhausting night after all, not to mention getting pummeled by a waterfall of green ooze had left him with a few more aches and pains than he'd let on. Even worse was the taste that he just couldn't get out of his mouth, no matter what he did. Idly, his tongue scrubbed the inside of his mouth for a moment, before he was forced to spit the tainted saliva onto the roof beside him.

Not that he'd tell anyone else, but he was having a difficult time getting as worked up over that Akane girl's kidnapping as Natsume and everyone else did. But, hey, it wasn't like he really knew the girl or anything. Sure, he'd help out, but they couldn't expect him to get all bent out of shape over it, could they? It wasn't like it _really _affected him that much.

Besides, Mr. High-and-mighty Ranma hadn't even shown his face all day. The Yamasen-ken master had expected to see Saotome waiting for all of them in the Dojo that morning, just itching to train. Obviously the whole kidnapping thing hit him harder than Ryu had expected. He let out a quiet snort.

Man, what a pansy.

His quiet snort turned into an annoyed grunt, as a small cloud somehow positioned itself perfectly to block the warming rays of the sun. Then his annoyance blossomed further, as the errant cloud seemed to grow larger, if only to spite his furtive attempts to relax.

Wait a second, the cloud wasn't growing, it was dropping . . . right towards him!

For a fraction of a second, a fraction of a second which he regretted immediately, he panicked. But then realization rolled over him in a wave. Once again kicking himself for his momentary lapse in judgment, he put on his most disinterested face and looked back down into the yard to watch Natsume and Kurumi dance around Mr. Tendo in an intricate spar.

A few seconds later, the small nimbus lowered down to his side and the soft spoken Thunder dropped silently to the roof beside him. Maintaining his aloof appearance, Ryu simply rolled his eyes in the big guy's direction and gave him a simple nod of recognition. Pleasantly, Thunder just returned the quiet gesture, rather than offer up some inane attempt at conversation. A moment later, the creaking of leather and metal sounded as the super human youth lowered himself to the roof as well, sitting quietly at his side to watch the display in the backyard.

Not that Ryu didn't like the guy or anything, he could definitely appreciate having someone around that didn't feel the need to clutter up every given minute with endless chattering. Not like that motor-mouthed brother of his, or that Kurumi girl. Heck, he could do with a few more people like Thunder and Natsume, they were the most pleasant company that he'd had in awhile.

Down below them, Natsume and Kurumi were artfully teaming up on Mr. Tendo now, the old man showing a surprising amount of skill. Where he had been hiding it, Ryu had no idea. Of course, it was obvious that Natsume was holding back, only using her conventional attacks, but it was still impressive nonetheless. Hmm, maybe he'd ask the chilling brunette to spar later, maybe he could incorporate some of her wind based attacks into his Yamasen-ken if he could figure them out. There were some very basic similarities in execution, so who knew?

Absently, he swiveled his eyes to look at his dark skinned companion. They'd made some brief introductions last night, though Ranma had skipped out, but there was one thing that he'd wanted to ask the big guy all night.

"Hey, Thunder," he started in an off-hand tone.

In a most casual manner, Thunder turned to face him, leaning back onto his elbows comfortably. "Yes?" he asked simply.

Ryu chuckled to himself, yes, for a physical representation of thunder, Thunder himself was a very quiet person. "I was just wonderin, why the heck did you guys stick around last night? I mean, it sounds like it's gonna get pretty dangerous and this has nothing to do with you guys."

The large teen looked at him owlishly for several moments, apparently mulling over his question carefully. Ryu waited patiently, mindful of his companion's contemplative nature. Finally, Thunder replied, in that deep, rumbling voice of his. "There are two reasons for our remaining with your group. First is because we are searching for something. We are not certain where it is, but we have followed it this far. Considering the beast we ran into last night, we believe that this area is worth investigating further."

Hmm, that was interesting. He was about to ask him just what they were looking for, when the blue skinned boy continued.

"The second reason is because we also believe that you would benefit from our help. Had that monster been a singular instance, we likely would have left soon after, but when your Police Lieutenant explained that there has been a number of these monsters attacking recently, and all apparently related, it only makes sense that we should remain here at least long enough to help you defeat whoever is behind these beasts," the young man finally finished what was probably one of the longest run on sentences that Ryu could remember.

He thought about the response for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders. "Why does it make sense for you to get involved in a fight you don't know anything about?"

Thunder contemplated this question much more quickly than the last. Smiling a small smile, the thunder spirit answered enthusiastically. "Because it is our duty to help those in need and to protect the innocent." The boy curled his fingers into a tight fist, azure light crackling loudly from between them. "Our powers are great, thus we bear a great responsibility to use them wisely. A young man, wise beyond his years, taught me that at a great personal cost."

"Feh, that's bullcrap," the Kumon Heir scoffed loudly.

His companion stared at him, completely unable to comprehend what he'd just uttered. Finally, after a moment of staring at him in shock, Thunder could only mutter quietly. "What do you mean?"

Ryu shrugged again, once more looking down to the spectacle below. "Look, just because you have some fancy powers, it doesn't mean that you're actually obligated to do anything with them. I mean, did you ask for your powers, or anything like that? Either way, you don't owe anyone anything, but yourself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should go on a rampage or anything, or that helping people out isn't a good thing, but your first responsibility should always be to yourself. After all, what good is saving everyone else, if all it gets you is the shaft?"

"The . . . shaft? I'm not certain I understand what you mean," inquired the gentle giant.

Ryu rolled his eyes in amusement. "I mean, what good is making other people happy, if you aren't happy yourself? If all you're gonna do is fly around and help people, then people are just gonna think of you like some kind of suped up civil servant. Heck, at least cops get paid for doing that kinda thing all the time."

He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry at the utterly confused look on his companion's face. It seemed pretty obvious that this had been the last conversation he'd expected to have. Then some kind or realization formed on the guy's face and his look became serious once more. "But, are you not helping to stop these villains because it is the right thing to do? Are not our companions down below also doing the same?" Thunder asked, slightly forceful, slightly confused.

The Kumon Heir just shook his head, chuckling weakly. "Heh, sorry to burst your bubble, big guy, but I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I'm getting something very important from helping Saotome out here, something I couldn't do without. Don't think our pretty ladies down there are doin this for free either. Sure, the good intention is there, but Natsume has some pragmatic reasons of her own. She's solely responsible for taking care of her sister, who eats like a _horse _by the way, so doing this gets her free room and board for awhile."

Thunder just stared at him, perhaps a bit sadly.

"Hey now, Thunder, don't get too upset there. I'm not saying that any of us wouldn't be doing this if we weren't getting anything out of it, I'm just asking you, is it wrong that we should be able to benefit from helping others as well? I don't know about you, but Natsume, Kurumi and I are all orphans, we don't have any family or homes to go back to, so why the heck shouldn't we get something out of risking our lives?" As soon as he finished, he took a few deep breaths, that had been a longer speech than any he'd given in recent memory.

Slowly, his companion's head began to nod up and down, an expression of understanding beginning to form. "Hmm, you have . . . given me much to think upon. One must not completely forget oneself when helping others. As you say, were Natsume to accept our host's hospitality or refuse it, either way she would still be responsible for caring and providing for her sister. To refuse what is freely offered, though noble, would be foolish."

Ryu nodded, smiling happily. "There ya go. There's nothing wrong with helping people, just remember to help yourself out every once in awhile too. Heck, even Saotome, our oh so noble role model got a free motorcycle and a bunch of other junk out of this too, hmph, wherever the guy is."

Once again, his large companion nodded, though this time leaning back to rest once more on the tiled roof beneath him. True to his words, the large teen seemed to be thinking about their conversation. Not that Ryu wanted to turn the guy all jaded and cynical or anything, but he seemed like a decent guy and Ryu didn't want to see him get taken advantage of all the time. After all, the only thing that people love more than cheering a hero on, is tearing a hero down.

Feeling his earlier sense of comfortable calm settling back over him in the companionable silence that surrounded them, he let his eyes linger once more on a certain long haired beauty. The girl in question was just in the midst of leaping over the older Tendo, mixing up her attacks with a few kicks. His eyebrow rose slightly at that, it was good to see her getting away from her over reliance on her weapon. As excellent as her technique was, it was still the most basic weakness of any fighter that relied on their weapon, that as soon as you removed said weapon the fight was pretty much over.

It wasn't until nearly ten minutes later, that the silence was once again broken. This time Thunder started off, looking at him with a sly smile on his face.

"You love her, do you?" he asked, a tiny note of amusement in his deep voice.

It was all that he could do, to stop himself from scoffing out loud. Instead, he let out a burst of mirthless laughter as he turned to regard his smiling companion. "What on earth brought that on? You just enjoy jumping to conclusions?"

Thunder just smiled wider. "I apologize if I embarrass you. I do not mean to insinuate anything, but, the way that you look at her so often, I must wonder if you are smitten with her?"

Ryu let out a long sigh at that. There were way too many old fashioned and hopeless romantic types around here. "Please, I look at her like that because she's _hot._ It doesn't mean I'm in love with her, it just means I'm a guy."

"She is . . . hot?" Ryu rolled his eyes again, yeah, definitely too many old fashioned people.

"It means that she's attractive, you do know what that means, don't you?" he asked a bit condescendingly.

His companion scowled darkly, a veritable thundercloud forming on his face. A moment later, he crossed his arms in a huff. "I understand what it means for a woman to be attractive, thank you. There is no need to be insulting."

The bandanna wearing boy chuckled lightly, but decided to take pity on his new friend. "Heh, I know you do, considering the way that you've been looking at Kurumi down there yourself," he trailed off suggestively.

This time the darkening of Thunder's cheeks was for a completely different reason. "I do not know what you speak of, Ryu. To possess such base thoughts concerning a fellow warrior would be unseemly and disrespectful," he answered rather hastily.

An actual burst of laughter escaped from Ryu's lips at that. "Oh, man, Thunder, you really need to calm down. It's just us guys up here, and guys are allowed to look at cute girls . . . well, as long as it's not peeping at them through windows or in the shower or anything indecent like that. Besides, as young as she acts, I'm pretty sure she's somewhere between fourteen and sixteen; you can't be much older than sixteen or seventeen yourself, can you, kid?" he asked good-naturedly.

Thunder nodded, still blushing slightly. "I am seventeen years of age. I-I am thankful that you are so understanding, I have never really had anyone to speak to about these kinds of things. My brother is always so focused on finding fun, and dislikes speaking about serious matters."

Ryu waved the younger boy's concerns off casually. "Heh, I'd hardly call this a serious matter, but I can imagine it'd be uncomfortable talking to your brother about something like this. You just can't take things so serious. Looking at a girl doesn't mean you're in love with them or anything . . . I mean, I guess it can, sometimes, but it doesn't have to. Heck, I only met Natsume a week ago, you only met the squirt last night. It'd be pretty ridiculous if anything could develop that quickly."

It was finally Thunder's turn to laugh happily. He then rose up, dropping his arms casually onto his raised knees as he watched the battle down below. "Again, you make such simple, yet profound statements. Still, despite what you say, it is not simple attraction that I feel when I gaze upon her. Perhaps it is nothing even involving affection, what I feel when I look at her is the desire to protect her, to shield her from any harm that the world might visit upon her. I know to think such things about a fellow warrior is unworthy, but I find myself unable to do otherwise."

With a quiet laugh, Ryu nodded. "A nice thought, but you better not let her hear you say that. That's just the kind of thing that will get you a black eye around these parts," he warned.

His companion looked back at him owlishly. "Do you not feel the same desire to protect Natsume that I feel for her sister?" he asked curiously.

"Heck, no!" he barked out emphatically.

"What?" barked back his companion in disbelief.

This time, Ryu met the boy's stormy eyes with a serious gaze. "I have absolutely no desire to protect her, because I know that she can take care of herself. Really, it's one of her top three attributes . . . don't ask me to name the other ones or which order they're in, though. It's just that, I don't think I'd be as interested in her as I am if she wasn't as strong and independent as she is. Not that I'm really putting too much thought into it, anyway." he admitted casually.

Thunder returned his look, a bit confused. "What do you mean? You sound as if you are indeed putting a lot of thought into it, and yet now you claim that you are not?"

Ryu just shrugged, starting to wonder why the heck he was even going on like this. Admittedly, Thunder was a much easier person to talk to, considering this conversation hadn't even gotten past the first sentence when he'd tried to start it with Ranma last night. Man, what had he been _thinking_?

"Well, as cute as she is, and as nice as it is to think about that kind of stuff, I really doubt anything can come of it. I mean, we both have our own paths to follow. She has a sister to take care of, I have a Dojo to rebuild, I can't imagine our paths will cross again after this fight has finally finished. I'm afraid it'll probably be the same for you. After all, you and your brother are gonna be going off to look for . . . whatever it is you're looking for," he explained at length.

Again, the thunder spirit nodded in agreement. "Yes, you are correct on that. I know not why, but I am certain that what we are looking for is not here," said the somber young man.

Hmm, speaking of which, "Hey, what the heck are you guys looking for, anyway?"

Suddenly, a strange feeling of foreboding settled over him, as Thunder suddenly gained a far away look in his eyes. Slowly, his companion leaned forward, his armor creaking loudly in protest, before turning to face him fully.

"We . . . are not certain what it is that we are looking for. Something has been stirring, though, something which is putting all of nature on edge. Because of our powers, my brother and I can feel it as well. Not clearly, or definitively, but as an undercurrent of unease which has been growing slowly for several months now," stated the young man in hushed tones.

Ryu shivered slightly, though he couldn't imagine why. "Do you have any idea what it could mean? Maybe it has something to do with all of these attacks here lately?"

Thunder seemed to contemplate this for a moment, his chin raising and lowering slowly as he thought. "We had considered that, but after facing that beast, sensing its power, we do not believe it is the same as what we seek. Whatever it is that we seek, all we know is that its very essence runs counter to the natural world, unbalancing it somehow. We know not what could possess such a malevolent power, but we know we must find it before it is too late."

Another shiver skittered down his spine, much to his annoyance. As if just talking about something could actually trigger such a reaction in such a powerful martial artist as himself? Grumbling slightly, he angrily quashed any concerns that he might have been feeling. Just some superstitious nonsense, nothing for him to worry about. All of this weird talk was killing the mood for his comfortable relaxation. "Heh, the way you're going on . . ."

"You'd think you were chasing down a demon"

* * *

Her world swirled painfully around her, a chaotic mass of darkness shot through by random flashes of color. It was all she could do to hold down the contents of her stomach as the world lurched around her so suddenly after her senses returned to her. She hadn't even had the chance to open her eyes yet, before the nausea of her throbbing head began to assault her. The next thing she noticed as her body began to wake up as well, was a dull, painful ache in her shoulders. Oddly, she couldn't feel her arms at all, a fact that she was fairly sure should have worried her a lot more than it was in her half conscious state.

Groaning weakly, Akane finally opened her eyes. Sadly, the darkness didn't vanish with that simple act as she hoped it would. Rather the darkness of her mind's eye simply gave way to the darkness of an unlit room. It was about then, that she noticed something else. Though her legs were not supporting her at all, she seemed to be standing somehow . . . the more logical part of her mind that was currently located way in the back seemed to think it had something to do with the fact that she couldn't feel her arms. Unfortunately, the part of her mind that was in charge of panicking was starting to work overtime, once again tragically muting her logic center.

With a sudden start, she launched herself forward, trying vainly to escape the terrifying confines of the blackened room. She only made it a few feet, before the pain in her shoulders suddenly blossomed into twin suns of pain. A second later, she stumbled back, pulled by some unseen tether to slam heavily into the wall behind her. Her head connected with the hard wall giving off a resounding crack and causing another swirl of colors to fill her spinning vision.

The only thing that registered, as she swung limply from side to side, was the sound of rattling chains above her head. The sudden pain of nearly splitting her skull against a concrete wall did clear up her panic rather quickly though. Letting out a small whimper, she carefully placed her feet under her and slowly stood up to her full height. Almost immediately, the fires in her shoulders diminished, dying back to the dull ache that she had felt earlier.

The absconded Tendo then took in a deep breath, doing her best to calm herself and block out the pain echoing through her skull. It wasn't like she'd never been kidnapped before, much to her eternal annoyance, but she had never been treated like this before. And worst of all, for the life of her, she couldn't remember how she had gotten into this mess either. The last thing she remembered was watching the tail end of the news report after Ranma's fight . . .

Something danced at the back of her mind, vague images, blurs of vision . . . but nothing coherent formed to explain how she had gotten to be in such a disagreeable situation. Well, she'd certainly had enough of this, so she decided to go with her fall back response to these situations.

"**Hey**!" she yelled at the top of her very loud lungs. "What in the **world** is going on **here**?"

After all, anger was always more productive than panic.

As if in response to her angry inquiry, blinding light suddenly filled the room. She was forced to look away, vainly trying to cover her face as the harsh light dug into her darkness attenuated eyes. It took several moments of grumbling and hurried blinking before the world finally started to resolve itself back into the colors and shapes that she was used to.

And then she froze, shocked into stillness by the sight that faced her. Four eerie, vacant stares met her own, it was just creepy enough to lock up her brain for a moment. What was worse, was that as soon as her train of thought fired up again, she _recognized _who was staring at her. Though she had never met him before, Ranma's description of the battle had been very detailed.

Staring back at her, were four small, metallic boys, each one with a wide, empty smile and soulless, glass eyes. One of them matched her fiancée's description perfectly, a small boy, roughly four feet tall with spiky hair and a metallic, azure sheen covering his entire body. The other three looked perfectly identical, except for being saffron, crimson and ebony respectively.

She remained perfectly still, pinned by their unnerving stares. Ranma _had _explained the battle in great detail, explained just how strong and seemingly invincible these machines were, how much trouble just one of these robots had given him. And here she was, surrounded by four of them now, and completely helpless to boot.

Several moments passed as she continued to watch them, watching her, watching them . . . Moments turned to minutes, but still they did nothing. Feeling her tidal wave of panic finally begin to subside again, she finally started to take in the rest of her surroundings. As she had guessed, she was being held in what looked to be a concrete structure. However, where she had been expecting a small room, it was a massive space that surrounded her, filled with various pieces of equipment that she couldn't identify. From the silent, yet constant sound of dripping to the unusually warm air, she'd guess it was some kind of boiler room or something, not that that helped her in any way at all.

And, as she suspected, she was indeed chained to the wall.

Just as she was about to make her thoughts on her incarceration known verbally, her jailers suddenly turned away from her. As if all working with the same nervous system, the four robots turned in eerie synchronization to face the far end of the room, which was still bathed in inky blackness. Akane bit her tongue, holding in her sharp words as a strange . . . slithering sound filled the air. That was the only word she could think to describe the sound, at any rate, the nerve wracking sound of something sliding wetly across the rough surface of the floor towards them.

Then, as if emerging directly from the heart of her darkest nightmares, a figure began to melt out of the darkness. It was hard to discern at first, the figure seemed to be borne from the blackness, composed of a darkness all its own which it carried with it. It seemed like a man, from a distance, though endless voids of white emptiness shone where its eyes should have been. The contrast between the infinite blackness and the unearthly white made its eyes shine madly, burning into her even from over fifty feet away.

She realized, then, what the odd slithering sound was, as the figure appeared to be wearing a long robe which pooled widely around his feet, dragging wetly behind him, as if it was soaked through. As her captor closed the distance between them, other details began to make themselves known. Strange tendrils rose up from his back, ink black, paper thin and wavering as if alive. Next she noticed how tall the man was, easily topping eight feet, somehow, though she wasn't sure how. Despite his great height, his upper body looked no larger than any normal man's, almost as if he was gliding towards her on a pair of stilts . . . though she'd never seen someone so encumbered move so smoothly.

It wasn't until the . . . man? . . . joined them under the harsh glare of the florescent tube above her head, that the final details were revealed to her. Whoever this person was, they appeared to be wrapped from head to to in . . . was that paper? It looked very much like one of those mummies she'd heard about before . . . except this mummy had been dipped into a vat of ink, too. And, unlike the movie monsters she had watched late at night, this creature's wrappings seemed to undulate and flow, they wrapped tightly around its fingers, lengthening them unnaturally into fearsome talons, it clung tightly to his face, tearing apart to form a jagged mockery of a mouth.

Honestly, she had no idea what to think about this _thing _that had kidnapped her.

"So, finally awake, I see," the strange creature asked in a low, liquid voice.

Still not sure what to make of this man, or his rather cliché greeting, she met his empty stare flatly.

"You chained me to a wall," she stated just as flatly.

Her stomach churned as the creature smiled at her simple words, the sounds of tearing parchment ripping the air as its vile smile widened unnaturally from one side of its face to the other. "Yes, well, I must admit that I am one who appreciates the classics."

Her captor slid forward then, as if looking for a better view of his handiwork. His forward movement was halted, though, as the four little robot boys silently moved between them, blocking his advance. Akane could only stare uncertainly as the mindlessly smiling machines gazed emptily at their master. It was almost amusing, watching the towering figure stop in the face of the tiny, child-like machines. He seemed to consider them for a moment, glaring balefully, before suddenly dropping back a step and returning his full attention to her.

"After all, while tying you to a chair would have sufficed, it just lacked the _artistry _of the chains." He then gestured grandly, tiny drops of liquid flying form his talons as he indicated her person. "Surely you can appreciate the scene I am trying to set here: the lovely damsel, artfully draped across the wall, her vulnerable body quivering in fear and hopelessness," he oozed almost lovingly.

Akane looked at the madman, not comprehending what he was talking about. "The scene? What on earth are you talking about? Who the heck are you, anyway?" she asked, using her burning anger to quell her chilling fear.

Her host was taken aback for a moment, before smiling even wider and bowing politely. "A thousand apologizes, my lady. I must admit that I've been without company for some time and my manners have become somewhat atrophied." The towering figure then appeared as if he was about to move forward again, but a sidelong glance at the small robots seemed to stop him once again. She just couldn't figure them out, it was too weird.

After studying his minions for a moment, the dripping figure rose from his bow, smiling that malevolent, half-mad smile of his. "Let me introduce myself, then. My name is _Brushogun, _the Demon Lord of Ink, Destroyer of Worlds, Master of Creation, the Shogun of Sorr-, " He broke off his rant suddenly, looking away and raising a claw to his chin in thought. "No, wait, that last one has already been done."

The youngest Tendo could only stare in confusion, absolutely nothing was making any sense. She wasn't certain her captor was evil, despite his appearance and claims, but it was quite evident that he was completely insane.

"The demon lord of _ink_?" she asked incredulously. Not that any of his other titles were any better, but really, the lord of _ink?_

Brushogun's smile vanished in a flash, his face descending into a terrifying grimace as he glared at her. "Do not mock my powers, foolish child. I possess the powers of the gods themselves, anything which I desire becomes reality, everything which I loathe is crushed beneath my heels," he whispered harshly.

Unconsciously, the four robots tightened their ranks, almost forming a fence between the two of them.

"Everything but Ranma, don't you mean?" she blurted out without thinking. Her eyes widened at her own baseless bravado and she would have slapped her hands over her mouth if they weren't hanging lifelessly above her head. Where on earth had that come from? This wasn't the time for her to be using her stock 'Ranma will save me, just you wait and see' dialogue.

Her captor's sneer darkened at her words and the writhing paper banners protruding from his back began to whip about like angry snakes, droplets of ink splattering the floor loudly. Brushogun's eyes narrowed dangerously as he leaned forward, easily towering over the tiny automatons.

"Oh, fear not, my dear. Your beloved fiancé, he _will _die. _None _can stand before the power of Brushogun and survive," he hissed like acid.

"You mean, asides from the five or six times that he's already beaten your lackies?" she spouted again, not sure where the belligerent words were coming from. It was obviously Ranma's fault, somehow!

This time, Brushogun did more than just lean forward.

"**Insolent wench**!"

Faster than her eye could follow, his clawed hand tore through the air, aiming to cleave her skull in twain. A terrified scream tore itself free from her lips as she tried to push herself through the concrete barrier at her back. The air screamed in agony as the jagged talons sheared through it with unnatural speed. She didn't even have time to flinch away before the razor's edge of his claw filled the entirety of her vision, preparing to drill a grizzly hole to her brain!

And then it stopped . . . Her scream lasted another few seconds, just for good measure, before it finally died out, leaving her breathless for a moment. She dared not gasp or wheeze for air though, not with the cruelly barbed tip of Brushogun's finger hovering before her naked eye, so close that a bloated drop of midnight ink dripped onto her eyelashes before running down her cheek. Not breathing, not moving, not even blinking, she held as perfectly still as she could, actually helped by the paralyzing fear that gripped her at that moment.

She had never been that frightened in her life, not even when she had seen Kasumi in the clutches of the Headmaster, as much as it shamed her to even think that. To think, that he had such perfect control that he could make such a seemingly lethal attac-

It was then that she realized exactly what had happened. Like an arctic glacier, the tip of the claw moved away from her eye, tickling her eyelashes one last time. Finally it retreated enough to allow her to actually see something beside the large black circle that had dominated her vision . . . To see the small, ebon hand wrapped tightly around Brushogun's wrist, clenched tightly enough to tear the paper skin and nearly shaking with the effort of pulling the deadly appendage away from her face.

Brushogun stared at his minion for a moment, before suddenly howling in rage, his visage twisting into an expression truly befitting the demonic nature he claimed. Instantly, the dark Mecha-Boi exploded violently, bathing everything within fifteen feet in a wave of midnight black ink. Akane gagged violently, spitting out the vile liquid that threatened to drown her, her stomach heaving at the unwelcome invasion. Again, she blinked madly, trying to rid her eyes of the offensive ooze.

Before her, looking absolutely no different for being doused in ink, Brushogun heaved and panted like a mad dog. All along the lengths of his left arm, something undulated just beneath his paper wrappings, the entire arm pulsating and writhing as if hundreds of snakes were trying to burst free from their ink soaked confines. Slowly, the arm rose up, the talons on that hand doubling in length in seconds.

Until Brushogun slammed his right hand down on his revolting wrist, forcing the arm back to his side. The struggle lasted several terrifyingly long seconds, before the limb finally ceased its stomach churning revolution.

For just a moment, his eyes closed tightly and his breathing shallow, Brushogun looked almost . . . serene to her unbelieving eyes. Then, his eyes opened once more and he rose back to his full height, casually running a hand over his slicked skull, as if smoothing out his hair.

"Heh, yes, well, those were just tests, you see. I only wished to see what your precious Saotome was capable of. You must admit, he is a marvelous specimen of reckless heroism, a truly perfect protagonist to play across from me," he continued suddenly, speaking as if he hadn't just tried to skewer her skull mere seconds ago.

For several long seconds she could only stare at him, before she finally realized that she could breathe again. Suddenly wheezing weakly, she looked up at the demon that now held her freedom in it's slimy clutches. "I-is this just a _game _to you? What kind of sick monster are you? You think you can just play with peoples' lives like this?"

If the expansive planes of white that composed his eyes had actually held anything so human as irises, she would have imagined that he had just rolled his eyes at her. "A game? A mere _game_? Don't be silly, girl, I'm not playing a game, I am _writing a story_! A marvelous tale, a tale of good and evil, of love and hate, of life and death! The story of a proud hero and a villainous demon; with all of the accouterments that really bring the tale to life. The gruff mentor, the noble companions and best of all, the damsel in distress!" he crowed in excitement.

Well . . . she would have stared at him as if he were mad, but she'd already come to that conclusion earlier. It was also obvious that he was murderously unstable, but somehow, the fact that it seemed that these mechanical boys were as much her saviors as her jailers emboldened her. Her own interest in the dramatic arts boiled to the surface and an idea began to form in her mind.

"But why?" she asked simply.

Brushugon, who had been waving his hands in the air and cackling madly for his part, suddenly looked down at her, confused. He leaned in closer, but not closely enough to bother the remaining Mecha-Bois.

"Why what? Why kill people, why attack your fiancée, why am I so devilishly clever?" he asked in amusement.

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "No, I mean, why write that story? You have to admit, it's been done to death, pardon the pun," she replied, unable to resist giving him an impish smile.

This time, her companion reared back, holding a hand to his chest as if wounded. "Done to death? This tale is as old as time, the hero's journey, a timeless classic!" he replied defensively.

She nodded in agreement. "Exactly, every writer and their _dog _incorporates the hero's journey into their stories these days. It's practically a writing cliché," her verbal thrust found its mark.

"_Cliche_?" Brushogun's form stretched up, his head nearly brushing the ceiling as he stared at her furiously. Furiously, but not in a murderous, demonic fashion, but in the offended, prideful way that she'd seen her literature teacher use so often when a student disrespected some 'literary masterpiece' from time to time. Slowly, he then shrunk back down, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Certainly there are common dramatic themes running through my story, but it is impossible to create such an epic work without treading across the works of others. After all, there are only three basic plots that all stories can be broken down to: Man versus Man, Man versus Himself and Man versus Nature. It is all a matter of rearranging familiar components into a new and original twist on these three basic plots," he explained, sounding very much like he was trying to lecture her.

Her smile widened, he'd fallen into her trap it seemed. "See, that's the problem with popular culture these days. Everyone is so wound up in rehashing the idea of the monomyth, that it's just becoming a lazy excuse to avoid actually being creative. Besides, you forgot about Man versus God, Man versus Society, Man caught in the Middle and the Man & Woman story plots. I mean, seriously, you're hardly a man now, so where exactly did you figure that your story fell in with those other three plots?"

Take _that, _Mr. Haruna, give _her _a B minus on her literary report! She chuckled quietly on the inside as she watched her opponent's eyes widen to off-white saucers. He sputtered indignantly for a moment, spraying his three minions with inky blackness. A moment later, though, he calmed down considerably. Slowly, he drew his hand up, running a long, clawed finger across the bottom of his chin. "Hmm, I _do _like the sound of the Man versus God plot . . ." He pointed an irate claw at her once more. "And my story will be both original _and _a classic!"

Her mobility severely limited, she resorted to once again rolling her eyes to show her disagreement. "Maybe it will, but all I'm asking is why you're bothering. After all, you're only half way through and I can already tell you how it's going to end. The good guys are going to win," she stated confidently.

Brushogun let out a bark of humorless laughter. "Ha! This is _my _story, _I _am the one who controls this world. In my story, the hero _will _fall!" he responded forcefully.

Akane merely shrugged her painfully numb shoulders. "But then it wouldn't be a classic," she pointed out vindictively.

"_What_?" he spat angrily.

She shrugged again, smiling weakly, despite herself. "What can I say? People love a good villain, but no one _really _wants to see the bad guy win. Certainly, sometimes the good guy might die, one way or the other, but they _always _beat the villain. It's just what people want." Not that she wanted that to be true in this case. She couldn't even imagine what she would do if anything happened to her thick skulled fiancé. Maybe, maybe if she could talk this loon down, it wouldn't come to tha-

Her worried thoughts trailed off suddenly, as she noticed the odd way that Brushogun was staring at her. It was almost like he was studying her, or even staring right through her to something she couldn't hope to see. He began to tap a ragged claw against his chin, then, tearing tiny holes which healed instantly over and over again.

"The heroes always win . . ." he muttered quietly to himself.

Deciding to play along, she nodded enthusiastically. "That's right, the heroes _always _win."

His contemplative gaze died away as he returned his stare to meet her own brown eyes. Slowly, a wicked smile began to stretch across his lips. Then, suddenly, he turned away, sliding noisily towards a nearby exit. Just as he reached the door though, he turned back to look at her, his eyes staring at her over his broad shoulder.

"We shall see about that, my dear . . ."

"We shall see."

* * *

Ranma stared up at the imposing towers that hung above all of them. Looming silently, they cast the entire area into shadow, deepening the darkness that the setting of the sun was already providing. The Government buildings were in every way identical to they way they had looked so long ago, when he had battled Saico-Tek beneath them. However, this time they seemed to possess an ominous aura about them, as if trying to envelope them in darkness, rather than simply shading them from the sun. In fact, everything around them seemed to invoke a sense of dread in the normally upbeat young man. He could see that his companions were shifting about nervously, probably feeling the same thing.

The week had passed slowly, each minute a lesson in torture which he was forced to endure to get to this moment. Not even his tireless training made the time hasten its march, just made the tedious pace all the more acute. He was pretty certain that the only thing that had kept him sane while he waited for this day were his nightly conversations with Raven. If it weren't for her calming and deliberate words, he probably would have ended up tearing up the city in a mad search that would have killed the very person he was trying to save.

And, so there they were, Ryu, Natsume, Kurumi, Thunder and Lightning, all gathered quietly in the shadow of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building. Gods, that just didn't sound like a very epic place to have a duel to the death. Couldn't Brushogun have chosen some abandoned temple or distant mountain for this? At least that way they wouldn't have to worry about bystanders.

The sound of a car slowly rolling up caught his attention. Turning quickly, he watched as a familiar police vehicle pulled up beside him. A moment later, the familiar form of Lieutenant Uehara Daizo stepped out of the vehicle. The police officer wasn't dressed in his usual uniform, but rather in a long, beige trench coat with a matching fedora. It really gave him a different vibe, that was for sure. The old man nodded to him, before thumping his fist on the hood of the car. Without hesitation, the car began to roll away, before vanishing down another street.

"In for a penny, in for a pound, eh, Saotome?" barked the older man humorlessly.

"You don't have to be here, ya know? He just challenged me and my team to this duel," Ranma responded quietly.

Daizo chuckled quietly, before suddenly lashing out and smacking him upside the head! While he sputtered angrily (since hitting the old man back just wasn't allowed) the Lieutenant grumbled loudly. "What, did you lose some brain cells over the week? We've already been over this: vigilantism isn't allowed in Japan. You guys might all be working together, but you _all_ work for me, remember?"

Ryu laughed in amusement as Ranma rubbed the back of his skull, not that it had actually hurt or anything, but it was the principle of the thing.

"Besides," the police officer continued, "I saw this whole mess start up, I'll be damned if I'm not gonna see it through to the end after all the hell I've been through."

The pigtailed boy could only nod. The two of them had fought all this way together, it'd be disappointing if the gruff old policeman wasn't here for the end as well. Uehara returned his nod, then pulled out his trusty (though completely ineffectual) revolver and his high yield energy cannon.

Ryu wandered up to join them, then, patting the Lieutenant's shoulder in a companionable manner. They bandanna clad youth the turned to scan their surroundings, an impatient look on his face. "Speaking of which, where the heck is this _Brushogun _guy, anyway? Didn't he say sunset, or something like that?"

"I wonder how many monsters he'll have with him," muttered Kurumi, sounding slightly worried. Not that Ranma could blame her. He knew of at least four of the guy's minions that he had managed to chase off before, but not defeat outright.

The Yamasen-ken master just scoffed loudly. "Feh, like that matters. Just as long as everyone remembers that the Catgirl is _mine_," he stated forcefully. Again, Ranma smiled, he couldn't even begin to express how glad he was to have someone else to deal with _that _particular villain. Of course . . . he was also slightly depressed, after all, he _had _thought up a defense to use against her and now he'd never get the chance to use it. Ah well, hardly like it mattered now.

"The only thing that matters is getting Akane back. I don't care what the rest of you do, but the first chance that I get, that's where I'm goin, got it?" he more or less ordered everyone. Rather than argue, everyone just nodded, sympathetic and serious expressions on everyone's faces.

Suddenly, Natsume strode forward, unholstering her rug beater and pointing it fiercely down the street. "The time for discussion is over, our enemy arrives," she said quietly.

Everyone turned to look where the long haired girl was pointing. It turned out to be an alleyway several buildings down. A figure almost seemed to melt out of the darkness, pulling and stretching until finally it freed itself from the hovering blackness of the alley. Whoever, or whatever it was, was as pitch black as the alley had been, not to mention inhumanely tall. Not monstrously tall, but still, tall enough to be pretty darn imposing.

The figure almost seemed to glide towards them, no feet visible beneath it's ebony robes. Oddly, for a moment it almost made him think of how Mousse had looked when they had rescued him from the Academy so long ago. The creature stopped around fifty feet away from them, half obscured by the shadows that bathed the entire street. Ranma couldn't get a good look at their foe, but, then fifty feet was an incredibly short distance to cover. If things turned sour, they could all cover that distance in a heartbeat.

Behind him, Ryu let out a dissatisfied grunt. "The moron is alone. Where the hell is that feline freak of his?"

Everyone ignored the irate youth, as the figure in the distance dipped into a low bow. Then, the creature began to speak, its voice carrying across the distance and over the winds far too clearly to be natural.

"Greetings, my dear, dear friends. I am so glad that you all came, I've been looking forward to this day for quite sometime," the figure then straightened from his bow. "Before I forget again, I am Brushogun, and I shall be your villain this wondrous night," he declared happily.

The Saotome Heir growled loudly, completely unimpressed by his enemy's theatrics. "Cut the **bullshit**! Where the hell is Akane, you **bastard**!"

In the distance, Brushogun nodded, almost as if he had forgotten that tiny detail. He then spread out his arm in a grand gesture, more damned theatrics. "Of _course_, how could I forget? A deal is a deal, after all."

With that, the towering man suddenly brought his arm back in with terrible force. Ranma nearly screamed in shock at what he saw next. Rather than bounce off his chest, Brushogun's clawed hand tore through his own flesh, digging angrily into his abdomen. Then, with a mighty heave and the sound of a hundred books being torn apart, the – the _demon_ pulled his arm back out, dragging a choking and wheezing shape with it.

Without even a trace of concern for the mortal wound he had inflicted on himself, or the formless blob he had just liberated from it, he dropped it to the ground like one would drop a sack of potatoes. Almost instantly, the massive hole in Brushogun's abdomen began to close, not in the instant and flashy manner of his minions, but in a much more disturbing and graphic manner.

As amazing as the feat was, judging by his companions' gasps of shocks and cries of horror, Ranma didn't pay it even a shred of notice. The entirety of his world was currently focused on that formless blob on the pavement, coughing up a lungful of black ichor. Slowly, as the liquid flowed off of the figure, the familiar curves and features of his missing fiancee began to make themselves known.

S-she was alive! He thanked the gods for that.

However, his joy was shortlived as his vision began to turn red from rage. That _bastard_ had nearly drowned her just so he could make a dramatic revelation! He swore, right then and there, he was going to **kill **that bastard, right now!

Before he could leap forward, though, Brushogun suddenly raised his hands.

"There! Your betrothed is alive, just as I promised you. Of course, her life will end shortly after yours, but still, I have kept my word. Now, I _did _have a grand speech prepared, however," he offered the girl at his feet a harsh glare, "Due to _someone _being so critical, I've decided to forgo it. So, I believe I shall just be forced to kill you all now, if you don't mind terribly."

To his side, Daizo stepped forward, a confident smirk on his weathered face. "Ha! Kill us! You and what army?"

Instantly, a smile so wide that it threatened to tear the demon's head in half appeared on Brushogun's face. Letting out a loud gout of mad laughter, the demon reached up and wiped a black tear from its eye. "Oh, you can't even imagine how glad I am that you said that," cheered the ebony demon.

_Everyone _turned to glare at the Lieutenant, attempting to melt the policeman into a puddle with the heat of their gazes alone. Rather than flinch, Uehara just chuckled, "Heh, come on, _someone_ had to say it."

Ranma was tempted to kick the old man into the stratosphere, but didn't get the chance as Brushogun interrupted them once again.

"I'm so happy that at least one of you knows the lines for this scene." said the joyful Brushogun. "Now, allow me to introduce you to your executioners for the night. I must say, I spent a lot of time personally choosing the most iconic figures from all of my favorite genres. I'm sure you'll be quite happy with my selection."

With that, the four wavering banners that danced in the air behind Brushogun suddenly sprang to life. Each one lanced out, drawing long streaks of color across the pavement before their master. The streaks of color began to bubble, rising up and beginning to form and resolve themselves into humanoid shapes.

The first figure, at the far left of the street, began to take form the most quickly. What began as a dark, reddish blob, quickly shaped itself into the form of a young man, probably a year or two younger than Ranma himself. Actually, the boy seemed rather unremarkable really. The boy's black hair was swept back into an angry nest of spikes behind his head, revealing a huge forehead above his eyes. Other than that, he wore a simple, sleeveless white T-shirt and a black pair of pants. About the only thing that struck Ranma as odd, was the large piece of red fabric that was draped across the boy's shoulders, covering his right arm like a long cape.

There was something oddly familiar about the boy, but he didn't have time to think about it, since the second blob was beginning to resolve itself.

This second figure, a dark purple in color, took the shape of a young girl, perhaps even younger than the boy beside her. The master martial artist felt his heart start to drop into his stomach, though, as the girl's outfit began to take shape. A pair of tall, purple boots hugged her legs all the way up to her knees. Above that, a wide, frilly skirt of the same color flared out, barely providing even a modicum of modesty. Ranma's common sense began telling him to start running, as a black bow, surrounding an elaborate crystal formed on the girl's chest. Finally, as the purplish ooze began to spread down her arms, forming a pair of overly long white gloves, it shot out rapidly from her left hand in both directions, forming a large, unwieldy looking glaive which she spun once before slamming the butt of the weapon heavily into the pavement.

Before he could properly begin to panic over the girl's appearance though, the third tower of liquid began to rise up quickly, this one a much lighter purple color.

Except, this one didn't stop rising! It continued to rise, and spread out and rise some more . . . It didn't stop growing until it reached a staggering twelve stories in height, taking up most of the street with it's massive feet. Unfortunately, its height was by far the least imposing thing about it, as its form quickly resolved into a terrifyingly familiar figure. The tall, emaciated shape of the giant purple robot was as unmistakable as the long, lone horn that jutted out from the center of its armored head. Slashes of green, black and a large pair of pauldrons covering its shoulders just drove the point home with grim finality.

All around him, he could feel his companions' auras spike and swirl chaotically as they all shared his blooming panic. Ranma didn't even want to look at the fourth blotch, this one a very distinctive orange color, as it began to rise and take shape.

The final figure was a heavily muscled man, the only adult in the group. His long, black hair was styled into hanging spikes large enough to put the first boy's to shame. Draped across his body, was an orange martial arts gi, a white circle over his heart signifying the school he trained in. Wrapped around each of the man's wrists was a dark blue bracer, each matching the color of the undershirt he wore under his gi.

Turning to face his friends with sluggish movements, Ranma took in their shocked, and surprised faces. Sadly, he was pretty sure that they were all looking at the forty meter giant, thinking that was the biggest threat. None of them knew the true depths of the hell they were about to be thrust into.

"Guys," he began hoarsely.

"We are **completely **fu-"


	16. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 8

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble In Little Tokyo

Chapter Eight

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Brushogun watched on in awe as his four avatars rose up before him. Basking in abject joy, the Demon Lord of Ink leaned his head back, closing his eyes serenely. It wasn't darkness that greeted him, though, but rather a mosaic of sights. With his eyes closed, he looked down upon both himself and his opponents through a hundred different eyes; flitting, hovering minions lovingly crafted to let him watch every single aspect of the spectacle to come.

Of course, his many flying spies saw many inconsequential things as well. Literally hundreds of police officers swarmed nearly every adjacent rooftop for several blocks. Each one armed with the most advanced and most expensive equipment that the Japanese government could get its grubby little hands on. Further out, at about a kilometer from his chosen stage, military vehicles were gathering. The poor fools actually thought they could stop him if their champions failed. Their foolish pride made him want to laugh . . .

So he did.

But least trivial of all, were the news helicopters. Dozens of the hovering vehicles circled the area, packed nearly close enough for the pilots to exchange bottles of sake, but high enough to stay out of harms way. His smile widened, there were news companies represented from one end of the country to the other, not just Tokyo's own stations.

He had made very certain of that. He had spent several hours last night, contacting and tipping off every news crew in the country. Unfortunately, it meant that the authorities had had more than ample time to evacuate this entire section of the city. Thus, the innocent victims would be limited to those stubborn few that viewed their homes as their castles, or overly sentimental fools that refused to leave their precious pets behind.

After all, if he had just wanted to kill Saotome and his cronies, he could have done it without any effort. Killing them in their sleeps, poisoning their water, or any hundred other pathetic, unworthy and most importantly, anticlimactic methods that a common assassin might consider.

No, that just wouldn't do. He wasn't just here to kill Saotome; he was here to **crush **him. He would destroy him so utterly and with such casual contempt, that every single member of his world wide audience would be left quivering in stunned silence. After tonight, after watching a group of their bravest and finest being cut down by the most iconic powers of popular culture, all of Japan would bow before his power.

After that, the world would soon join them.

With great reluctance, Brushogun pulled himself back; back down from the clouds, down from his omniscient view of the city. For just a moment, he felt incredibly small, as if he were three pounds of meat being packed into a one pound bag. The world pressed in around him, the blackness crushing down on him. Quickly, he opened his eyes, wavering slightly as he readjusted to seeing through his own eyes once more. It was an odd sensation, seeing the world through a hundred eyes, but it was a sensation he was eager to embrace. After all, what kind of god was ever so limited to only seeing through two slippery orbs of meat?

Another moment passed before he was finally able to see straight once more, just in time to see the last of his _Chosen_ take shape before him. Looking past them, past the enormous bulk of the neon mecha that he had summoned with his power, he gazed upon his enemies. Eagerly, he drank in the looks of fear and shock on their faces, especially on the face of his true, pigtailed rival. Obviously, Saotome was well versed enough to recognize most, if not all of his minions for what they truly were.

With a twitch of his finger, Brushogun willed the giant robot to take a single step forward.

* * *

"-cked," finished Saotome weakly. It was easily the harshest curse that Daizo had heard out of the kid yet.

Not that anyone present was going to disagree with that statement.

Daizo had no idea who the fruity looking kung fu guy, the cape wearing brat or the publicly indecent girl were . . . But who the hell cared about them when they had a twelve freaking story _giant robot _to deal with?

Some days it just didn't pay to put on the badge.

Uehara, along with everyone else, watched the four figures uncertainly. Who the heck were these people? Where on earth had their opponent summoned them from? How was a girl in a skirt _that _short supposed to fight _anybody_? Even more disturbing to the veteran police officer, though . . .

Saotome Ranma was easily the most horrifyingly powerful martial artist he had ever met. (The others didn't really count, after all, they'd come after and _nothing ever_ compared to your first time.) The stormy eyed youth performed feats of speed, strength and skill that were simply beyond description. Now, Daizo was by no means a Christian, but one analogy had become trapped in his mind after meeting this exceptional youth. To him, watching Ranma in battle had been akin to watching an angeldescended from Heaven . . .

So, if Saotome was an angel . . . why was he looking at that gi wearing guy like he was _God_?

His rather unnerving ruminations would go unanswered, as the giant robot chose that moment to take a momentous step forward. The immense armor plated mass that was its foot crashed into the ground about twenty feet in front of their small group. The ground quaked under his feet as its indestructible heel crushed into the pavement, utterly ruining a section of street large enough to drive a sedan into.

Well, that pretty much did it for him. There was _no _way he was getting stepped on when he wasn't just a single day from retirement! Ranma seemed to have other ideas, taking a panicked step forward, before spinning wildly back to face them all.

"Damn! It's time for the Saotome School's Ultimate Technique-" His cry was cut off, though, as Ryu roughly pushed him aside with a heavily muscled arm.

"We don't have time for any stupid techniques! _Everyone, run away_!" he barked loudly. Without even a second's hesitation, Natsume, Kurumi, Thunder and Lightning all nodded quickly and burst into action. Each pair of siblings took off in a flash, back in the direction of the massive twin towers behind them, already splitting up. A second later, Ryu took off as well, though cutting down a side street much sooner than either of the two teams.

For just a moment, Ranma stood there, a look of such incredulous shock on his face that, in any other situation, Daizo would have laughed his butt off at the pigtailed kid. Of course, given the situation, he just turned tail and ran like hell to the nearest building. A second later, Ranma burst into motion, just managing to leap forward before a neon-purple boot big enough to move into crushed him flat. Then the Saotome boy was tearing off down the road at nearly three-quarters of the speed that he'd ran away from that Catgirl.

Not being near as inhumanly fast as his companions, the aging police officer just found the nearest doorway and ducked inside quickly. As soon as he was more or less out of sight of that Brushogun character, he turned back and peeked around the corner. The ground shuddered loudly as the robot took another monumental step forward.

Behind the robot, Brushogun and his three other minions stood, watching the fleeing warriors in perfect stillness. Then, the ringleader dramatically raised one of his overly long, clawed hands into the air . . . then dropped it rapidly on an angle, as if cutting the very air itself. The effect was instantaneous.

Suddenly, against all the laws of momentum and inertia, the skyscraping robot suddenly crouched down and _exploded _forward into a full _sprint_! It was all he could do to grab the nearby door handles to stop himself from getting sucked out of the shallow alcove he was hiding in by the massive vacuum left in the machine's wake. He'd never seen anything so large move so _fast_ in his _life_!

At the same time, the three figures still at Brushogun's side also burst into motion. The sailor suited girl with the oversized can opener suddenly leapt up to one of the nearby rooftops, one of the _fifteen story _rooftops, and nearly vanished into a roof hopping blur in chase of the rapidly receding fighters.

The spiky haired boy with the blood red cape sprang forward, nearly gliding with unnatural grace. His first stride easily carried him fifty feet in the blink of an eye before his feet even touched the ground. After that, his speed only increased. Daizo could only shake his head, as unbelievably fast as his friends had been moving, his enemies were moving _even faster_. Heck, as for the orange gi wearing guy . . .

Hell, he just vanished!

As Brushogun's mad laughter filled the air, the Lieutenant slowly let out a silent breath of relief. Just like he'd figured, all of the bad guys had chased after the _actual _threats, his young boys and girls. He peeked around the corner again, seeing the lone figure of Brushogun, his head thrown back in evil delight. Looked like old Brushy had forgotten all about him already. That meant he had one good shot to do something . . . He looked down to the, suddenly woefully undersized laser cannon in his hand . . .

If only he had _any _idea what to do with that shot . . .

A slight shift of motion caught his attention, coming from low to the ground, right to his villainous opponent's side . . . The ebony figure was almost indistinguishable from the madly chortling demon, but he recognized it for what it was soon enough.

Hmmm . . . maybe there _was _something he could do . . .

* * *

Ryu skidded wildly before taking another sharp right turn. He was sure that if he kept up his speed, that he'd be able to circle around and attack Brushogun from the back before any pursuers could catch him. Not that he was overly worried about being caught, asides from the giant robot, anyway, none of the others had looked that impressive at all. However, he had no idea how powerful that Brushogun actually was, so a surprise attack was definitely the most prudent course of action.

In a matter of seconds, another city block flew by in a drab flash of grays and blacks. Another block and one more right turn, and he should be back on the street that he'd started on. Then, though it wasn't really his specialty, he could sneak up on Brushogun from the back and demolish him before he even realized what was happe-

A streak of red slashed through the dull hues of the twilight lit street. He might as well have been standing still as the slash of color moved up from behind, only to fly past him at dizzying speeds. It tore through the air, until it stopped abruptly a half a block ahead of him. As soon as it stopped its insanely fast movement, the red blur resolved itself into the young, cape wearing boy.

Ryu smiled, widely and malevolently. It appeared that he'd gotten lucky. Of all of Brushogun's lackeys to have to fight, the spiky haired kid before him was easily his first choice. The gi wearing guy looked like he might have known a few moves and been bit of a headache; fighting the girl would have been plumbing the depths of humiliation. He didn't even want to think about the giant robot . . .

The young man glared back at him, a scowl on his face and a deep growl on his lips.

Ryu just smiled wider.

This would be over fast.

* * *

"Well, that fight is gonna be over fast," chortled her diminutive genius with sadistic glee. "I don't know who the heck that scuzz-munching loser is, but he's so freakin dead it ain't even funny! No . . . wait . . . actually it **is **pretty funny!"

Nabiki rolled her big brown eyes, even as she watched the various news feeds herself. There were at least a dozen news firms covering this epic battle, which meant there were more than enough cameras present to provide her with a full picture of the unfolding battle.

"I don't know, Gizmo, Ryu there isn't exactly a slouch when it comes to fighting. He's actually one of the more powerful martial artists to come knocking on Ranma's door. I think he might surprise you," she replied smoothly. Not that she really believed it, but maybe she could sucker some of her boys into a little side action . . . betting wise.

Gizmo scoffed as loudly as she had ever heard him scoff . . . which was quite an accomplishment; he liked to scoff at things a lot, she'd found. The extremely young man turned to face her, a skeptical look on his face.

"Heh, I don't care if he can shoot atomic powered snot-blasts, there's **no** way he's winnin' this. He's up against freakin' _Tetsuo_ . . . **Tetsuo**, boss!"

Hmm, so much for laying down any rigged odds now. One of her fine eyebrows arched in curiosity. "You've seen Akira?" she asked.

It was Gizmo's turn to roll his eyes. "Please, it's a movie about a dystopian future where science goes mad, _of course _I've seen Akira!"

Mammoth grunted loudly, breaking his way into the conversation. "Hey, ain't that that movie yer always tryin' to get me to watch? That Japanimation stuff?" queried their mammoth teammate.

Nabiki shot the boy a simmering glare. "We prefer the term, _anime_, thank you." She smirked happily as the five hundred pound slab of meat that could squeeze her insides out like a tube of toothpaste cringed at her words, then she turned back to face Gizmo. "And you're right, Ryu is a dead man."

It was about then, that the dishy brunette shook her head, still not believing the scene unfolding before her. What on Earth had Ranma gotten her family involved in? When he had made it obvious that he'd wanted to get into the hero business, she'd never imagined that he'd actually manage to find enemies even _more _bizarre than the ones he _normally _drew in. What was next, bird people from the dark heart of China?

Still, this latest battle did present her with a unique problem. Gently using her thumb and forefinger to massage the bridge of her nose, she watched her future brother-in-law and his companions dance around the monitors. "Honestly," she muttered darkly, "I _know_, I just _know _that I should make Ranma's life hell for getting my sister involved with this kind of insanity . . . but I honestly _can not _think of what I could possibly do that could be worse than being attacked by some magically powered Super Otaku . . ."

A red masked head ducked in the doorway, staring through goggled eyes to look at the many many monitors. "Hey y'all, what're y'all watchin' in here? Do ya reckon that I can watch too?" asked the heavily accented Billy Numerous.

Nabiki looked down to her empty hand, then to the red clad boy filling up her doorway. "Of course you can, Billy . . ." She smiled sweetly . . . for about three seconds.

"As soon as you get me my coffee."

* * *

Lightning soared over the many buildings, purposefully slowing his pace to allow his tragically slow brother to keep up with him. The occasions that his brother's slow and deliberate nature actually annoyed the electrically charged youth were few and far between (really, being limited to the speed of _sound_?) thankfully, this was not one of those times. After all, they _wanted_ to be followed this time; if he moved as quickly as was his birthright allowed, then none of his opponent's would have been able to catch him.

As always, he relished the sound of the air ionizing in his wake, the sharp crackle of his energy, as he flew effortlessly through the air. The dull rumble of his brother's passage followed dutifully in his wake, just as nature had always intended. Ah, yes, life was good.

"Brother, which of the monster's followers do you believe we will engage in battle?" the rough baritone of Thunder's voice rolled over his ears like a peal of his namesake. Lightning took a moment to think about that. Really, the answer was obvious.

"I most certainly hope it is the metal behemoth! Surely only that great beast is a worthy challenge to our boundless power. Let our companions, with their meager skills, deal with those other, lesser, creatures," he stated proudly. As skilled as Saotome and Kumon were, their raw power paled in comparison to his own. He could hardly hold it against them, they were mere humans, after all, not Avatars of Nature itself! And truly, what opponent would require more raw power to destroy then the skeletal giant of steel?

A thoughtful expression settled upon his brother's face, a most common occurrence since their ill-fated battle with those Titans. "I have been thinking about that, my brother. Does it make sense for our enemy to summon four different entities, only to have one be so obviously greater in power than the rest? Perhaps, in the eyes of that demon, all four are equally dangerous . . ."

Hmm, a rather sound piece of deductive inference, that. It certainly hadn't been the giant beast that their comrade, Saotome, had been staring at with such dread. Of course, all that accomplished was piquing his interest even further. It seemed that the potential for fun was quite high this night indeed!

"Well, there is only one way to see, my brother," he replied excitedly, "I believe we have traveled far enough, let us see who possessed the audacity to pursue **Thunder **and _Lightning_!" Matching deed to word, Lightning careened madly to the streets below, crashing down to the street in a bolt of his namesake.

He realized, dimly, that due to their monumental speed, they had already left the evacuated area of the city. Indeed, they were now a mere stone's throw from the great bay this city encompassed. That, at least, was a mixed blessing. He was certain his comrades would be quite unhappy if they were to bring a battle down into an inhabited section of the city. At least this way they were in the relatively empty port section of the city, most of the sea workers having already turned in for the day. There would undoubtedly be some stragglers, working through the night, but he knew how to clear them out.

Still waiting for his brother to catch up, Lightning raised his hands into the air. Energy began to dance and spark between his outstretched fingers, he marveled at the sight for a moment. A second later, Thunder landed at his side, a peal of thunder crashing down with him. A good start, that. As soon as his larger brother landed, Lightning unleashed his gathered power back into the heavens.

A hundred lances of light exploded from his fingers, dancing wildly, intertwining and intersecting as they spread out into a massive cone before vanishing into the night's sky. For just a second, the entire city was lit by his power and every light within a hundred meters exploded into brilliantly glowing sparks.

He smiled, it _was_ an impressive display, though diffusing his power over such a vast area would have rendered it mostly harmless against any enemy he might have faced. Not so for the feeble machines that surrounded him, though. He had always found that technology was a fickle and flighty thing, dependant upon his power to survive, yet given too much, it dies instead . . .

Well, if that didn't cause any lingering workers to flee in terror, then he doubted the gods themselves could move them.

Sadly, now they would be forced to wait . . . Oh, how he hated to wait! It went against his very nature, to strike in a flash, without warning, and never in the same place twice. At least . . . at least it would allow the people smart enough to flee the time to do so . . .

It was still unbearable!

A flash of movement from a nearby rooftop caught their attention! Lightning's discontented frown bloomed fully into a beaming smile. It appeared that their opponent was not so terribly slow after all!

The blur of motion touched down on the ledge of a nearby building, before launching itself skyward once more. After hanging in the air for a surprising amount of time (for those unable to fly, at any rate) the figure alighted on the pavement before them with the gentle ease of the ocean mist -

A second later, the haft of her mighty weapon crashed calamitously to the ground, shattering the pavement as if it were fragile glass. With a deep, grinding groan, the sailor suit wearing girl dragged her long, wicked glaive from the crater it had formed at her side; hefting the massive polearm with unnatural ease. The light of the newly rising moon reflected brightly along the sharpened length of her weapon, along the gentle curves of her tiara and over the massive jewel set in the center of her chest. All together, it produced a most striking image.

Lightning turned slowly to face his brother, his wide smile reverting slowly back into the frown it was borne from.

"Why must we always fight the pretty ones?"

* * *

Bumblebee dragged her companion through the halls of their very nearly complete tower with gleeful abandon. The smile that adorned her full, perfect lips was in due, partly, to the fact that they had a very nearly complete tower through which to drag each other. In the span of only a little over a month, with the help of a certain cyborg's tech, and a certain samurai's funding, their ragtag little team had gone from homeless to lavish!

Of course, most of the credit for her winning smile had to be given to said companion that she was currently dragging through the hallway. As much fun as it was towing the chisel featured young man around, a small part of her was taking a rather childish joy in the simple act of holding his strong (relatively speaking anyway) hand.

"Please, Karen, I beseech you! For what reason are you displacing my noble personage in such an undignified manner?" asked the samurai with the perfectly tousled hair. Sure, he was putting up a big fuss about being dragged around, but she could see the smile he was struggling so vainly to contain. She giggled to herself, not that it mattered, since even if he didn't actually want to be dragged around, she was more than strong enough to just toss him over her shoulder and carry him off.

Hmm, the idea tickled her funny bone nicely. The sword toting boy had to be the most socially outdated guy she had ever met. She bet that being tossed over the shoulder of a strong, modern woman would probably blow his mind completely!

"No, no, no," she teased lightly, "No spoilers, Tatie! Trust me, though, I swear you're gonna love it!" She knew he would, too! She had had to custom order it, but Cyborg had been more than happy to help a sister out. Heck, she bet the big bag of bolts had as much fun putting the order together as Kunou would have when he finally saw what she got for him.

Kunou rolled his eyes mightily, still bravely maintaining his put upon expression. This, of course, only made her smile wider as she continued to pull him along by his han-

A piercing squeal, sharper and louder than a wild beast being skewered suddenly assaulted them as they passed by the door to the main room!

She looked to Kunou, in shock, and he matched her surprised look. As one, they both turned to look at the door, then turned back to lock gazes again. As one, they reached the same conclusion.

"Ukyou!"

"The Chef!"

. . . Okay, not exactly the same conclusion . . . One of these days she was going to _have _to explain to her teammate that Ukyou was _not,_ in fact, just the hired help.

A second later, they burst into the massive room that served as their operation center . . . only to see a sight even more disturbing than Bumblebee had imagined.

Ukyou was indeed in the room . . . jumping up and down hysterically while swinging her spatula back and forth fast enough that the winged girl wondered why she wasn't airborne.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! It's **Sailor Saturn**!" gushed the hyperactive okonomiyaki chef.

Bumblebee and Kunou both stopped, struck speechless by the display of fangirl glee gone mad. On the massive screen behind the bouncing girl, an aerial shot of what looked like some kind of port was displayed. In the center of the shot were three figures, one yellow and orange, one blue and black and the final one white and purple. What in the world was Ukyou watching?

"Sailor _who_?" she asked incredulously.

Her male companion dropped a hand on her shoulder. "A female champion of love and justice known well in Japan . . . Of course, it is also quite well known that she is but a fictional character, drawn from the pages of a famous manga. What she is doing battling in our tenuous world of reality, I know not."

She took a moment to sort through the jumble of words that was commonly interpreted as "Kunou speaking" and drew out what she figured his actual statement was.

"Wait a second! You're saying that some _comic book character _is fighting it out in the street with a couple of . . .," she muttered disbelievingly, only to stop in shock as recognition hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Hey! I know those two guys! They were in our files on the Titans. The little guy is Lightning and the big blue guy is Thunder!" she explained quickly. What in the world was going on there? Sure, they weren't anyone that she'd actually ever met, but she sure as heck knew they were _real_, so why were they fighting a fictional character?

".. . . the blue one . . . is named . . . Thunder . . .," at her side, Kunou was mumbling to himself.

No time to figure out what his problem was. Taking a decisive step forward, she grabbed the remote from Ukyou. "Hey, what the heck is going on here, Baker Brain?" she asked harshly.

Finally, her female teammate calmed down . . . somewhat. "Hell, I have no idea, BB, I was just channel surfing when I hit this. I figure it's some kind of Cosplay thing going on back home. Whoever that girl is, her costume is _awesome_. Don't know about those guys, though, probably homemade costumes, I bet," she replied excitedly.

Bumblebee rolled her eyes. "Ukyou, this isn't some fan service thing! Those two guys are _real_, as in _fought the Titans_ real!"

Ukyou seemed to consider this for a moment, tapping a graceful finger against her narrow chin. She then turned to face her once more, a perfectly serious expression on her face. "Wow . . . that's so cool! Man, I almost feel bad for those bad guys, then. _No one _can beat Sailor Saturn," stated the girl, her words sounding just a little bit too happy for Bumblebee's comfort.

Bumblebee just stared at the girl . . . not quite feeling up to explaining the whole turning over of the leaf that had occurred. She doubted the giddy chef would even believe that her idol was the bad guy here . . . apparently . . . Why the heck did Ukyou worship this _Sailor Saturn_ anyway? She just looked like some tarted up girl in a skirt that wouldn't even make a decent bracelet. Wait a moment . . .

Slowly, Bumblebee's eyes slid from the gleaming Glaive on the screen, to the gleaming Spatula that Ukyou held clutched to her chest. Slowly, her eyes slid back from Ukyou's polearm back to the sailor's polearm . . . Ah, sooooo . . .

Suddenly, Kunou burst back into the conversation, sputtering angrily, "Unacceptable! I must return to Japan at _once_! This outrage cannot go unanswered, honor demands it!" proclaimed her potential man in a most cryptic manner. "I will find this _blue _Thunder and defeat him myself!"

"_There can be only one_!"

* * *

Kurumi was nearly in tears as she frantically tried to keep stride with her older, longer legged sister. She hated being so frightened, so childish, especially when her sister was being so brave and strong . . . but, really . . .

**They were being chased by a giant robot**!

Why, oh why, did it have to be the giant robot? Why couldn't it have been the little girl? That wouldn't have been scary at all, she didn't have any trouble fighting other girls. Or that spiky haired boy with the cape, he'd actually been a tiny bit cute . . . in an angry, icky boy kinda way. Either of those two would have been good. Better than good, great even!

She could barely even keep her own footing, as the staccato beat of their impossibly fast pursuer set the entire world to shaking madly. The only thing she could do was chase Natsume, keeping her eyes glued on her sister's back, just so she wouldn't get disoriented and turned around. She didn't even dare to look back at the neon purple monstrosity that chased them.

Suddenly, her sister reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her ahead just a bit. Kurumi double stepped quickly to avoid falling flat on her face and dragging her sister down with her at the move. She looked up into her sister's face, a questioning look on her own.

"Follow me, Kurumi!" shouted her older sister, just to be heard over the machine gun crashes bearing down on them. Natsume then turned her attention back ahead of them, to the massive twin towers of the government building that loomed before them. "I have an idea!"

"We just need to get to those towers!"

* * *

"Holy one-sided battle royales, Robin!" cried the emerald changeling. He ignored the glare that said birdboy leveled in his direction. "Those two hot chicks from before are gonna get totally stepped on by that Evanjellydonut!"

For some reason, everyone surrounding the Titan shape shifter groaned loudly and rolled their eyes.

Turning back to the dozen or so screens the main view screen was currently divided into, each one showing a mismatched battle to end all mismatched battles. The giant robot/hot girl fight still stood out the keenest to the green skinned changeling. Well, not that he could exactly call it a fight yet, considering the two girls were still running like heck. Hmm, all things considered, it's probably what he woulda been doing in their situation too. Really, what the heck did you do to hurt a freaking giant robot?

"They're called Evangelions, Beast Boy," Robin corrected him, sounding a little ticked off.

"And Robin would know!" Cyborg stated cheerfully, slapping a hand on the masked boy's shoulder. "I mean, what with him and Starfire dressin up as EVA pilots last Halloween! Man, you remember that, BB?"

Beast Boy howled hysterically as Robin's face suddenly glowed to match his shirt! Unfortunately, their fun was cut short by a dry, if somewhat irate growl from off to the side of the room.

"How can you be joking at a time like this?" muttered a more irate than usual Raven. "Ranma and his friends are in _actual _danger, if you hadn't noticed."

Ryouga, standing on the other side of the dagger glaring Robin nodded forcefully in agreement. "Yeah, I wanna know why the heck that pigtailed jerk didn't tell any of us there was some kind of epic duel going on tonight! Now he's in totally over his head and there's no way that we can get there in time to pull his butt out of the fire," growled the (much less handsome) fanged boy.

Robin stopped glaring just long enough to nod as well. "I don't understand why he wouldn't have asked us for help. After that last battle, he must have known something like this could have been possible. I can't believe how stubborn he can be," he grumbled.

For some reason, Raven pulled up her hood, apparently doing her best to vanish into its dark folds. Considering how innocuous she was being about it, Beast Boy would have sworn it was the dark girl's equivalent to whistling innocently. But that was just silly, what did Raven have to act innocently about? Anyway . . .

"Shyeah, right," he scoffed loudly. "You two are just jellin cuz Ranma is gonna take out big bad Brushy without your help."

The two boys looked at each other, then, and in a very rare moment of perfect agreement, they turned back to face him. As one, in creepy synchronization, they answered-

"Heck no!" Ooooh, stereo!

"We're jealous because he gets to fight-"

* * *

"-Goku! Anyone but Goku! Anyone but Goku!" he repeated his newest mantra over and over again as he frantically tore down the street.

He stopped just long enough to suck in another lungful of oxygen . . . and fire off a silent prayer to the gods above. 'Please let it be the EVA!' That'd be nice, wouldn't it? After all, it couldn't really destroy the world without all of the existential weird stuff that he didn't understand at all popping up everywhere. And, really, what was an AT field compared to anything else out there? Yeah, fighting a twelve story metal monstrosity would definitely be the best case scenario tonight . . .

For some reason, Ranma almost felt like crying.

Heck, he'd even take the sailor scout. After all, she could only destroy the world _once_, he was pretty sure he could handle that. And that other guy, he was pretty sure it was the guy from that really famous anime movie . . . what the heck was his name again? Meh, like it mattered, Ranma was pretty sure that guy was _only _capable of blowing up the city . . . that'd be pretty easy to deal with . . . wouldn't it?

"Anyone but Goku! Anyone but Goku!" he started chanting aga-

The pigtailed martial artist skidded to a stop, he could practically smell the soles of his shoes melting from the friction. A sudden surge of chi appeared before him, a fraction of a second later, the owner of that chi appeared before him. Somewhere, far, far, far, far in the back of his mind, he was reminded of the two other teleporters he had fought before and how he'd begun to find the ability's weakness. Unfortunately, the cognizant portion of his mind had absolutely no time to consider such trivial facts considering the sight before him.

Floating confidently before him, bulky arms crossed tightly across his massive chest, was-

"**Goku**!"

Damn it! Damn it! _Damn it_! That was _so completely _just his luck.

* * *

The caped crusader watched the numerous monitors intently, studying the various combatants, analyzing the potential outcomes . . .

Or, at least that's what he was _trying _to do!

"C'mon, Batsie! Let's just go down there and clean this mess up, it's pretty obvious those kids down there are totally out of their league here," suggested the Flash, his voice nearly whining.

Batman let out a silent sigh and turned to face the rest of the room's occupants, though he was sorely reluctant to tear his gaze from the upcoming battles. It was a small group; most everyone was out on various other missions. The Flash was just a few feet behind him and to his side. Further back, the Man of Steel watched the various news feeds with a concerned look on his face and his arms crossed over the red 'S' on his chest. Sitting at a console further down, also watching the monitors, was Green Arrow; it was obvious that Ollie shared his interest in the combat skills these youths had demonstrated in their last televised battle. Finally, leaning against a wall at the back of the room, generally being ignored by everyone, was Booster Gold . . . for some reason . . .

Unhappy with the interruption, he leveled a flat glare at the crimson speedster, "You _know_ the agreement. We don't interfere with the Titans unless they ask us for assistance," he stated in a low voice.

"Be reasonable, Bruce," implored the Kryptonian in the room, "This battle isn't like dealing with someone like Death Stroke or Brother Blood, this Brushogun creature is a serious threat. Besides, there aren't even any actual Titans down there."

"Yeah!" cheered the Flash, "Besides, I'd pay _money _to see Supe's get his butt handed to him by _Goku_!" He quickly ducked out of the way of Superman's glare, though, since in this case, looks _could _kill.

Surprisingly, Green Arrow spun around in his chair to join the conversation. "The kid's got a Titan signal on him, that's real enough for me. Besides, do you think those kids down there would actually be _grateful_ if we just descended from the heavens to lend a helping hand?"

Batman nodded in a rare moment of agreement with his non-metahuman teammate. "Unlike a certain alien or Amazon princess, not _all _of us are going to be around forever. We need to let this new generation of potential heroes develop on their own. If we dropped down and took over every time _we_ thought they were in over their heads, how would they grow? Remember, none of _us _had anyone there to hold _our _hands along the way. No, we wait until they actually ask for help," he stated with no small amount of finality.

Flash let out a loud groan. "Seriously, I don't get what the big deal is! These kids ask each other for help all the time. I seriously doubt any of them are actually that proud. Honestly, there's been so much back and forth going on around the world lately, that I can't even keep my fantasy superhero team straight anymore!"

Off to his side, the emerald archer just shook his head sadly. "You just don't get it, do ya? There's a huge difference between asking their peers for help and asking the League for help." The rather clueless expression on the Flash's face prompted Green Arrow to continue . . . after letting out another beleaguered sigh. "Look, Flash, these kids ask each other for help, so they can _help_ each other in their battles. People don't ask _Superman _for _help_, they call Superman to be _saved_."

A rare look of understanding flashed across the speedster's face, his mouth forming into a tiny 'o' shape. Further back, the Kryptonian in question raised a finger, as if preparing to argue the point . . . then slowly lowered the digit back down. Batman hid his smile of satisfaction at getting his point across, even if Arrow had to do it for him.

Honestly, it was unlikely that Green Arrow or himself would actually be able to contribute much to the battle down below, except for knowledge and experience. However, if Superman or the Flash were to go down right then, they wouldn't _help _the group of warriors, they would take over instantly and finish the battle themselves.

"I don't get it, what's the difference?" grumbled Booster Gold from the nosebleed section.

Batman was sorely tempted to answer that question, but, being one of the founding members of the Justice League, a certain amount of respect and tolerance was expected from him. So, instead, he was more than content to field that question back to Green Arrow, who was under no such compunctions.

"Of course you don't get it. You're only in this for the money and fame. These Titans, old and new, east and west, are all doing this for just two reasons: their morals and their pride. Since you don't seem to have either, I doubt you'll ever understand why these kids need to fight their own battles . . ."

The caped crusader smiled, he couldn't have put it better himself . . .

Now, he just hoped these children survived his expectations of them.

* * *

Daizo held his arms tighter to his chest, his laser pistol held firmly in both hands before him. His back was pressed firmly to the wall of the alcove behind him as he took a few more seconds to steel his resolve. He took another long breath, feeling the gentle breeze in the air blow over him. It fluttered through the folds of his trench coat and teased the fringe of his fedora, even as the slight chill cooled his clammy skin. As far as last moments went . . . it was actually kind of nice, very Zen.

Finally collected once more, he took another glance around the corner, taking in Brushogun and his target once more. Hmmm, that was odd . . . not to mention interesting. Brushogun was still in the same pose he was nearly a minute earlier. The bizarre creature was still standing perfectly still, back arched, arms upraised and head thrown back in rapture . . . except there was no maniacal laughter this time. Brushogun was just . . . staring at the sky, except his empty, white eyes were closed.

Hmmm, indeed. The veteran officer had no idea what the circus freak was doing, but he knew an opening when he saw one. Letting out the breath he didn't even know he was holding, Daizo slowly slid around the corner. He stood there for a moment, completely exposed if his unstable opponent did so much as cracked an eyelid . . . but it never happened.

Feeling a little emboldened, but not about to go crazy here, he slowly began to slide towards the towering ebony figure, keeping his back pressed to the building faces as he went. It was slow, nerve wracking work and he froze several times at perceived twitches or tricks of the light. Eventually, after a seeming eternity, he was in position, pressed back against the wall directly beside his target. Only thirty feet separated him from the weakly gasping figure at Brushogun's . . . feet?

It took him nearly half a minute to build up the nerve to move from there. As tough as he was, he was still keenly aware that he was the Lilliputian in the land of giants. Just one look at those inky black scythes that Brushogun was trying to pass off as fingers was enough to remind him just how easily this thing could kill him if it really wanted.

Why, oh, why, did doing the right thing always equate to doing the stupid thing?

In a burst of speed that would have made Saotome slap a hand to his face in shame, Daizo pushed off from the wall. He ran as fast as his mere mortal legs would carry him, skidding to a stop right above his goal. Not even waiting to see if Brushogun noticed him yet, he knelt down and picked up his target . . .

The nearly unconscious form of one: Tendo Akane.

It was a bit hard to tell, what with the healthy coating of . . . black, but it was hard to miss the fact that it was definitely a young woman in his arms. He wasn't a detective, but it didn't take a large leap of logic to determine the girl in his arms was the missing fiancée of Saotome. Well, either that, or an evil doppelganger set out to kill anyone foolish enough to try to rescue the girl . . .

Damn, he sure hoped it wasn't that.

Well, screw it, too late to go back now. A quick glance up showed Brushogun still not paying attention to anything but the inside of his eyelids. What the heck was the guy doing?

He shook his fedora clad head, now wasn't the time to be worrying about that. He had a civilian to get to safety. Granted, it was a civilian that could wipe the floor with him if she was up and about, but still, it was all part of the job. Moving as quickly as his burden would allow, he made his way to a nearby alley and ducked inside. He made sure he got out of sight, at least twenty feet into the alley, before he finally set the girl down.

He gave her a quick once over, looking for any obvious signs of injury, but luckily didn't see any. Her breathing was still pretty shallow, but considering that Brushogun had been carrying her around in his pocket, that wasn't much of a surprise.

In a sort of gentle manner, he slapped her cheek, trying to snap her back to consciousness. After several ministrations, he was rewarded with a large wad of black sludge spilling out over his coat as the girl suddenly coughed up the last few dredges of whatever it was that she'd nearly drowned in.

"Hey," he whispered quietly, "Hey, kid, are you all right?"

The girl spent a few more moments coughing and gagging, but eventually her eyes rolled in his direction. They had never met before, but he was pretty sure that she recognized who he was, judging by the look in her eyes. Apparently not quite feeling up to talking yet, she just nodded weakly.

He let out a long sigh of relief at that. He wasn't about to be doing any fighting, but at least he'd gotten her to safety. Hmm, better make sure, though.

"Are you Tendo Akane?" he asked a bit tentatively.

The dyed girl stared at him oddly for a moment, before nodding weakly again. ". . . y . . . yes, I am."

He let out an even longer sigh of relief at that. Oh, sure, she could just be lying to him and just be waiting to disembowel him as soon as he turned his back, but, hey, he just wasn't that paranoid. "Alright, let's get you to safety then. My men are all around here, all we have to do is get you to some of them and they can get you out of here," he explained seriously.

Daizo stood up then, carefully pulling the girl to her feet with a hand on her arm. She seemed to be regaining her strength faster now. However, he seemed to be having some trouble with leading her to safety . . . namely the fact that he was completely unable to budge the young woman. Pulling a little harder at the girl's elbow yielded no better results, heck, she didn't even seem to notice his efforts. All of her focus was on the mouth of the alley.

"Um, Miss Tendo, you aren't exactly making the whole 'getting you to safety' thing any easier," he mumbled in annoyance.

That seemed to work, as the girl finally turned back to face him. Her expression was surprisingly serious, and more than a little angry. "We can't leave yet," she stated flatly, "I need to tell Ranma what Brushogun is. He might be able to figure out how to use it against him."

Hmm, well, that seemed interesting. "Well what the heck are you waiting for? Tell me now so I can figure something out, then you can tell Saotome the next time you see him. In case you didn't notice, all of your little kung fu buddies are getting chased down by murderous manga moguls," he said quickly.

Akane looked ready to disregard him completely for a moment and run off to find Saotome herself, obviously no respect for her elders, but soon enough she nodded. Turning back to face him, she carefully removed his hand from her shoulder. Gentle as a vice wrapped in silk, anyway, damn, she just did _not_ look like she should be able to do that kind of stuff, and yet, she _was_ Saotome's fiancée.

"Brushogun is a demon. But not just any demon, he claims to be a demon of ink, newly resurrected from its centuries long slumber," she told him seriously.

"Well, that doesn't sound any crazier than anything else around here," he muttered in disbelief. "How exactly does that help us, though?"

"It means that none of those people that Ranma is fighting out there are _real_, Officer. They're just facsimiles, they might look like the originals, but there's just no way that they can be as powerful as the real ones. Especially not those four. If I can tell Ranma that, he might be able to figure something out. Or, at the very least, he wouldn't be as worried about them as he must be right now," she explained carefully.

Still not overly helpful, but she was right about that last part at any rate. Plus, that first point of information gave him a very important amount of leeway in how he could deal with the situation. Taking a step closer to the mouth of the alley, he nodded to her seriously. "Alright then, I'll go . . . get Brushogun's attention. As soon as I do, you go find Saotome."

Rather than inquire as to his plan, the girl just nodded and together they moved to the end of the alley.

Yep, just as he expected. Brushogun was still just standing there, looking up like a turkey in the rain. A smirk formed on his weathered lips as he looked across the gulf that separated him from the Ink Demon. He then lifted up his pistol and played around with the settings, setting every single dial to its maximum setting: aperture, intensity, duration. He'd probably drain the damn thing dry in his first shot, but what the hell, no time to worry about that now.

Not being the overly dramatic type, Daizo didn't wait for some fallen leaf or drop of water to signal his charge. Rather, he ran out as soon as finished playing with his high-tech toy, which was already starting to hum worryingly in his hand.

He pounded the pavement between them, closing the space as quickly as he could. A few seconds later, he skidded to a stop right in front of Brushogun. This time, the inhumanly tall demon seemed to react to his presence, starting to lean forward slowly and uncertainly. Daizo smiled, 'Too slow this time, Brushy.' Now it was _his _turn to play rough . . . After all -

It's a well known fact that Demons are not entitled to due process.

"Eat **this**, you spectral anomaly!" he roared righteously.

With that, he lifted his angrily whining hand-cannon up before him and pulled the trigger. The weapon started to vibrate slightly in his hand, the whine increasing several octaves as a blinding red light began to build up at the end of the gun's barrel. A hundredth of a second later, the end of the gun exploded into a beam of coherent crimson light six inches in diameter!

The beam crashed into Brushogun's jaw, cutting through the skin like paper and scorching the bone to ash in seconds. The lance of energy carried on through the Brushogun's head, dissolving his face instantly and blasting out the back of the demon's skull, on into the depths of space. A half a second after _that_, heat akin to that of the sun boiled all of the liquid in his skull and his entire head _exploded_ in a great gout of black ichor!

With a great thud . . . Brushogun's lifeless body collapsed to the ground, a steady stream of midnight black ink spilling out onto the pavement.

Daizo just stared down at the body in shock, eyes as wide as saucers . . . Wow, that hadn't been _quite _what he'd expected. Had . . . had he actually _done _it?

He continued to stare at the corpse of Brushogun, not quite sure what to do with himself. Finally, after a full minute, he let out a long, weary breath.

"Just get up, would you? I'm not gonna turn my back just so you can rise up dramatically behind me and strike me down," he muttered in disgust.

Like he was _really _going to believe that this fight was going to end _that _easily? His luck had never been that good, and it had been a hell of a lot worse since he'd met Saotome.

Much to his _unsurprise _Brushogun's headless body rose up from the ground . . . his motions seeming downright petulant. Within moments, stomach turning moments that would join the exploding Mecha-Boi and deflating Godzilla in the dark recesses of his memories that would return to haunt him in his nightmares for years to come, Brushogun's head reformed before his very eyes. If it weren't for the inhuman features of the demon, Daizo would swear he looked annoyed.

"First you spoil my entertainment, then you spoil my fun? Perhaps Miss Tendo was correct, people seem to know this story just a little too well," hissed the demonic entity.

Daizo stared at Brushogun, seriously beginning to doubt the demon's sanity. Then he shrugged, like _he _should be lecturing anyone on the merits of sanity. "Alright, then. Brushogun, you're under arrest. Do you want me to read you your rights, or do you already know those lines?" he asked with a sneer. He then raised his weapon up once more, highly dubious as to its functionality.

His demonic opponent seemed to consider his statement, apparently trying to construct some scathing and witty reply worthy of true, villainous banter. Unfortunately, then his demonic opponent seemed to realize that he was talking to an old man with a busted ray gun.

"Oh, _**shut up**_!"

Then Brushogun backhanded him . . .

_Hard_.

* * *

Akane winced harshly as she watched the Lieutenant's body go rag dolling through the air. A moment later, he crashed through a second story window of a nearby apartment building, sending a spray of shattered glass into the air. She certainly hoped he survived; he wasn't exactly a martial artist.

Unfortunately, she hadn't exactly taken full advantage of the Lieutenant's distraction, being so shocked by what he did that she'd been frozen herself. This, of course, had one notable and negative repercussion.

Brushogun began to slither in her direction, smiling malevolently indeed.

* * *

.

"Kaneda . . ."

Ryu stared at his young opponent, not sure what the heck the guy was going on about.

"What the heck are you going on about?" he asked, taking the direct approach. Rather than answer him, the caped fighter just started to glare at him hatefully. It was slightly unnerving . . . and were those dust particles starting to float _up _around the spiky haired kid?

"_Kaneda,"_ this time he hissed the name like it was poison. Slowly, the boy began to hunch down slightly, pulling his arms to his chest. Several veins began to form on the boy's massive forehead, pulsating dangerously.

Ryu took an unconscious step back. "Hey! I don't know who the hell this Kaneda guy is . . .," he stated slightly nervous for no logical reason.

If his enemy heard him, he paid absolutely no mind. Instead, the young man straightened out painfully, screaming at the top of his lungs, even as the pavement buckled and shredded around him in an awesome display of power!

"_**KAANEEEDAAAA**_!"

* * *

On a nearby rooftop, Private Kaneda curled up into a fetal position, rocking back and forth in panic.

"Oh, God, it's just like my dream!"

* * *

Half a world away, a diminutive genius jumped up excitedly, pumping a tiny fist into the air.

"**TETSUOOOO**!"

"Oh, shaddup!"

* * *

"_HAAAAAA_!" Thunder howled to the night sky as he unleashed the full fury of the power alongside his brother. They weren't here to prove their skill like their companions, this was a match of pure power, and none possessed more power than Thunder and Lightning!

Pushing out his glowing, rumbling palms with all of his strength, a lance of pure sonic energy exploded from his outstretched hands. Every window in a hundred yards shattered to dust, heralding the horizontal column of thunder given form. It tore through the air, unerringly seeking out the scantily clad female before them.

Side by side with the four foot diameter beam of his energy, his brother's bolt of lightning scorched the air with its passage. The air screamed as it was ionized and vibrated into unrecognizable molecules by the power of their combined attacks, the pavement shattered like glass, then melted _into _glass, the very heavens themselves roared in approval.

Rather than scream in terror and flee, as Thunder expected, the sailor suited girl simply lifted her great halberd before her, parallel with the earth. Just before the attacks reached her, the girl's lips moved in a whisper, her words lost to the din of the thunder.

Then she vanished. The entire world went white for several long moments, as they unleashed the true extent of their elemental powers. Buildings quaked to their very foundations and the city was once more lit up like day as they continued to feed their energy into the strike of annihilation. Finally, after many long moments, they were forced to cease their attack, both of them slumping forward, flushed with sweat and breathing like a bellows.

Revealing the completely unscathed figure of their nemesis. Lingering arcs of gold and azure danced along the edges of an invisible dome that encompassed and protected the girl perfectly. Devastation surrounded the girl on all sides, utter and complete, yet not even a single pebble had been disturbed within the confines of that impenetrable wall . . .

Then, the sailor soldier lifted the glaive up, above her head, its gleaming blade pointed to the heavens. Again, her lips moved, this time her words glided across the perfect silence that was the epilogue of their great attack.

"Silence Glaive Surprise . . .," the words were said in hardly a whisper.

With casual, deliberate ease, the lovely young women then lowered the tip of her long weapon to the ground before her and, almost as an afterthought . . .

She tapped it to the earth.

* * *

Natsume pushed her sister to the side as hard as she could, even as she leapt in the opposite direction. A fraction of a second later, a metallic hand of unbelievable proportions smashed to the ground between them. The pavement buckled and lifted around the edges of the hand, and Natsume used the rising slabs of infrastructure to launch herself into the air and move further away from the armored behemoth and its numerous attempts to swat them like the insignificant gnats they were.

The usually calm and collected sister let out a relieved sigh when she saw her sister mirroring her movements. This battle was nothing like the struggle against the great dragon a week earlier. That creature had been sluggish and clumsy, slow to strike. This beast was a creature of a different color completely . . . in more ways than one. Lanky and graceful, precise and quick . . . Frankly, it would be a miracle if the two of them could actually make it to the massive government buildings only another hundred meters away. Though it was a pitifully short distance, especially to a pair of world weary travelers, at the moment it was the longest stretch of land she had ever remembered seeing.

A moment later, she was at Kurumi's side, running headlong to their destination . . . Then she noticed something odd . . .

The earth had stopped shaking! She turned frantically behind her, to see if the giant had leapt into the air, attempting to crush them under its massive bulk . . . But, that was not the case. She and Kurumi stared in confusion as the skeletal machine sat on its haunches, recovering from its latest attempt to crush them to very small smears. It was very unnerving, as the machine almost appeared to be staring back at them, its horned head bobbing slowly from side to side.

"M-maybe it's tired?" muttered her not quite panicked sister. Natsume was proud of her, being able to maintain her composure against such a fearsome opponent, even if just barely. She couldn't imagine there was another girl in the world Kurumi's age that could boast the same iron will.

It was about then, that Natsume remembered her plan. Why in the name of the Gods were they waiting for it to chase them again? She began to back up, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder and gently pulling her along, though nervously keeping an eye on the great beast.

Then the robotic monstrosity raised its right hand up to the massive pauldron that covered its left shoulder, for what reason she could not fath-

With a hiss, the large piece of armor split in half, revealing a massive handle, which quickly angled itself to be gripped by the monster. The robot did just that, pulling out what appeared to be a small, butterfly knife . . . A small butterfly knife with a blade at least ten feet long! Then, even as the pauldron closed mechanically, the blade began to hum loudly, glowing with an odd, purplish aura for some indiscernible reason.

Really . . . as if the blade itself wasn't enough, did it _really _need to glow as well?

Needless to say, after seeing a giant robot _pull_ a _knife_ on her . . .

The chase was back on in full.

* * *

Ranma watched nervously as Goku slowly floated to the ground, a strangely non-threatening smile on the Saiyan's lips. As soon as the planet smashing alien touched down, he dropped back into a loose fighting stance, raising his fists up before him.

"Well, I guess we better get this over with. Can't have you running around doing whatever it was you were planning on doing," stated the alien in a most amiable manner.

Hmm, he sure didn't _sound _like a bloodthirsty monster. It was strangely reminiscent to when he had faced down Ryouga back in the States, when the boy's memories had been altered. It was like he was actually talking to Goku, and Goku thought _he _was the bad guy. Unfortunately, considering how Brushogun had just made the guy out of street sweepings, the odds of actually snapping the guy out of it seemed pretty slim.

So, an alternative plan began to form in his mind.

Goku shifted his stance, pulling his right fist back and preparing to lash out. Just as the impossibly powerful Saiyan was about to lash out-

"**Wait**!" Ranma shouted at the top of his lungs, "I have to ask you a question!"

Just as he'd hoped, the alien fighter actually stopped, in mid-step. Goku looked at him, confused for a moment, before straightening up and casually running a hand through his spiky locks.

"Umm, sure, I guess. What do you want to know?"

Ranma nearly let out an explosive sigh of relief that _that _had _actually _worked, but swallowed it at the last second. Thankfully, Goku was just as trusting as he was in the manga . . . now to see if he was just as naive. Of course, there was just _one _question he had to ask first . . . just for the set up . . . really. He vainly tried to hide his smile.

"Is my power level . . . _over_ _**nine thousand**_?" He nearly choked on his own laughter as he shouted his question to the heavens.

Goku just looked at him for a moment, the expression on the Saiyan's face just screaming 'Is this guy completely nuts?'. A second later, Goku shook his head in confusion.

"What? _No_! Not even _close_, why would you even ask that?"

The pigtailed warrior snapped a pair of imaginary fingers in his mind. That _would _have been pretty awesome.

"Oh . . . well, ya know, I was just curi - **Oh my God! Chi sucking Androids**" Ranma suddenly shouted out the warning, pointing dramatically behind his opponent. 'Man, that wouldn't even work on Ryouga,' he thought to himself, even as he shouted out the desperate gambit.

"What? Where?" barked his latest companion, spinning around quickly to check for himself.

He didn't even take the time to smirk, as he ran forward and leapt into the air. The pigtailed warrior spun around three times in mid-air, before lashing out with the most powerful spinning jump kick he could muster. His limb crashed into the back of Goku's head with enough force to cave in a reinforced concrete military bunker . . .

A second later, he was back on the ground, hopping on one foot and clutching his throbbing shin nearly to his chest. Damn! He was pretty sure he hadn't shattered it, but . . . but just **damn**! As far as hurting like heck to hit, Goku was as far beyond Mecha-Boi, as Mecha-Boi was beyond Ryouga . . . was beyond a normal human!

Slowly, Goku turned back to face him, absently rubbing a hand to the back of his head, more than likely fixing his hair than tending a wound. There was actually a slightly hurt look on the alien's face as he stared back at him.

"Heeey," Goku nearly whined, "You fight _dirty_."

Yeah, well not _everyone _had world shattering ki blasts to toss around, oh so sorry about that . . . Jackass. Ranma gingerly lowered his stinging leg back to the ground and shrugged his shoulders.

"Can't blame a guy for tryin . . . can ya?"

* * *

Brushogun let out a grunt of annoyance as he felt a shoe repeatedly kick him in the ribs. It didn't hurt him or anything, but it was certainly distracting him from watching the battle vicariously through his minions. Once again, he pulled his consciousness back from his minions, melded the hundred different minds back into one, cohesive whole. It was coming more quickly now, but having just lost his head over it, quite literally, it was a weakness he would have to deal with sooner than later.

Once his brain was back in his head again, or at least that was how it felt, he opened his eyes to glare at his companion. Held tightly in his hand, her feet dangling several feet above the pavement, was Tendo Akane. Unfortunately, his recaptured captive was not politely quivering in fear and begging for her life. Rather, she was shouting obscenities quite loudly and kicking him in the ribs repeatedly. If it weren't for the fact that he was saving her for later, he would have been _sorely, sorely _tempted to turn her inside out.

"Miss Tendo, _please_! We've already been over this. I'm not actually controlling my minions when I am in that state, so distracting me as you are is _not _going to help your friends. All you're doing is ruining my entertainment. Really, how am I supposed to enjoy the deaths of your fiancé and his friends with you _kicking _me all night long?" he asked, clearly exasperated.

She just growled at him. The worst part, was that she was clearly aware that he was only saving her to kill later, so she obviously didn't feel any need to hold back on her rather pointed opinions.

"You expect me to believe that? How could you possibly make four such powerful people and not need to control them every second?" she asked in disbelief.

He rolled his eyes. "Now, really, that hardly matters at the moment. The real question you should be asking is _how_ could I possibly make such powerful minions and not need to control them."

Akane just _stared_ at him. "Ahh . . . I kinda just did there . . . nutjob," the last word was whispered, but he still heard it keenly. It just made him smile all the wider.

"I know, I just love seeing you make that _face_!" He laughed merrily at the shade of red her pretty cheeks took on. "But, seriously, it is a simple thing, really. You see, the secret of my power, which incidentally won't help you in the least," he paused for dramatic effect.

"Is _**source material.**_"

* * *

Ryu tossed the collapsed wall off his body and rolled frantically to the side, just in time to see a ton of steel in the form of an automobile smash into the space he had just been occupying a second earlier. Not wasting the breath to gasp in shock, the Yamasen-ken master dove out of the shattered building and back into the street. Just in time, too, as the gutted shell of the structure suddenly collapsed in on itself, as if a black hole had opened at its center. He ran as fast as he could, even as he stared in awe as several metric tons of the onetime building were compacted down to a sphere several meters in diameter.

"I swear to God! I don't know who this Kaneda guy _even is_!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Gods, he had no idea who Kaneda was, but whoever he was, he had gotten this guy _seriously pissed off_! In the distance, the red caped figure just screamed the name again. The boy then swung back his cape, revealing the oddly metallic arm that had been hidin beneath it earlier. Ryu would have been freaked out by it . . . if it wasn't absolutely the lowest thing on his list of priorities at the moment. The mad psychic lifted the cybernetic limb over his head, this time uprooting three concrete light posts in the process.

Though the kid likely could have moved them with a simple roll of his wrist, instead, the enraged youth swung his arm forward in a furious baseball swing. The multi-ton light fixtures nearly tore themselves apart trying to obey his command, barreling through the air in a psychic imitation of a lumberjacks logjam. There was no way in hell that he could dodge three such massive objects . . .

So he didn't-

"_**Kijin Raishū Dan**_!"

He lashed out in a downward slash with his right hand, followed it with a matching movement from his left hand, then ripped his right hand back up through the air once more. A trio of tears in the fabric of the atmosphere roared to life and curved unerringly through the air to find his targets. The first vacuum blade slashed the leading lamppost neatly in half and sheared a good five feet of the end of the second. The next blade cut a diagonal slash through the second post, off center enough to send both slabs of concrete flying, now completely unbalanced, off harmlessly into nearby buildings. The third blade tore through the first post again and slashed the third column nearly completely length wise, the resistance of his attack slowed the post's flight enough to let him easily avoid it with a simple jump.

A second later, the concrete debris crashed down wildly around him, into the road, the sidewalk and several buildings. However, while his opponent's attack was foiled, his was just getting started!

The trio of blades continued their flights, barely hindered at all by tearing through enough concrete to build a small bridge. The Yamasen-ken master smiled wickedly as he watched his attacks fly true. A look of shock actually appeared on his unimaginably powerful enemy's face. At the last moment, the spiky haired kid threw his hands out before him, as if in a desperate attempt to ward off his attack with his bare hands. Ryu scoffed at the very notion . . .

Except that it actually _worked_!

Even Ryu's keen eyes couldn't see what stopped the vacuum blades. One second they were cutting through the air, the next, they splashed harmlessly over some kind of invisible barrier! Whatever the kid did, it was powerful enough to stop his most powerful attack dead in its tracks . . . almost . . .

Though no normal person would have seen it, heck, he doubted even Saotome could sense such trace amounts, but Ryu saw it clearly . . . it was his chi after all. Where each of his vacuum blades had crashed into the barrier, a ghostly afterimage had traveled through, carrying on for a foot or so before dispersing completely.

In a flash of insight, he realized what had just happened instantly. It was the true secret of the Kijin Raishū Dan, of his vacuum blades. It was possibly the most subtle aspect of the Yamasen-ken and he was certain it was only known to himself and to the fat oaf that had created the technique. It was likely the only reason that Saotome hadn't just copied it himself.

The secret of his vacuum blades, was that even as he used the rapid movement of his hands to create the vacuum, he channeled a small amount of his chi into each blade at the same time. After all, the very nature of a vacuum is to be filled. It was exactly the reason that Ranma's crazy "Demon Straw" technique had worked. If he didn't fill the vacuum blades with something, they would disperse as quickly as he made them.

Which meant one thing.

While the physical aspect of his attack, the razor sharp blade of air, was stopped by the barrier, his chi was actually able to pass through unhindered!

. . . Except . . . he had no idea how that could help him at the moment. Damn! He didn't have an actual chi blast to use, like Saotome. Maybe . . . maybe he could figure something ou-

"_**Kaaneedaaa**_!"

Unfortunately, his little moment of insight had made him waste valuable time he could have been using to getting the _hell _out of the way of his opponent's way.

It started small, hardly even noticeable, really. His cape wearing nemesis swung his arm across his body, aiming his outstretched fingers at one of the buildings off to his side. Though it was so small, Ryu noticed several bricks of the wall begin to collapse inward, being pushed by some invisible force.

"_**RAAUUGGHHHH**_!" The boy screamed in hatred, then swung his arm in a furious arc before him.

Instantly, the entire building he had been pointing at shattered, practically exploded upward! Not just the building, but the sidewalk in front of it and even the floor inside the building; it all didn't just collapse, either! The entire building, the road, all the debris began to float upward! Then, the building next to it exploded as well, following in the wake of the boy's furious gesture. Another building after that erupted into a floating fountain of shrapnel, stone and steel, this one almost right beside Ryu!

Then the destruction continued its arc, tearing into the road, a swath forty feet wide, with him right in the center! Ryu screamed in shock as the pavement tore itself to pieces and erupted up beneath his feet. The next several moments were a true lesson in the meaning of pain, as he was crushed/pummeled/ground to dust by a storm of asphalt and concrete slabs.

After a seeming eternity, he finally collapsed to the ground, half buried under the rubble that had just slammed him about so mercilessly. Absently, through a glazed over eye, he noticed the trail of destruction was still continuing on, tearing into three or four buildings on the other side of the street as well.

Only one thought crossed his mind, even as an unfamiliar shadow came to fill his fading vision.

'Now _that_ is how it's _done_!'

* * *

'Yes!'

They had made it! The massive twin towers of the government building rose up before them. Unfortunately, Natsume and her heavily panting sister didn't have time to celebrate actually arriving at their destination. As one, they leapt forward, nearly horizontally, to evade the deadly humming blade the robotic monstrosity was swinging around. They might have been gnats to this creature, but she knew well just how annoying it could be to actually swat a gnat, let alone knife one.

"Kurumi, start climbing the east tower, I shall climb the west! Don't stop climbing till you reach the top." she ordered her sister. At this point, Kurumi didn't even question her. The younger girl just ran ahead and towards the looming structure before them.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was truly an imposing marvel of engineering. Each tower stood over fifty stories high, though they were connected by an interposing structure for the first thirty or so stories. The top twenty stories of each tower were architectural masterpieces, almost as if someone had gripped the tops of the towers themselves and turned them ninety degrees from the lower levels.

My, but they were tall . . .

Natsume let out a small sigh, they had much climbing to do, it appeared. She had one thing to do first, though. She waited to see Kurumi start climbing the far tower, first, her sister easily cleared the first three stories, before landing on a ledge and launching herself further up. That, at least, was a relief, she should get to a safe distance soon enough.

Comforted by her sister's escape, Natsume turned to face the metal giant that stalked them.

Already, it was showing signs of confusion, as she'd hoped. It seemed torn between attacking her, the closest target, or going after the retreating form of her sister. She decided to make its decision much easier.

"_Haaaaa_!" She let out a war cry as she unleashed a powerful cyclone in the giants direction. The swirling windstorm tore a small trench in the concrete beneath them . . . before dispersing harmlessly against an orange tinted, hexagonal field. . .

What? This thing possessed some form of energy barrier as well? That was just ridiculous!

Slowly, the giant machine turned its horned head to gaze in her direction. Though it was just a soulless machine, she could almost swear it was looking at her _hungrily_. It was more than slightly disturbing. Well, now would be a good time to get back to her plan, before she started to panic and forgot it completely.

She whipped up another cyclone, this one much wider and less tightly concentrated than the last. As she planned, it sucked up all the debris and dust from the ground, forming a momentary smoke screen to cover her flight. As soon as she finished her swing, she was already running for the building.

Behind her, she heard the blade of the knife stab deeply into the ground where she had just been. Oddly, intense vibrations began to run up her legs, even as she ran, it was an . . . odd sensation. She pushed the irrelevant information to the back of her mind and ran. As soon as she reached the massive tower in front of her, she leapt for all she was worth, clearing the first four floors in her desperate bid to escape. As soon as she landed, she leapt again, clearing another three floors.

This time, she was forced to leap desperately to the side, only retaining her balance on the narrow ledge of the seventh floor by sheer willpower alone, as the massive arm of the giant robot dove through the glass and concrete wall of the tower, burying itself up to the elbow! Natsume scrambled to her feet . . .

Just in time to see its other fist flying towards her!

* * *

Lightning tentatively rose up from where he had landed. His breathing was shallow and irregular, almost as if his lungs refused to obey their master any longer. Small beads of perspiration, almost unheard of on his person, formed on his forehead, even as his heart continued its hectic pace in his chest, threatening to burst out at a moment's notice. With what could only be called 'morbid fascination', he gazed at the crater left by the sailor suited girl's attack.

Though, crater hardly seemed apt, it was better described as a _trench_! It was easily one hundred yards long, starting where the tip of their enemy's great weapon so gently rested on the ground and carried on far past them. It was easily twenty meters wide at its middle, tapering to points at both end, and was equally as deep, as if the Earth itself hadn't impeded the blast at the least. In fact, possibly due to the fact they were so close to the bay, the trench was already beginning to fill with water from some unseen source.

But the sheer amount of devastation she had created with absolutely no effort at all, that wasn't the worst . . . No, the most soul crushing aspect of her attempt to end their lives had most definitely been . . .

The _silence_! There hadn't been a sound! Not one! Not as the air was reduced to less then nothing, not as the earth was unmade beneath their feet. If ever he had imagined what it would be like to stare into the abyss, surely watching this slip of a girl deal out oblivion with such casual ease, was it.

Thankfully, he and his brother were not so slow as to be caught, even by such a monstrous attack . . . but it had certainly shaken the avatar of lightning to his very core.

'_Such power_!' Lightning had always believed that his was one of the greatest powers in existence. He had never met any that could match him, not even the Titan that drew her powers from the sun itself, though she had proved to be more than a match for his brother.

But _this _girl . . . she had turned away the full extent of his power as if it were nothing, then returned the favor a hundred-fold! _This_ was _true _power, this was the power that he had always yearned for.

Desperately forcing his body to calm itself, he rose up onto shaky legs. A grim smile began to grow on his thin lips. Though his brother and he might die here, he could not imagine a more worthy opponent to pit his power against. His smile grew wider, and he winked playfully at the scantily clad girl before them, bowing slightly.

"Let the fun begin!"

* * *

Goku casually yawned as he used a single finger to block every single one of his opponent's frantic (but ridiculously slow) punches. The frustrated look on the pigtailed boy's face only increased as he leapt back and started shaking his hands, livid red marks nearly glowing right between the knuckles of both of his fists. Something wasn't quite clicking with the Saiyan warrior, something dancing around the edge of his consciousness that he couldn't quite grasp.

The young man leapt back a good thirty feet . . . not bad for a normal human . . . or was it? He'd been hanging around Krillin and the other Z fighters so long he wasn't too sure anymore. It was odd, the boy _seemed_ to be extremely skilled in the martial arts, but he couldn't even do something as basic as _fly_!

"_Mouko Takabisha_!"

Goku raised an eyebrow at the glowing sphere of chi that came barreling in his direction. Hmm, maybe the kid wasn't as weak as he thought. Odd that he could do a chi blast but not fly, though, _everyone _he knew that could actually do a chi blast could fly. Almost as an afterthought, he swept his hand to the side, knocking the four foot sphere of chi off to the side. It crashed into a nearby building, smashing through the wall spectacularly.

Hmm, well, it had certainly _looked_ nice, but it didn't pack any real power. Man, why was he even fighting this guy again? This kid couldn't have hurt him when he was _half _the kid's age.

Something else was bothering him as well, he wasn't quite feeling up to par himself, not even close to his usual power. It wasn't overly worrying considering who he was up against, but the absence was a bit strange, to say the least. Letting out a sigh, he knocked the double chi blasts that followed away with even less effort than the first.

"Ummm, I don't want to make you feel bad," he started out tentatively, "I mean, you have _great_ form and everything . . . but I _really _don't think that's going to work. Don't you have _any _other moves you could try?" he asked a little hopefully.

The pigtailed boy looked about ready to erupt for a moment, his face going crimson with anger . . . then suddenly he calmed down completely. After a moment, the boy tilted his head curiously, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Ah, yeah . . . actually I do," declared the young man. "It's pretty much my best move, but it only works when my opponent puts out a hot battle aura. I can show it to ya, if ya really want."

Goku thought about that for about a half a second, before his face split with a wide grin. "Hey, that'd be great! You just need me to put out a hot aura?" he asked with great interest.

Hmm, he wondered why this move needed him to put out a hot aura? He'd never really experienced any techniques that actually relied on the opponent doing anything. Pretty much every technique that everyone _he _knew, involved some kind of variation on chi blasts or chi enhancements. This sounded like it would be an interesting demonstration indeed.

The pigtailed boy in front of him nodded eagerly, beginning to smile what could only be described as a half sneaky, half surprised smile. Shrugging casually himself, the Saiyan warrior clenched his fists to his sides and arched his back, bringing his power to bear.

Instantly, a whitish aura exploded around him, actually sending the pigtailed boy stumbling back a few steps. Odd, that, it wasn't even like he was using his super Saiyan transformation . . . not that he was even sure he could in his odd condition. It didn't take too much effort to heat up his aura to a nice, toasty temperature. As soon as he figured he was good, he smiled amiably and nodded to his opponent.

"Is this good enough?" he asked.

Rather than answer, the boy just started jogging slowly to the side. Goku watched the boy, wondering if he was getting ready to run off . . . but instead, the pigtailed fighter started to slowly circle around him. Well, it started out slowly anyway, but sped up quickly as the boy started to run full out around him. He watched this for several revolutions (starting to get a little dizzy) before he noticed something interesting.

His opponent was actually emitting a cold battle aura . . . possibly as a defense to counter his equally hot aura. Hmm, he wondered if the kid was just trying to confuse him or something, before attacking from an odd angle. It wasn't like it would work, but he sure hoped that wasn't it. He really hoped the kid had a good technique hidden up his sleeve somewhere . . . he just couldn't imagine what kind of technique would require so much set up . . .

He started tapping his foot impatiently, as his opponent continued to circle around him, drawing slightly closer with each pass. It went on like that for nearly a whole _minute_, until something finally happened-

The pigtailed youth skidded to a stop right in front of him, panting slightly but with an excited smile on his face.

"Surprise, sucker!"

Then his opponent threw a powerful uppercut, right at his chin!

Goku nearly yawned . . .

"That's the surpri-"

Except the uppercut missed him, by a good foot!

"No! _This is! __**Hiryua Shoten Ha**_!"

Suddenly, Goku's world dissolved into a maelstrom of howling winds, and for the first time that night . . .

He actually felt pain!

* * *

"Um . . . excuse me?"

Brushogun's smile only widened as his captive's confused look only deepened as she tried to decipher his meaning. Brushogun was really beginning to enjoy this expository sequence. Now he could stun her with the dramatic revelation of the true depths of his power!

"I discovered it almost by accident, my dear Akane, and I assure you it was quite the learning process," he began earnestly. This seemed like a good a time as any to explain his plot to one of the heroes, besides, he'd been dying to explain it to someone after he had finally figured it out himself. He still couldn't believe that it had taken him so long to figure out himself.

"When I first became Brushogun, I instinctively created several minions. Since it was not really a conscious act, I simply created vague copies of iconic figures from my youth. These four, including your friendly jailor, Mecha-Boi, were suitably powerful for my needs, so I didn't think anything of where that power came from. After all, I was a demon newly born, so the obvious answer was their power was simply a reflection of my own.

"Of course, your nuisance of a fiancé proved to be too much for them, so I was forced to create a new minion. Deka-Mido, the giant lizard, if you recall. This time, since it was a conscious effort, I spent more effort creating him, molding him more closely to the creature which he was based upon. When he was finally finished, I found he was more powerful than any of my other minions, _all _of my other minions. His power surprised even myself."

He relished the shocked and intrigued look that dwelled upon his captives face. Despite how much she hated him, he _knew _she was captivated with his explanation. Of course, the memory of that particular battle caused his liquid smile to drop into a simmering sneer.

"I'm certain you remember what happened soon after that battle."

An angry nod, causing his smile to make a triumphant return.

"In a way, it was partly due to our conversation that I myself determined the truth. You see, after I left you, I spent an entire _day_ trying to best determine how I would destroy Saotome. I wanted to do something _original_, you see, just as we discussed. However, when I tried to create a creature of my own imagination, one perfectly suited to dispatch your love . . . _it had no power_! Certainly, my beasts looked the part, horrors to freeze the soul . . . but they were empty inside. There was nothing to fuel them, nothing to give them strength . . ."

It had been a harsh realization for him, and painful as well. For an artist to realize that his own work was without merit, without use . . . He could create, but his creations were nothing more than smoke and mirrors, sound and fury, signifying nothing.

"I could not understand it, at first. I could create people, things, monsters, robots and aliens, anything I desired, and it was all real, all just as I imagined they would be . . . but only if I copied them from someone else! My original work, the sleek, elegant killer, designed solely for the purpose of slaughtering your fiancé . . . was completely impotent; yet the silly little caricature of Astroboy that had become Mecha-Boi, it could _tear_ steel and _melt _flesh with the greatest of ease. Anything I created that was a copy, it possessed power, and the closer to the original, the more power it possessed."

Akane nodded slowly, understanding beginning to dawn. "That's why source material is your power . . . but why, it doesn't make any sense."

Brushogun frowned at that. He had thought she was a sharper girl than that, he was almost certain that she would have figured it out by now. Sure, it had taken him a few days, but still, he was practically spelling it out for her.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. My dear, foolish girl. How can you say it doesn't make any sense? It makes perfect sense. You see, when I say that my power is derived from 'source material' I don't mean it in a literal sense. I'm not carrying a stack of manga in my pocket to draw on their power, or anything as silly as that. I am a demon, after all, you really need to look at this from a more esoteric point of view," he chided her teasingly.

The Tendo girl seemed to gaze of into space, contemplating what he had just told her. He had to admit, he certainly hoped she got it soon, he was missing too much of the fight! He might have to actually just tell her, and what fun was that?

"B . . . belief . . .," she muttered quietly to herself.

A smile exploded onto his face, nearly splitting it in half. Finally!

"Exactly! I knew someone so interested in drama and literature as yourself would figure it out! The things I create aren't born from my power, but from the power of peoples' beliefs. If I were to create a samurai right now, it would _be_ a samurai in every way, because people _know _what a samurai is, what a samurai _represents._ A samurai is not just a swordsman, it is an icon, people around the world know what a samurai could and should be able to do."

The wide eyed expression on his companion's face was quite entertaining. It seemed that she was beginning to understand just what kind of predicament that her fiancé was in.

"But wait a moment! Doesn't that mean, that if Ranma realizes that those aren't actually those characters, that they'll lose their power?" she asked, sounding somewhat hopeful.

It was all he could do to hold in his mocking laughter . . . not that he was sure why he did in retrospect. She just didn't understand, yet.

"A thousand years ago, when I was created from the fledgling imaginations of mere mortals, that might have been possible. But you do not _grasp_ the magnitude of my power in this new world! In the old world, I roamed Japan, with only the thoughts and imaginations of a scant few hundred people to sustain me. _Here . . . now_, in this wonderful, digital world, with its satellite television and cable internet, with its global economy and international distribution; heh, heh, heh, the world has become such a small place, but _so very _many people live in it!

"A thousand years ago, I was nothing, a minor demon creating piddling creatures and pathetic men to do my biddings. But, in _this_ world, I am a **God**! Man's imagination has grown so much, his need to entertain himself, swollen beyond belief. No, no, my dear Akane, even if your precious Saotome stopped believing in his enemies all together, there are still _millions_ of people around the globe that still do!" Brushogun laughed madly in his joy. Perhaps now she would begin to understand just how hopeless her fiancé's situation was. Even now, his power was only increasing, as the foolish reporters above broadcast his message, _live_, to the four corners of the globe. Soon, as the entire planet continued to feed his power with their awe and fear, there would be none left with the power to stop him. No one at all.

He closed his eyes once more, and let his vision rise to the heavens once more.

* * *

Kurumi didn't know what to do! She'd done just like her big sister had told her to do. She'd managed to make it all the way to the thirtieth floor before she even bothered to look back down. So it was already far too late for her to do anything when she finally did!

For some reason, the metal beast was relentlessly attacking Natsume. Her sister was unable to even make it past the tenth floor, so busy dodging the monster's wild swings.

The giant robot swung again, it's frighteningly glowing dagger leading the way. It was a wide swing, probably trying to limit her sister's ability to dodge. Fortunately, Natsume proved to be just slightly faster. Her sister leapt nimbly up to the eleventh floor, even as the robot's humongous arm smashed fully into the wall of the tower. Kurumi gawked at the sheer power of the beast, as its swinging limb just continued on, practically unimpeded, before tearing a seventy foot swath out of the front of the tower's face.

Rather frantically, her sister began to sprint for the far end of the tower, easily keeping balance on the narrow ledge that would scarcely have provided a toehold for any normal person. A moment later, she lost sight of her sister, as Natsume slipped around the corner. The beast followed soon after, though, swinging wildly to catch her.

Kurumi chewed on the end of her ribbon in worry, even as she used her free hand to brace herself as the entire building shuddered under another blow from the metal giant. Why didn't her sister just jump up and climb to a higher level? That was the whole point of this plan, wasn't it? To get out of its reach by climbing to the top of this really tall building?

The building shuddered again, even more fiercely this time. It was obvious that this huge, ugly monster didn't care what it destroyed, as long as it got them. Once again, she wished they had got to fight the other girl instead. She felt so _helpless_ fighting this giant robot, didn't even have a clue how she could scratch it, let alone beat it. If only she could be as calm and confident as her sister, instead of sniffling into her ribbon as she watched her sister vainly run for her life-

Speak of the devil! Her sister just reappeared around the corner. There was no way that she could see her face from nearly twenty stories away, but she could practically feel the nervous energy boiling off of her elder sister. Natsume was running along the twelfth floor this time, since most of the three floors below that were completely destroyed by the monster's wild swings by now.

Why wasn't she fleeing to a higher, safer floor now? Kurumi didn't understand! A few seconds later, she was shocked as a massive purple hand suddenly exploded out through the wall of the twelfth floor, wiping out pretty much everything from the corner to halfway through the face of the tower. Hundreds of chairs and desks and rubbish bins, and one or two Xerox machines, all were swept out into a freefall. The rain of office supplies tumbled down in a waterfall of insurance claims to the ground below. A moment later, the monster appeared, still buried up to its shoulder in the tower.

Kurumi couldn't take it anymore. Cupping her hands to the sides of her mouth, she shouted as loud as she could.

"**Big Sister, get out of there**!"

Why wasn't she getting out of there? Not that there was any possible way that Natsume could hear her, between the distance and the devastation . . .

Except, that she did!

For just a moment, Natsume caught her eyes and their gazes locked . . . just for a moment. But it was long enough, in that instant, though she had no idea how, she suddenly understood perfectly! She _knew_ what her sister's plan was! She _**knew**_! And all it did was make her want to scream out again!

So she did . . . but her words were completely drowned out as the world was suddenly engulfed by the sound of hundreds of thousands of tons of steel and concrete **groaning**! Kurumi lashed out without even thinking, burying her hand into the concrete wall behind her. It was the only thing that stopped her from falling, as suddenly the entire building shifted wildly under her feet.

She watched her sister in horror, screaming at the top of her lungs, but not even able to hear herself. Though there was no way she should have been able to see it from where she was, she saw the resigned smile on Natsume's face as she looked back up at her.

Then the entire west tower tipped dangerously to the side! The giant robot was pinned instantly, as forty stories of office building suddenly dropped down onto its arm. It tried desperately to pull itself free, but then, in a hellish storm of expanding dust and debris, the entire west tower began to collapse down on its head. Kurumi lost sight of her sister instantly, as the tower tore angrily away from the connecting structure between the two towers. The rumbling and shaking of the far tower collapsing and freeing itself from the bonds of its twin very nearly dislodged her from her thirty story perch a dozen times in thirty seconds.

Somehow, she held on, though, watching every second of the collapse. Everything below the fifteenth story vanished into the expanding cloud of dust and shrapnel. The forty stories collapsed in on themselves like a huge accordion, forty becoming thirty, then twenty, forming a literal mountain of rubble and destruction on the west side of the building.

Finally, after a seeming eternity . . . it was finished. Miraculously, the tower on which she was clinging desperately, was more or less unharmed. The connecting structure that had run between the two towers was half buried and subsumed by the collapsed remains of the west tower. And where that tower had once stood so proudly, now a twenty story mountain of devastation existed. The destruction had also spread out to consume a somewhat smaller sky scraper that had been directly adjacent to the towering towers.

None of that mattered in the slightest . . .

Forgetting about safety completely, she started to scale down the tower as quickly as she could. As soon as she made it to the connecting structure, she jumped recklessly onto its roof and scurried across to the remains of the other tower. Several long minutes and a lot of leaping around finally brought her to the top of the mountain that was the ruined remains of a once proud tower.

She looked around for several moments, at a total loss about what to do. As much as she hated to think it . . . she couldn't imagine any way that her sister could have gotten out of there before the tower collapsed . . .

Tears sprang to her eyes, unbidden, and she did nothing to hide them.

"N . . . natsume . . .," she called out uncertainly.

It was silly, really, impossible even . . . but she could hardly care about something like that right then.

"_Natsume!_" she cried again.

Frantically, she leapt to a lower pile of rubble and started tossing slabs of concrete twice her size to the side, searching for any sign of her sister.

"_Sister, where are you?_"

She leapt again, dislodging more pieces of debris only to begin digging elsewhere. She didn't even notice as a jagged piece of shattered glass cut into her palm, spraying her blood all over the place. She hardly even cared when she slipped on an unstable piece of concrete and rolled twenty feet before catching herself. All she did was get up again, ignoring the scraps and bruises that were already forming under her ruined uniform.

"**Natsume**!"

Movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her instantly. There! A hundred yards away, a pile of rubble was shifting! Sure, it could have just been the building settling . . . but she just _knew_ it was her! There was no way that her sister would die as easily as all that!

Faster than she had ever moved before, she nearly flew through the distance and dug her raw and bleeding hands back into the filthy debris and started to dig her sister out.

"Natsume! Don't worry, I'm here!"

She rolled another piece of rubble off to the side, letting it roll merrily down the mountain side. Again, the rubble shifted before her, making her heart beat faster in her chest.

"I'm almost there, don't give up, sister!" she called out again. Not that she had to worry about that, her sister never gave up!

More pieces of the collapsed building went flying as she dug desperately towards her sister. A chair, a desk, more pieces of shattered glass and what appeared to be a coffee maker, all tossed aside without even a second thought!

Yes! She finally saw something! Something that didn't look like more debris! She reached forward again, to grab the next piece of rubble-

"What? That's impos-"

She never got to finish her sentence, as the giant purple hand exploded out of the rubble.

* * *

Sailor Saturn looked up once more, a tiny frown adorning her lips.

Hanging in the air above her, were the two Youma, still alive and even smiling mockingly at her. All around her was complete devastation. Buildings were destroyed, by both herself and her enemies. Several ships out in the bay were sinking and a number of warehouses were merrily burning bonfires in a testament to the lightning Youma's power.

It wasn't that she was at all worried. As tenacious as these two beings were, they simply lacked the power to harm her. The same could not be said of their surroundings, though, or any of the other innocents that populated this city. She had to admit they were both very quick, using both their speed and distance to avoid her attacks. But that wasn't what was bothering her either.

It was the fact that they were _enjoying _this.

The smaller one especially, the smile on his face was almost frightening in its intensity. She had thought she had demoralized them instantly with her first attack, considering how shaken up both of them had been. Especially considering she had turned aside their combined power with no real effort. Except she hadn't . . . rather than panic and flee, making it easier for her to finish them off, they had begun attacking her again almost immediately. Instead of trying to overwhelm her, they were probing her defenses now, flying circles around her and launching attacks at her from every possible angle.

Again, it was nothing to worry about, her Silence Wall protected her perfectly, but their persistence was troublesome. If only the other scouts were here as well! She was sure they would be able to pin these two troublesome Youma down easily if there were more than just her present.

She stopped suddenly, an alien thought implanting itself directly to the core of her being.

. . . Yes . . . that made sense. If she couldn't destroy them with her Silence Glaive Surprise, she would simply have to use something more powerful, something they couldn't dodge.

A silly smile formed on her lips. Why hadn't she thought of that before? It made perfect sense, really. She couldn't let these two monsters harm anymore innocent people, she _had _to stop them here and now.

Another blast of thunder skipped harmlessly off her indestructible wall. She didn't even pay it the slightest heed. Smiling wider now, proud of her ingenious thinking, she raised her Glaive high above her.

She began to twirl in place, the blade of her weapon glowing with a brilliant purple light as she did. On her first spin, she noticed her opponents stop in mid-flight and stare at her uncertainly.

"Death . . .," she whispered quietly.

She twirled around again, the weapon's glow increasing several fold. In the distance, she could see thousands of purple ribbons winding through the air, flying towards her, filling the air with their elegant beauty. On her second rotation, she noticed to two Youma leaning towards each other, likely discussing what was happening. It hardly mattered, the fight would be over soon, it would _all _be over soon.

"_Reborn_. . .," she called out with more force.

She spun around one last time, bringing her weapon back slightly as she prepared to slam it back to the earth with all of the power of the _Silence_ behind it. There would be no avoiding this, and then there would be nothing at all. All around her, the ribbons drew closer, within seconds they would reach her, and then she would finish it all.

On her third spin . . . she didn't see the two Youma at all. They were obviously trying to flee, they didn't know how hopeless their cause was.

"_**Revolution**_!"

And then _everything . . ._

_Went . . ._

_White._


	17. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Chapter 9

Dark Titans – Arc 2 - Big Trouble in Little Tokyo

Chapter Nine

Enjoy if you Will, Tolerate if you Won't.

* * *

It was the H.I.V.E. Academy all over again!

The raging dragon of the Hiryua Shoten Ha soared triumphantly into the night's sky, restrained by no such feeble human concepts as physics, gravity, or reason. It was a vivid flashback to that fateful night, no, almost a nightmare of a past life. His ultimate attack once again blossoming beyond any possibility of control, there were only two differences this time: this tornado was glowing a pale blue . . . and this tornado was forming right in the heart of downtown Tokyo!

The howling winds at the base of the cyclone tore into buildings on both sides of the streets, first one business complex, then three, and then five . . . all doubled! It was already wider than the Jump City cyclone, and that one was being fed by the power of _three_ exceptionally powerful chi adepts (or whatever Starfire counted as). This one was only being fed by his opponent's power! Hell, he'd leapt back out of the killing zone as soon as he'd landed the finishing move.

Strangely, as he desperately clung to a groaning lamp post over two blocks away, he'd been expecting a little more.

In the sky above him, the four news helicopters that had decided to follow his little battle were desperately trying to avoid the twisting, undulating column of eerily glowing wind. Two of the machines nearly collided head on, as the wildly powerful winds created by the Hiryu Shoten Ha made flying in any kind of controlled manner nearly impossible. One of the smarter pilots, in a white chopper, looked like he was trying to land on a rooftop further out.

Then, without warning, the base of the massive wind funnel suddenly doubled in size, bulging out obscenely. Blinding rays of blue tinted light cut through the walls of the tornado, suddenly, hinting at the maelstrom that his self-made maelstrom was now struggling to contain. The pigtailed fighter could only watch in awe as the twisting winds of the Hiryu Shoten Ha desperately battled to hold in the power of the Saiyan. He'd never seen _anything _like it in his life!

And then the Hiryu Shoten Ha _exploded_! It started at the base, the foundation of the towering tornado burst open in an orgy of destruction and property damage. Like any structure, the loss of its base caused a chain reaction, traveling up the entire length of the cyclone; first it swelled obscenely for a moment, as if some angry god was sucking some oversized morsel up a straw, then burst apart in a flash of cerulean light!

Everything after that was obscured by massive clouds of dust and debris, both from the explosion itself and from the contents of the dragon's stomach raining back down to the Earth. Slowly, Ranma lowered himself back to the ground, watching the massive clouds of dust nervously. _Everyone _knew what it meant when there was a giant dust cloud in Dragon Ball. No matter how insane the attack, or how powerful the fighter, or how impossible it was . . . if there was a dust cloud there . . .

It meant that his opponent was gonna be standing there when it finally cleared.

It started slowly, as the powerful downdraft provided by the circling helicopters began to displace the polluted air. If it weren't for the fact that it had been _his _attack, he'd say that the dust cloud was being intentionally overly dramatic.

So he leaned his back against the lamp post, taking a moment to clear his mind and catch his breath. He was pretty sure that Goku wasn't the type of guy to ruin a perfectly good dramatic reveal by rushing out to attack, so that meant he had a minute or two to recover. Idly, Ranma looked down, an odd sensation drawing his attention. What he saw puzzled him slightly . . .

His hands were shaking . . .

Whether from exhaustion, terror, or excitement, he just couldn't tell anymore. To be perfectly honest, his fight hadn't been at all taxing yet, just completely ineffectual, but he felt more emotionally drained than he could remember. Damn, he knew what it was: he was psyching himself out! The damn Saiyan hadn't even lifted a finger against him yet, either. It was embarrassing!

He gripped his thighs tightly, willing his fingers to stop trembling, forcing his breathing to slow down. He just had to remember that this wasn't the real Goku. By definition it couldn't be, because Goku was a fictional character. Sure, he was super strong and fast and powerful . . . but none of that mattered, right? As long as it wasn't really _Goku_. Whatever it was he was fighting, it was a creation, a copy, a cheap knock off. He had no idea how the hell Brushogun had done it, but that didn't matter either.

The heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling took one last, calming breath, before pushing himself to his full height. He wasn't going to lose here, not to a copy and not when Akane was counting on him. Placing one foot in front of the other, he began to walk back to ground zero.

Before him, the dust cloud was finally blown away. As he'd fully expected, it revealed the form of Goku, hunched forward slightly, shirt torn and hair mussed, but looking not much the worse for wear. As if he'd been waiting for the dust to clear before reacting, Goku finally straightened to his full height as well. Amazingly, though it looked like the Saiyan warrior had actually felt that attack, there was a wide smile on his face.

Actually, it wasn't really that surprising; Saiyans were masochistic freaks after all.

Nice to know that he'd amused the guy at least. Man, where was Ukyou when you needed someone called a Jackass? Well, he wasn't an idiot, he knew he wouldn't be able to beat his enemy as things stood, but that's why he was a martial arts genius, he'd just have to think outside the box.

"Well, let's get this over with," he stated loudly when he finally got within a dozen yards. He then stood his ground, planting his fists on his hips.

The alien fighter looked at him oddly for a moment, before shrugging it off. "Alight then, if that's what you want." Goku then dropped down into a low, familiar stance. His opponent slowly brought both hands up to his right side, cupping them tightly as if he were holding a small melon.

"Kame . . ."

A tiny speck of light formed directly between the palms of his cupped hands. Almost immediately, a gentle wind blasted outward, away from Goku, sweeping dust and small pieces of asphalt with it.

Ranma held his ground, staring seriously at the would-be-Goku, even as the weak wind tousled his hair.

"Hame . . ."

The speck suddenly expanded into a glowing blue sphere that filled the Saiyan's hands completely. The swirling orb of ki danced merrily, ghostly arcs of spiritual energy making it look very much like a cerulean sun surrounded by solar flares.

Ranma held his ground, though a single drop of sweat trickled down the side of his face . . .

". . . H-"

"**Stop**!"

Ranma smirked inwardly as the distraction technique of the Yamasen-ken worked perfectly . . . um, not that he would ever use the Yamasen-ken . . . what with his father never technically unsealing it or giving him permission to use it or anything . . . yeah.

Goku nearly choked on the final syllable of his attack, arms half extended, even the orb of ki had stopped swirling, as if it were shocked as well. The Saiyan actually glared at him from across the way.

"_Would you quit doing that_? What could you possibly want now? You've proved you're actually a minor threat, what more do you want?" asked the incredibly frustrated alien.

There was not a trace of humor in Ranma's voice when he answered this time. He glared right back at his opponent, a disappointed look in his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Goku actually looked taken aback by his rather frank question, straightening slightly. Half confused, half abashed, the Saiyan looked around haltingly. "Um . . . well, we're kind of enemies here, sooo, I thought I'd just blast you and get this over with, just like you said . . ."

Ranma's harsh stare only intensified.

"So you're a murderer then, is that what yer sayin'?" he asked pointedly.

This time, Goku glared back.

"Hey now! We're enemies, you just tried to kill me, too."

The Saotome heir grunted loudly.

"I'm not talkin' bout me, genius! I'm talkin' 'bout all the people _behind _me!" He gestured grandly to the vast city that stood at his back.

His enemy didn't quite seem to understand his point, considering his eloquent response.

"Hunh?"

"Just what the heck do ya think would happen if you fired that chi attack at me?" he asked in all seriousness.

Goku shrugged slightly. "Well, you'd probably try to dodge it, but you'd fail. It'd hit you and the fight would be over. That is what we're doing here, isn't it?"

This time, Ranma rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Yer jokin', right? _You _told me how _weak_ I am," he struggled mightily to spit out the word 'weak', "If you fired that thing off in my direction, it'd blast me to atoms without even _missing a beat_! Then where do ya think it would go? It'd tear through this city like tissue paper, and the city beyond that and the one beyond that. This island is one of the most densely populated places on the planet; _do you have any idea how many million people you'd kill_?"

And that didn't even count the possibility that Goku could be facing the mainland. What if the Kamehame Ha cut across the Sea and landed somewhere in China? Even if this Goku was at one percent of his full power, that just dropped him from a planet smasher to a city smasher. Gods, how the hell did Brushogun pull this off?

With surprising swiftness, the Kamehame Ha sphere dispersed into a harmless cloud of colored chi. It appeared his words had had a rather impressive impact. Goku suddenly began looking around, as if only just seeing the world around him that very moment. A horrified expression began to settle on the Saiyan's face, like watching a glacier flow down a mountain.

"My God . . . y-you're right . . . What was I _thinking_, why didn't I _see_ that?" The noble alien looked at his hands, likely unable to recognize the trembling collection of digits that hung in the air before his face. Goku then looked up, staring at him in incomprehension. "Why would I even use that on you? It was completely unnecessary, I mean, you're so _unbelievably _weak . . ."

Ranma winced (and hard) at that, but tried to remember the source. "Exactly, don't ya think that there's something a little _weird_ with this whole situation? Don't you think it's a bit _odd_ that _you_ would need to come here personally to stop someone as weak as me? I mean, _you've_ already destroyed more of the city by just standing there, then I could going full out for a _week_."

Okay, so technically, it had been _him_ that had destroyed the city, but there was no way he could have gotten the Hiryua Shoten Ha that big without hooking it up to a nuclear reactor . . . So, in his book, that definitely made it Goku's fault.

His befuddled opponent gazed back at him, gingerly rubbing a hand through his overly spiky anime hair. Unfortunately, Ranma wouldn't get to hear whatever the repentant looking alien was going to say-

Because a massive bolt of _lightning _suddenly crashed into Goku's chest, blasting him bodily back down the street!

Ranma nearly choked on his own tongue in shock! He spun around, glaring _balefully _at the pair of colorful youths that alighted on the ground behind him. Lightning turned to face his larger brother, Thunder. "A magnificent shot, do you not think, brother?"

Thunder just nodded, smiling happily. "Indeed, my brother. It appears that we have arrived just in time as well."

The master martial artist heard his knuckles pop in rapid succession as he curled his fingers into pale white fists. He could only watch morbidly as the two idiots patted each other on the back over a job well done.

"**What are you idiots doing**?"

His companion's looked at him oddly, obviously confused by his rather less than cordial salutation. Thunder stepped forward, a little tentatively.

"We have come to help you. Yours was the only battle we could quickly identify after we dealt with our opponent, so we made great haste to render our assistance to you."

Ranma refrained from growling audibly, there was no way that they could have known what he was trying to do. Of course, that didn't change the fact that they were completely boned now . . . With resigned dignity, he turned back down the street . . . to where Goku was regaining his feet.

The Saiyan no longer looked nearly as sympathetic or apologetic for his actions.

A sigh escaped the pigtailed boy's weathered lips. It was the story of his life, and all of the _helpful_ people in it . . . one step forward, two steps back. He'd have to make sure that, in the highly unlikely event they actually survived the night, that he explained to his _saviors_ just how _appreciative _he was for their help.

" . . . so gonna kill those guys . . ."

* * *

Akane was far too shocked to continue the verbal sparring with her vile captor. All around her, the sounds of battle had been raging for untold minutes. To the Far East, the sky was being lit with flashes of lightning and even from the distance (three steamboats by her count) the thunder that followed each stroke had still rattled her bones. Somewhere behind her, much closer, the sound of mass demolition filled the air, great plumes of debris and dust filling the air as it sounded like complete buildings were being torn apart. Off to the west, a familiar tornado surged into the sky, larger than any she had ever seen before, only to burst open in a brilliant flash of cerulean light. Most telling, though, was the sight that had occurred right before her eyes, the impossible sight of half of the Metropolitan Government Building collapsing into a mountain of rubble!

What in the world was happening out there?

She refused to give her captor the satisfaction of asking just what the hell was going on. He had long since vanished into whatever trance allowed him to watch all the battles simultaneously, and she had no real desire to speak to him further . . .

At least until Ryu suddenly arrived . . .

Or, more to the point, until Ryu was dropped before the feet of Brushogun by Tetsuo, like a cat presenting its kill to its master. She was still being held above the ground, unable to do anything, but even from her position, she could tell the young man was still breathing. Thank the gods for small miracles and all that. Unfortunately, he was in no condition to be doing any rescuing that was certain.

Several tense minutes later, the earth started to tremble as Unit One returned from digging itself out of the collapsed tower. Sadly, her sister's clever plan had been completely futile. If they were lucky, though, they could have escaped while it had been buried. There was no way that Akane could tell what had happened after the robot had started to smash the tower, as the debris instantly obfuscated the battleground.

Surprisingly, of his own accord, Brushogun slipped out of his trance, blinking rapidly for several moments. It seemed that her would be executioner was eagerly awaiting the approach of the giant purple mecha. Speaking of which, something had been confusing her . . .

"Hey. How did you get such a spineless wimp as Shinji to attack two defenseless young girls? I mean, Tetsuo I can understand completely, but Shinji?"

Brushogun just shrugged, jostling her slightly. Then, without even glancing her way, answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Dummy plug."

The youngest of the true Tendo sisters blinked . . . twice. Ahhh, well, that explained everything.

Then Unit One was before them. It dropped to a titanic knee, as if bowing to its miniscule master. It was a very odd scene for Akane to take in, which was saying a lot considering her life up to that point. She felt herself holding in a breath, as she desperately hoped that Natsume and Kurumi had, indeed, escaped. Her hope began to die quickly, though, as the metallic beast slowly lowered a loose fist down to the ground before them. It then unfurled the great fist, revealing the two figures that were contained within.

Akane let out an anguished gasp!

It was worse than she had imagined. Natsume and Kurumi were both there, but there was so much blood that she couldn't imagine they were still alive! Both girls looked like they were on the ground floor when the tower had collapsed; they were so covered with filth, bruises and blood. It was a minor miracle that their clothes still preserved even a shred of modesty, having been nearly shredded in the ordeal.

Her tears didn't even register until they dripped wetly onto her hands, which were tightly clasped over her mouth in shock. It couldn't be, they couldn't have all come this far just to . . . just to . . .

"Don't worry, my dear. They aren't dead . . . yet," stated her malicious companion. She turned to stare at him, confusion on her face. He rolled his eyes in amusement. "Don't go getting any silly notions, little girl. I'm not sparing your friends, merely collecting them for the grand finale. Once your loving fiancé arrives, then we can finally bring this story to its proper close."

Brushogun then looked to the west, in the general direction of where the tornado had surged to life and died with equal ferocity just minutes earlier. A far away look entered the demon's eyes for a moment, before he turned to regard her once more. The vitriolic smile that graced the demon's slick skull only widened.

"Yes, it's only a matter of time now, the final three will be joining us shortly."

* * *

Goku backhanded his pigtailed opponent, launching the boy thirty feet through the air to smash through a concrete building front. Without missing a beat, he then ducked under a blue beam of coherent sound and spun, quickly lifting his leg into the air to land a heel kick to the shoulder of the pale haired boy that was trying to sneak up behind him. The kick landed home with enough force to nearly bury the poor guy in the pavement, thankfully the little guy was tougher than he looked.

The Saiyan warrior then leapt into the air and pointed a single finger at the large youth that had kept his distance. The blue tinted boy cupped both of his hands at his side in a very familiar pose, a sphere of energy gathering between the palms. Hmm, interesting, that. Deciding to be a little sporting, he let the kid actually fire off the blast.

Another lance of azure light filled the air, arrowing straight in his direction. Hmm, the blue guy didn't yell out an attack or anything. Shrugging at the small details, Goku simply gathered a tiny bit of energy at the tip of his finger and fired it back at his armored opponent.

In an unimpressive display, rather than meet the brilliantly glowing azure beam head on, and erupt into an epic struggle of sheer willpower, his beam drilled straight down the entire length of his enemy's attack without even slowing. The young man barely had time to dive to the side as the pencil thin ray of cerulean energy shredded his entire attack and nearly lanced straight through his torso. As it was, the boy landed roughly on his side, breaths coming in ragged gasps and his eyes wide with shock.

The fight (if you could even call it that) had only been going on for about a minute, but Goku was starting to get that strange feeling again that something wasn't right. He berated himself, now, for letting someone actually get the drop on him in such an embarrassing manner. However, he also had to admit that, while the pale kid's ki attack had been much more powerful than the pigtailed kid's, it still wasn't anything for him to actually be worried about.

So, why was he fighting these people again?

He landed gently on the ground, then casually slid his right foot back, angling his body out of the way of a flying kick. A backhand was launched at him even before the kick had missed, which he easily leaned back to avoid as well. Then the red shirted youth's toe touched the ground, which seemed to be more than enough contact for the boy to suddenly corkscrew in midair and launch an awkwardly angled kick that the Saiyan was actually forced to jump back to avoid.

A second later, the younger martial artist was in his face again, launching not just lightning fast punches, but a brilliantly strung together series of attacks that would have been all but impossible for Goku to follow if he weren't so much faster. The sheer variety of attacks was staggering, and the boy used feints within feints within feints. There were actually several times that he nearly fell into one of his opponent's traps, despite outclassing him completely.

Then they both broke off, as another bolt of thunder tore through the air where they had both been standing a second earlier. He nearly chuckled at how his opponent had very nearly corralled him into a perfectly set up sneak attack. The boy wasn't just trying to beat him up; he was actually trying to manufacture openings for his allies to attack at the same time. It was really quite impressive, showing not only remarkable skill, but also a keen mind for tactics and strategy.

He felt a small smile quirk up the corner of his mouth.

He wished that he had met this kid twenty years ago! How differently would this fight be unfolding then? Or even better, if this kid had been a Saiyan himself! The idea of someone so skilled with that kind of power? It actually sent a tingle down his spine.

Oop, he noticed that he was blocking the pigtailed boy's attacks by instinct alone while he'd been thinking. Off to the side, the larger youth was pulling the pale skinned boy out of the crater he'd been buried in. The lightning haired kid was actually still conscious, pretty impressive, and shaking his head furiously. It looked like they'd all be back in the fight soon.

An angry snarl brought his attention back to his current opponent. Judging by the look on the kid's face, he'd realized that Goku hadn't been paying him much attention lately. His blocking was rather haphazard and now that he was focusing on his fight again, he noticed that a few of his enemy's attacks had actually landed home . . . not that they'd actually hurt or anything, but it was still impressive. Still smiling weakly, he nodded to the pigtailed youth.

"I must admit, you are better than me," he cheerfully admitted to his young enemy.

He was completely shocked, however, when instead of chuckling or making some kind of witty banter, the pigtailed boy let out an inarticulate howl of rage! The inarticulate howl was followed by a most articulate one.

"**Mouko Takabisha**!"

Goku crossed his arms as the point blank chi blast washed over him and pushed him back several feet. Before the wash of chi even subsided, a fist was already tearing through it, middle knuckle extended and leading the way directly for his eye! The Saiyan warrior actually let out an undignified squeak as the vicious attack nearly rammed into his eye socket. Not that it actually would have hurt, but, man, it was still a shock!

"**Shut up**!" yelled the pigtailed warrior furiously. "I'm **through** playing with you! I don't care if you _are_ freakin' Goku!" The boy resumed his attack, a pale golden aura beginning to form around him. "Your _master_ has my _fiancée_ and if I don't get back there, he's gonna **kill her**!" his voice cracked painfully at the admission.

The Saiyan's eyes shot wide open at that. Suddenly he found himself backpedaling from the furious assault, more out of shock than fear. What had the kid meant by that? Why was this situation so familiar? He looked around at the three children that were surrounding him now. The pale youth, staggering weakly and cradling his right arm after Goku's kick, but still standing, still determined to defeat him. The larger boy, keeping a worried eye on his companion, but also circling around for an angle of attack. The look on his face seemed to say that he knew this was a fight that they couldn't win, and yet they continued to struggle.

That _wasn't_ what villains did!

And the pigtailed boy before him, pain etched onto his features, both physical and emotional. The boy _knew _who he was, knew _what_ he was. This boy knew that he had absolutely _no_ chance at victory, but still came at him with everything he had.

"But-"

"I'm not gonna let Akane down! I don't care if you're stronger than me! I don't care if you're a _thousand _times stronger, a **million **times stronger! I _won't let you __**win**_!"

Something odd was happening to the pigtailed warrior's aura . . . it was getting . . . _heavier_ . . .

"If I lose here, then Akane'll die . . . Natsume and Kurumi are probably already dead, Ryu too . . ." The kid suddenly stopped his attack, mumbling quietly, almost to himself. "There's no way I _can _win . . . I'll die here and everyone in the city will die because I was so _weak_, so _pathetic_ . . ."

Goku stood perfectly still, looking oddly at his enemy. What was going on? Where had all the guy's spirit gone? It was like he'd just given up, just accepted his fate. It seemed so unlike the boy . . .

And his aura was getting even stranger, the very flavor of it seemed to be changing, becoming . . . less palatable. There seemed to be some kind of buildup of chi, but it didn't seem like an attack of any kind, the boy wasn't focusing it at all, just kind of stewing in his own juices. The boy was looking at his own hands now, a deeply melancholy expression on his face.

"I-I'll never get the chance to tell her . . ."

Suddenly the weight of the boy's chi seemed to double instantly. How was he doing that? What was he doing, for that matter?

. . . Spiraling . . . that's what it reminded him of! It was like the boy's chi was spiraling downward, but that didn't really make any sense whatsoever.

More importantly, why did this young villain seem to believe that he, and all the people of the city, would die if he lost this fight? Why was he so determined to fight even though he knew he couldn't win? What possible reason could he have to do something so incredibly _dumb_?

In an instant, everything clicked! Almost as if someone had turned a tumbler in his mind, he suddenly knew exactly what was going on. It was the most obvious thing in the world, something that _he _personally had had several lifetimes of experience with. He would have laughed if it weren't for the suicidal depression that his opponent seemed to have fallen into! There was only one reason that people would continually and relentlessly attempt to do something that seemed so crazy, insane, or just plain stupid . . .

Because it's the right thing to do.

It all made sense now, except that it didn't make sense at all. _He_ was the villain here; the _boy _was the hero, desperately fighting to save his friends and his fiancée. It didn't make any sense, but he'd been in the boy's situation so often that it was impossible for him to miss it. Heck, how had he missed it up to that point to begin with? He'd so obviously out powered the boy since the very start of the fight, why had it taken him so long to realize that something was so fundamentally wrong here?

He continued to watch the pigtailed warrior. The young man had continued to mutter to himself, but Goku couldn't make out hardly anything that he was saying now. Whatever it was, the boy looked practically ready to end it all. Well, it was time to put a stop to this, there was no way that Son Goku was going to be the villain in _anyone's _story!

"Perfect S-"

"_Wait!_"

Goku smiled as his unexpected shout seemed to snap the boy out of the trance he had been in. The pigtailed boy looked up at him, half surprised, half angry as all heck.

"_What_?" barked the boy irately.

The alien warrior just smiled, his first genuine smile of the night.

"I surrender."

* * *

"I surrender."

It was said like it was the simplest thing in the world to understand.

Except that it wasn't! What the heck? Ranma felt his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets and his jaw practically unhinged itself in shock as he stared at the alien fighter. Fortunately, if there was one thing that Saotome Ranma was good at, it was adapting to his situation. So, he did the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh, thank the _gods_!" He dropped down to his haunches, breathing in huge gulps of air.

Thank the gods indeed! There was no way that he'd actually wanted to go through with that. He couldn't actually believe that he'd been desperate enough to even try it, but, considering what he was up against, it was the only thing he could think of that made any sense at all. Genius or not, he didn't have any experience at all even attempting the powerful technique and it likely would have backfired pretty spectacularly this first time . . .

"Wait a second! Why the heck are you surrendering?" he asked from his crouched position.

Goku just shrugged.

"Bad guys aren't usually known for their selflessness, and good guys don't usually attack people that are a lot weaker than themselves. I don't know what's going on, but it sure as heck seems like I'm in the wrong here."

Ranma considered that for a moment, before standing back up again. Suddenly a smile bloomed on his face. "Heh, you could be right. Of course, the only way to be sure is to go and ask Brushogun, just to make sure, ya know."

The spiky haired Z-fighter nodded, smiling agreeably. "I think you're right. Follow me, I think it's about time that I gave my two weeks notice." Suddenly the smile vanished, replaced by a deadly serious expression.

With that, Goku turned and started walking back the way they came.

The Saotome Heir just shrugged as well. Then he quickly wandered over to the very confused pair of elementals. They stared at him, questions on their faces, as he strolled over. Again, he simply shrugged.

"C'mon, guys, let's go get that bastard."

Thunder and Lightning stared at him oddly for a moment, turned to regard each other for a moment, then turned back to face him again. Then they both shrugged as well.

"Very well . . ."

"Let us be _off_!"

With that, the three of them started following Goku, walking and limping to various degrees. One last thought crossed Ranma's mind, though, before they got too far. Slowly, he turned to face his companions.

"So, who'd you guys fight, and how'd ya beat em?" he asked curiously.

Thunder looked to his brother quickly. Lightning nodded almost imperceptibly, continuing to walk forward. Thunder nodded slightly at the gesture, then turned back to him.

"We battled the oddly dressed young girl . . . as for how we prevailed . . ." For some reason, his noble companion wore a hint of blush on his already dark cheeks . . .

"It went something like this . . ."

* * *

_Another blast of thunder skipped harmlessly off of the Sailor girl's indestructible wall. She didn't even pay it the slightest heed. Not that that surprised Thunder in the least. Their opponent's defense had proved to be all but impenetrable to their power. If it weren't for the fact that her attacks were rather slow and predictable (despite being unbelievably massive!) he and his brother, both, would have been dead long ago. Something was different this time, though. Even from the distance, he could see a small smile form on the young woman's perfect lips . . . it was not a smile which instilled him with great confidence. She then raised her Glaive high above her._

_He prepared to vacate the area quickly, anticipating another attack . . . except no attack came . . ._

_Rather, she began to twirl in place, the blade of her weapon glowing with a brilliant purple light as she did. It was a rather ponderous spin and he could do nothing but stare at her in confusion. What in the world was she doing? His brother was similarly confounded._

"_. . . death . . ." The word drifted up to his ears, carried by favorable air currents._

_Well . . . that could hardly be a good thing. A flash of light filled his vision and suddenly his brother was at his side. The two of them stared down as the girl continued her slow spin._

"_W . . . what do you suppose she is doing, brother?" he asked quietly._

_His brother raised a finger and opened his mouth to respond . . . held the pose for a moment . . . then dropped his finger._

"_I honestly have no idea, brother."_

_They continued to watch as the weapon's glow increased several fold. Oddly, in the distance, they could see thousands of . . . purple ribbons? . . . winding through the air, flying towards their opponent and filling the air with their childish tackiness. The girl continued her spin, for a moment their eyes locked with hers as she looked up at them._

"_Reborn . . ." This time they could hear her voice clearly as she called out the word forcefully._

_Well . . . that word wasn't as bad as the first . . . He turned back to his brother._

"_Perhaps . . . perhaps it is an attack of some sort?"_

_Lightning considered that for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, yes, that does seem likely."_

_Thunder thought for another moment. "Well . . .," he began tenuously._

_"Well, what?"_

"_Perhaps it would be best if we stopped her?"_

_Lightning looked back at him, then to the twirling female once more._

_"Are you certain? . . .it almost seems . . . rude . . ."_

_Below them, the girl completed another revolution. This time bringing her weapon back slightly, as if preparing to slam the magnificently glowing blade of her weapon to the earth with all of her gathered power behind it. All around them, the ribbons drew closer as well . . . it was slightly unnerving._

_The spirit of thunder looked back to his brother. "Umm . . . I believe that it would be best if we __**did**__ interfere . . . just this once . . ."_

_Lightning didn't look quite as sure. "Are you sure? Maybe we shou – "_

"_Should what?"_

"_No, no, forget what I just said." _

"_Are you sure? What were you going to say?"_

"_No, worry not, it was of no consequence . . ."_

"_Really? It sounded like you had an idea-"_

"_No, let us just get this over wi-"_

"_**Revolution**__!" The cry split the air, being both terrifyingly loud and traumatically silent at the same time._

_The shout startled the elemental spirits from their rather tepid debate. As one, the two brothers locked gazes one last time, before launching forward at the speed of sound. _

_In the blink of an eye, they traversed the distance between them, one of them alighting to the ground at either side of the scantily clad young woman. As one, they both drew back their hands, gathering their power between their cupped palms. Azure blue and golden yellow light joined the strobing purple of their foe's glowing halberd. The girl began to swing her weapon forward, to slam it to the ground, but her attack slowed to a crawl as she suddenly realized something was amiss._

_Her weapon still well above her head . . . the girl slowly turned her lovely face to regard him, a most put out expression on her face as she witnessed the gathered power he held in his hands. She then slowly looked to her other side. Thunder had no doubt that the blinding light of his brother's lightning filled her world with dazzling white as she stared at the gathered energy he now wielded._

_With a weak, apologetic shrug, they both pushed forward with all of their might, unleashing the full power of the heavens unto the frail form of the slight female before them . . ._

_And then everything . . ._

_Went . . ._

_White._

* * *

Ranma blinked . . .

Twice.

* * *

Brushogun smiled as he watched his drama unfold. Everything was proceeding exactly as he'd planned. Perhaps even better than planned! In just a few scant minutes, the final players would arrive, with the reluctant hero. The Demon Lord of Ink quickly checked his surroundings, he wanted everything to be just so when they finally arrived.

Let us see . . . Giant robot standing menacingly behind him . . . excellent. Glowering psychic standing indignantly at his side, also good. The unconscious bodies of Saotome's fallen comrades artfully laid out before him, a very nice touch, that.

A violently struggling damsel held in his clutches . . . that wouldn't do, not at all. How foolish would he look just standing there holding Saotome's fiancée in his hand? Something a little more artful was required. The demon considered his quandary for a moment, before a perfect solution came to mind.

Leaning down carefully, he touched a single, jagged talon to the pavement at his side. Instantly, tiny trails of midnight black ink began to run in sharp lines away from his finger, gathering at a single point several yards to stage left. She was an important prop after all, couldn't have her outside of the scene. For a short moment, the black ink bubbled and boiled on that single spot, before it began to rise into the air, reaching hungrily towards the sky.

As the ink rose up, the structure he had in mind began to form. The base first, a simple, square beam of reddish, rusted metal. It rose up precisely seven feet, before branching out starkly. Even as the two rusted arms formed, the center continued to rise for several more feet. When all was said and done, a beautifully macabre cross stood in the night. Its jagged edges cried of pain; its rusted surface, the color of long dried blood, screamed of suffering. It was perfect . . . almost.

With a thought, he tilted it just a few degrees to the side . . .

Perfect!

Extremely happy with his latest piece of decor, he flowed over to it and held his captive up against its tetanus invoking surface.

"Hey! _Hey_! What do you think you're doi-"

He cut off her annoying chattering by slamming her head against the unforgiving metal of the cross. It produced a most entertaining gong sound that widened the already unnaturally wide smile on his face. He then held her to the restraint again, this time small tendrils of ink flowed out of the metal to wrap around her waist, ankles, wrists and neck. The tendrils then pulled tight, hugging her intimately to the cross, before turning, themselves, into rusted metal.

. . . as an afterthought, he tore the dazed girl's shirt open. Just a bit, though, enough to draw the eye, but nothing indecent. He did have a worldwide audience after all, who knew who could be watching?

"There, my dear, now the scene is set. I must admit, you make a _wonderful_ damsel in distress." He spun around, enjoying the moment, enjoying the knowledge that everything was just going so perfectly! The hero, while distraught and beset by misfortune, was still progressing towards his goal. Everything was still up in the air, three allies defeated, two allies victorious; an enemy defeated and even a betrayal of the grandest sort!

Keep the readers guessing, it was a cardinal rule. He bet that some of those poor fools watching still believed that Saotome actually had a chance to succeed too! He certainly hoped that all of them did. It would just make it all the sweeter when he crushed the fool boy, to turn that hope into despair with a single swipe of his claws.

Oop, his victims were almost here. He quickly moved back to center of the street, carefully cloaking himself in the massive shadow of the Evangelion.

There! In the distance, the quartet finally turned the corner. The four of them, Saotome, Lightning and Thunder, being led by his own creation, Goku. With feral grace and deadly intent, they made their way to the center of the street and began walking towards him. An errant breeze stirred to life, blowing dramatically through their hair as they walked against the wind. The traitorous Saiyan walked several yards ahead of the three youths, the two elementals flanking Saotome as they followed. The stern expression on Goku's face was dwarfed by the look of righteous fury that adorned the faces of the three boys that followed in his wake.

Oh, this was going to be wonderful! And he knew just how to get things started.

To his side, Tetsuo let out a loud growl, before levitating several inches above the ground. Then, without a second's hesitation, the red caped youth exploded into action, soaring down the street towards the three heroes. Tetsuo let out a harsh yell as he soared, his hands trailed behind him, the pavement tearing into twin furrows at the fury of his passage. The psychic's power would not be denied, even as he flew past, the shattered remnants of the street rose up in the air, shedding the frail fetters of gravity.

Saotome and his two companions stopped their approach and took up combat stances, unsure of what to expect . . .

Then Goku vanished . . .

There was a flash of movement too fast for the eye to follow, even a demonic eye such as Brushogun's. A fraction of a second later, the vibration of the air molecules finally conveyed the sound that accompanied the violent burst of action. By the time the deafening sound of bone crushing into bone with cruel abandon reached his ears, the scene had finally resolved itself.

There, standing in the center of the street, now two dozen yards ahead of his companions, Goku stood. The Saiyan's right fist was raised, a smear of red ink painted across the back of it as he held it to his side. Twenty feet to the alien's side, the building was now coated in a layer of equally red ink, ten feet wide and three stories high.

It took several more moments for everything to finally catch up to that impossible action. Even the rubble that had followed in Tetsuo's wake hovered for a disturbing eternity, before it all finally crashed to the ground.

Saotome, Lightning and Thunder could only stare in horror at what had just happened. Likely they were imagining what could have happened to them if Goku had so chosen to attack them. Goku then looked up, meeting his gaze finally. The Saiyan even had the audacity to smile!

"It's all over Brushogun . . .," stated the proud alien warrior.

Brushogun simply nodded.

"Indeed it is . . . for you."

* * *

"Indeed it is . . . for you."

Realization, cold and cruel, washed over Ranma when he heard those words. He knew exactly what was going to happen next, and it twisted his insides fiercely. Apparently Goku realized what was going to happen as well, as the most powerful martial artist in the universe turned to face the three of them. Surprisingly, there was still a smile on the warrior's face, though it was tinted with sadness.

"It was a pleasure to fight with you, Ranma." Goku's smile widened and the alien offered him a quick salute. "Don't let this guy beat you, kid. It'd be a waste for such an amazing fighter to buy it in a place like this."

Ranma didn't know what to say, what to think . . .

"But – but you can't go like that! That guy's no match for you . . . y-you're _freakin Goku_!"

Goku simply shrugged, accepting his fate in that way that only the _really _noble kind of person can.

"Hopefully we'll meet again some day. Good luck, kid."

And then Goku died.

It wasn't at all spectacular, as Mecha-Boi's demise had been. More of a simple reversal of his creation, than any elaborate death scene. The Saiyan simply seemed to lose cohesion, before collapsing into an orange pile of goo . . .

He had no idea why, but the sight enraged him more than he would have thought possible. Suddenly the world consisted of only two things: his fist . . . and Brushogun. It was like the mythical last straw which collapsed the vertebrae of the desert dwelling ungulate. All of the pain, the fear, the anger, the uncertainty . . . and now this too?

Without wasting another breath, he stalked forward to finally confront his mysterious foe. He heard his companions follow, not that he even cared at the moment. A half a minute later, he was standing before the looming figure of Brushogun, the towering creature hanging above him. He looked to the side, where Akane was being displayed like a painting. The sight of her torn shirt only fueled the fire of his anger. What had this perverted freak done to her?

He turned back to Brushogun, locking gazes with the imperious demon. Brushogun stared down at him, vile smile hanging tauntingly on his face.

"Well done, well done, Saotome. I knew you would get this fa-"

A beam of golden chi, mixed heavily with violent crimson, did an impressive job of shutting the arrogant bastard the hell up! The blast lifted the ooze covered villain into the air and back several yards to crash down in a smoking heap.

Rather than follow up the attack, Ranma ran over to Akane. As he did, he turned to yell at Thunder and Lightning. "Guys! Get those three out of here!" he pointed to the comatose bodies of Natsume, Kurumi and Ryu. Without questioning, they did as he asked. Lightning quickly picked up Kurumi, while Thunder threw Natsume and Ryu over his massive shoulders.

He ignored that, reaching Akane a second later. He looked up, making sure that she wasn't seriously hurt. She looked back down at him, a serious look on her face.

"Ranma! I have to tell you quickly. Brushogun is an _ink _demon! That's what all of his minions are made of, that's what _he's_ made of," she explained insistently.

He smiled widely, both at her uninjured status and her revelation. He quickly leapt up and snapped off the restraint on her neck. "Alright, Akane! That's great! So, what's his weakness?" he asked excitedly.

The Tendo girl met his gaze, her excited expression fading. "Uhhh, what do you mean 'what's his weakness'? I told you what he was so _you _could figure that out. You don't actually think he _told _me what his weakness was, did you?"

He slapped his free hand against his forehead. "Sheesh, 'Kane, what good does _that _do me? What does it matter what those guys are made of, they're still super powerful!" he barked back in irritation.

His restrained fiancée rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh, well _excuse_ me for being **kidnapped again**! Do you have _any _idea what I've been through this week? I even passed up a chance to escape just so I could tell you that. You'd think you'd at least have a _shred_ of gratitude!"

"You did **what**!" he shouted in disbelief. "You gave up a chance to get the hell out of here to tell me **that**? What on earth am I supposed to do with that?"

"Absolutely _nothing_."

That was _not_ Akane's voice! Both of them turned quickly (as much as possible in her case) to see the looming form of Brushogun only a handful of yards away. There was not a single sign that the demon had just been blasted full on in the face by a furious assault of chi. Not even a wisp of smoke, damn it! In fact, Brushogun appeared to be in quite a good mood.

"There is absolutely _nothing _you can do to stop me, Saotome. Yes, I am the Demon Lord of Ink, but that knowledge will avail you nothing. I have no weakness for you to exploit, no vulnerability for you to attack." Brushogun raised a clawed arm before him, the moonlight reflecting along the slick lengths of his razor talons. "I. Am. Beyond you!"

Damn it! He was stuck, hanging right beside Akane. If he moved to dodge, Brushogun would just hit her! If he didn't move . . . Well, that was no decision at all, really. In a flash, he interposed himself between Akane and the slowly raising claws of the villainous demon.

"Hold, _Demon_!"

The abrupt shout stopped Brushogun's deadly assault in its tracks. As one, Ranma, Akane and the Ink Demon all turned to gaze at the speaker . . .s. Thunder and Lightning were standing at the center of the street, smiling malevolently. In the distance, Ranma saw a number of uniformed officers carrying the injured martial artists away. He was just glad that the cops had mostly stuck around this area, he'd hate to imagine what would have happened if there had actually been any officers in the vicinity of _any _of their battles.

Brushogun scoffed loudly.

"Bit players! What are you still doing here? Can't you see that I am preparing to kill the protagonist?"

The brothers continued to smile. Thunder crossed his massive arms over his equally massive chest, before sharing a quick glance with his brother, who was bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet.

"It is a poor writer whom neglects the actions of his characters, no matter how minor they might appear. Especially when those _bit players _have the power to end your evil forever!"

This time, Brushogun laughed, long and loud. After several moments, the demon wiped a tear of black ink from his eye, still chuckling weakly at Thunder's brave declaration. "Please, please don't embarrass yourselves like that. True, your powers over thunder and lightning are impressive, but in no way do they compare to the infinite might that is mine to command. I've already proven that I can destroy you at my whim. Would you care to fight another Saiyan? A dozen, a hundred? What could the likes of _you two _possibly do to stop _me_?"

Lightning stepped forward at that, hiding his limp and ignoring his injured shoulder bravely. The pale skinned youth smiled widely and arrogantly, his hands resting on his hips and his chest pushed out. He then lifted his hand and waved dramatically.

"I am _so _glad that you asked that question, _Ink _Demon!"

"Let us _show you_!"

* * *

His eyes fluttered open . . . though, he almost wished they hadn't. As soon as the weak light filtered in past his sagging eyelids, it must have sent some signal that his brain was up and running again, because a scant few seconds after opening said eyes, messages started rushing in from every inch of his body.

Unfortunately, all of the messages shared the same general gist: pain. Certainly, he was surprised by the sheer variety of the pain he was currently feeling, but at least the fact that he was still feeling pain was actually a good sign at this point. With agonizing slowness, he rolled over onto his back and pushed himself up to a sitting position.

A quick scan of his surroundings told him pretty much what had happened. He was currently sitting on the floor in the middle of a relatively upscale hotel room. The smashed window marked his entrance; it was a damn good thing that he'd decided to wear his trench coat, its heavy leather seemed to have protected him from getting too cut up. The wall before him had a shattered painting hanging from it, though the wall itself really wasn't any worst for wear. Honestly, he'd half expected the wall to shatter like glass when he'd hit it; unfortunately, it had been pretty much the opposite that had happened. Obviously he'd been hanging out with Saotome too long, it was starting to loosen his tenuous grip on reality.

Of course, it was about then that he noticed the nice, fluffy, queen sized bed sitting about two feet to his side.

"Thank goodness this nice, hardwood floor broke my fall, I'd hate to think how landing on that soft, comfy bed would have traumatized me . . ." Why did the gods hate him so?

And why was he talking to himself, for that matter?

Well, at least it was good for something. Reaching out, he gripped the side of the bed and used it to lever his aching body up to its feet. That was it, seriously. No more freak fighting for him, one super villain was more than enough. If Saotome actually managed to beat that demon and they didn't all die, he was retiring! . . . or at least transferring to a different department. Maybe homicide? Suzahara certainly didn't have to deal with this kind of stress.

After he stopped wobbling, the policeman carefully brushed off most of the remaining glass shards, before shaking his coat to get rid of the rest. Satisfied that he was mostly cleaned up, he leaned down again (back complaining all the way) to recover his most important piece of police equipment.

His fedora.

Smiling grimly, he brushed the leather hat against his shin a few times, before reverently resting it back upon his head. Taking another minute or so to stand up again, he considered his options. He had no idea how long he'd been out, or what had transpired while he had been. Strangely, it was very quiet outside the destroyed window and there weren't any bodies flying past . . . so obviously a look was required.

Moving slowly, more from pain than concern, he made his way to the remains of the window. Hmm . . . yup, they were still boned. Looked like most of the gang was here now, though. Demon, check, Saotome, check, storm kids, check. That loopy broad that the kung fu kid liked had managed to get herself captured again, and in style this time. He'd have felt bad for her, if he hadn't expressly told her to get the hell outta there. Kids these days, no respect for their elders, and see what it gets them?

Well, nothing to do but go down and join the party. His laser toy was garbage, but he still had his revolver. It was better than nothing, he supposed. Of course, how you could use a bullet to hurt a demon composed of ink, he had no idea, but then, he doubted Saotome or his buddies had any idea either.

Limping weakly, he exited the room, entering a living room. Nice one, too, hopefully this building didn't get any more destroyed than it already was, maybe he'd get a room here, live it up a bit. A moment later, he was in the hallway and making his way to the elevator.

As he wandered down the nicely decorated hallway, he stopped suddenly. Something had caught his attention rather unexpectedly. His mind started racing a mile a minute at what he saw . . .

His reflection.

* * *

Ranma stared at his comrades in confusion, he had no idea what they had planned. However, they were confident. Confident was good, confident was great! Confident just saved him from getting disemboweled.

And then, with a crack of thunder, the two elementals disappeared in a flash of lightning into the heavens.

. . . The pigtailed martial artist's jaw started working on its own, desperately struggling words that absolutely refused to come . . . The three remaining earthbound looked at the scorched circle of pavement for several more moments. Akane broke the silence first . . .

". . . they . . . they ditched us?"

Ranma didn't even bother to face her, eyes still glued to the area of the rapid departure. "I – I don't _think _they'd just ditch us . . . I think . . ."

Hysterical laughter filled the night, drawing their gazes back to the Ink Demon. Brushogun's shoulders hitched uncontrollably as the demon just laughed and laughed.

Unbeknownst to them all, the sky above them began to fill ominously with dark clouds . . .

Brushogun turned to face the two of them, still snickering weakly. "Marvelous, simply marvelous! I haven't seen an exit that rapid since the US was asked to join the Kyoto protocol! I had no idea that your friends were such spineless cowards, Saotome. You must be quite proud!"

A snarl escaped his lips, as he bristled nastily at the sharp words. He didn't know why, but he felt the strong need to stand up for his friends. After all they'd been through together, he just couldn't believe they'd flee like that. Of course, their marked absence said differently, but he did tend to believe the best in people.

"They didn't run away, bastard. They're just doin' . . . somethin' . . .," he trailed off weakly.

"Ha! Indeed: escaping! I must say, they are the most intelligent young heroes I've ever met."

The angry martial artist swung out his arm, physically dismissing his foe's words. "They ain't cowards, and they ain't runnin! They got somethin up their sleeves, and when they get back, you'll see what it is!"

Brushogun ran a long talon along his chin, tearing paper and spilling ink as he did. Of course, the wound healed instantly, but it was still disturbing. "Of course, boy. I'm certain they have a _grand _pla-"

The rest of the demon's words were drowned out by a deafening crash of thunder. Suddenly, Ranma was looking at the sky, just now noticing the black layer of clouds that hung in the air above them. He . . . was pretty sure that those hadn't been there just a few minutes ago . . . Lightning crashed, followed by another peal of thunder; the entire city shook beneath the might of the growing storm.

And suddenly, like a flipped switch, Ranma knew what their plan was.

"Oh, hell . . ."

For a desperate moment, he frantically looked for any possible cover . . . but, again, came to the sad realization that saving himself would only be putting Akane in danger. Seriously, he liked the girl like crazy, but could she _not _go five days without getting kidnapped? He could guarantee this kind of thing wouldn't happen if he was dating Raven, or Jinx, like Ryouga had. Heck, bad guys would probably be kidnapping _him _to get to the girls!

And then the rain fell.

This, of course, had the instantaneous effect of emasculating him on international television . . . Gods, her life sucked. But, on the bright side, there wasn't anything for Nabiki to blackmail her about . . . unless she found out about that thing she'd done that time . . . She shook her head quickly. Yes, it was definitely a lead lining around the massive cloud of her curse being made global knowledge. Heck, it wasn't even the curse that she was worried about; as much as the fact that everyone in the world would think she was a cross-dresser or something.

The rather buxom young red head let out a sigh, again plotting the demise of her _comrades_, when she heard the wail. Looking up from her recent additions, she noticed something odd was happening all around her. Beside her, the metal structure that was holding Akane, it looked to be . . . melting. Each drop of rain that touched the rusted metal ate into the material hungrily, reducing it into a black sludge. If it weren't for the fact that Akane and herself were both completely fine (if a bit soaked now) she'd have imagined the rain was pure acid.

And everyone knows that acid rain is just _wrong_.

In the distance, the behemoth that was the Evangelion was being similarly undone! The skeletal giant was bowing under the rain, trying to shield itself vainly with armor plated purple arms. Of course, being a twelve story giant, it was gonna take a hell of a lot of rain to dissolve that monster. Ranma actually found herself smiling, though, since it seemed that might not be necessary.

Brushogun stood before her, howling in agony as the rain slashed into his ink stained hide. The Ink Demon fell back, its arms weakly flailing, desperately struggling to hold back the rain. Who'd have thought that the battle would be ended so easily? Defeat Ancient Demon: Just add water!

Her lips fell slightly at that thought . . .

Brushogun's struggles only grew in their fervor, as the demon wailed to the heavens. Why did this whole scene remind her of something? It was right on the tip of her tongue, she could have sworn she'd been here before for some reason.

Crap . . . Now she remembered where she'd seen this. The cursed martial artist let out a long, weary sigh, before cinching her loosened belt. Now was no time to be a pansy; time to man up and bite the bullet (or something like that, it'd been awhile since she'd seen that show, or movie, or whatever)

"Would you just quit it? You're embarrassing yourself, ya big ass ink blotch," she barked out irately.

Instantly, Brushogun's struggles ceased, and he rose back to his full height, an annoyed look on his face. She noticed that even as the rain stripped the ink from his skin, it was being replaced just as quickly.

"Really? _Again_? Have people in this era just become so incredibly jaded that they won't believe anything anymore? I mean, I didn't even have the chance to get to my 'what a world, what a world' bit." The demon waved its arm in annoyance, a steady stream of inky water running down his hand and splashing to the pavement loudly.

The blue eyed girl just snorted loudly. "Please, I've seen the 'pretending to be defeated just to get a laugh' thing done, like, a month ago. And I gotta say, _that _girl really sold it. Face it, Ink Blot, you can draw, but ya can't act." She smiled confidently and crossed her arms over, then quickly under her chest, even as she quailed internally. What the heck was she gonna do now? If the rain couldn't stop this thing, then what could?

"I admire the brave front, Miss Ranko, but I am a _Demon_! Did you and your friends think something as simple as rain could defeat me? My powers have grown beyond such a meager weakness."

A loud growl escaped her lips. "My name ain't _Ranko_, ya stupid demon!" She quickly followed it up by dropping into a combat stance. Even as her anger was trying to get the best of her, though, her mind was quickly analyzing the situation around her. Akane's prison was still dissolving, another minute at the most and she'd be free, probably sooner if she brought her gorilla like strength to bear. In the distance, the giant continued to melt, even as Brushogun monologued. Slowly, her angry scowl melted into a sly smirk.

"Hmm, maybe yer right, maybe the rain ain't enough to beat ya. But I'll bet that it's weakenin' ya a lot more than yer lettin' on! Looks to me like you're spending most of your power just holding yourself together; you can't even keep your puppets up and runnin' in this kinda rain." She cracked her knuckles threateningly, slowly starting to bounce from foot to foot with noisy splashes. Time was on her side, for probably the first time in the history of the world! The longer she could keep this creep talking, the more damage the rain would do. It was awesome!

Brushogun absently ran his hand across his forehead, wiping away rain and ink, revealing soggy parchment beneath for a half a second. The demon then shook his head sadly, before a shark's smile found its way onto his grim face. "Perhaps you are correct, Miss Saotome, or perhaps . . ."

Suddenly the demon raised both hands to the sky, the very air around them warping in a stomach twisting display of unholy power.

"You are _underestimating my __**Power**_!"

And then he slammed his clawed hands to the street; cracks extended outward in every direction for several meters – wait! Those weren't cracks, they were trails of ink!

She dodged to the side quickly, as one of the ebony streaks sped directly towards her, but cursed as soon as she did it! The streak continued on, unhindered, to strike the base of the cross which held Akane. His fiancée didn't even have time to yell, before the cross suddenly resolidified. The rusted metal surfaces of the cross suddenly regained their jagged harshness, though the structure was now warped horribly out of shape, listing depressingly to the side and bent heavily under its own weight. A new addition formed as well, a metallic gag running over the blue haired girl's mouth, obviously to stop her from giving out any further advice.

The rain continued to pound the metallic cross, but only left tiny ripples which quickly smoothed out once more. Ranma would have been shocked by that, except another of the tendrils also attached itself to the _Evangelion_! Like the cross, the megalithic beast suddenly ceased its destruction, regaining its color and solidity. However, like the cross, the beast was now a twisted, though unfortunately still functional, mockery of its former glory.

Looking up from his handiwork, Brushogun's toothy grin only grew, a black slug of a tongue extending though his teeth to lick the running water from his face. The demon then looked up to the heavens, a considering look on his features.

"As for your friends, I suppose I'll have to deal with them first. I'd hate to begin our final battle with you under the foolish delusion that you actually have a chance to succeed. It would be cruel and unfair to you."

Quickly, the pigtailed martial artist crossed her arms tightly across her chest, suddenly struggling to gather the confidence needed to use her unique chi attack. She didn't have any idea what the demon meant, but she knew it couldn't be good. It was so hard, though. Couldn't _anything _stop this beast? Even standing out in the full fury of nature, the creature could not only survive, but maintain its creations as well?

Brushogun lifted a hand and playfully wagged a long talon back and forth. "Tsk, tsk, Miss Saotome. You don't want to use that tired attack _again_ do you? People are going to start getting bored. Why don't you let me show you how to _mix it up_?" slurred the creature condescendingly.

"Mix this up! _Mouko Takabisha_!" She pushed out with all her strength once again, forcing the golden sphere of chi away from her and towards the demon. It was a little smaller than usual, but she was confident that it would still work. As confident as the demon was sounding, it must have been taking a tremendous amount of power to do everything it was doing. It _had _to be vulnerable!

The orb of ego given form exploded magnificently on impact! . . . except it hadn't made it even halfway to its target! Ranma stared in disbelief . . . at the six foot by six foot, steel wall that had just risen up from the ground. The metal structure was vibrating wildly, and a three foot deep dent was nearly punched all the way through it. A second later, the wall suddenly faded to black, before dropping to back to the pavement into a puddle of watered down ink.

"Wha-"

"No need for applause, my lovely little dumpling." Brushogun stood, just so that he could bow cordially to her, his arm sweeping out grandly. "Just a minor parlor trick. Now, please let me show you a _real_ crowd pleaser."

What the hell? He could make stuff like that, too? Well, sure, she supposed if he could make actual Saiyans, how the hell hard could it be to make a freaking wall, but damn! Her shock held her immobile long enough for Brushogun to slam a hand to the earth once more.

This time, a wide streak of ink, over a foot wide, shot off in the direction of the Evangelion. She feared he was planning on reviving it completely, except the streak of ink suddenly branched in two directions before even getting halfway there, both at ninety degree angles to the original. In the blink of an eye, both lines traveled ten meters, before suddenly turning ninety degrees again, both heading in the direction of the Evangelion once more.

Was he planning on making two more? Could this demon possibly have that kind of powe-

Except, after twenty meters, both lines turned ninety degrees _again_, this time coming together to form a huge, twenty by twenty meter square. What the hell was he up to? Suddenly, the large box . . . changed. In a matter of seconds, the solid black line surrounding the square suddenly developed alternating yellow stripes, diagonal, and lines began at the middle of the near and far sides, shooting down the center of the large box and bisecting it into two halves.

Again, something at the back of his mind was ringing the 'Oh crap' alarm in his brain. She was about to run forward to get a better look . . .

When, against all reason, the street suddenly _split open_! The entire section of road surround by the black and yellow stripes opened dramatically, revealing what (from her angle) appeared to be a bottomless pit.

It was not empty for long though. It started as a quiet rumble, but soon developed into an earth quaking squeal of something very large approaching the surface very fast. The whole event had taken probably five seconds at the most, but Brushogun's intent was revealed in an eruption of motion –

As an eight story _positron rifle_ suddenly emerged from the tunnel, resting securely on an artist's rendition of a freight elevator. Without a second's hesitation, the twisted Evangelion lifted the weapon up to its shoulder and aimed the massive device at the very heart of the storm above them.

"Hell! Thunder and Lightning!" There was no way the duo would hear her meager shout, not over the distance, or the very storm they, themselves were creating. Even at her best, she couldn't imagine any possible way to stop the giant robot from what it was about to do. Behind her, Akane's muffled cries sounded painfully; before her, Brushogun's laughter did the same. All around her, thunder, wind and rain filled her senses.

For a single second, it was all drowned out. The cannon fired with a tremendous blast of force, launching a glowing white projectile of pure energy up into the clouds. The back blast of the cannon firing washed down over the entire street. It shattered windows, cleared the streets of water and sent a certain pigtailed girl flying through the air. Her world filled with flashes of color as she felt her head hit something hard, which thankfully gave way to her thick skull.

Several, very groggy, minutes later, she dug her head out of the wall where it had been planted. She wasn't exactly sure how long she was out, but when she finally cleared the gravel out of her hair and ears, the night was eerily quiet.

Slowly, the redhead turned around. To be honest, she was somewhat surprised by what she saw. First and most obvious, was the lack of rain. That wasn't the surprising part, though, nor were the rapidly dispersing clouds. Nor was it Akane, still trapped in the mangled remains of her restraints. It was more lounger than cross, now, but still seemed to retain the strength to hold the girl in place. No, the surprising sight was the Evangelion.

Or what was left of it!

Though the deed was done, the shot fired, the metallic giant obviously wasn't as invincible as Brushogun had tried to make it out to be. From the waste up, the robot was simply gone, the entire street for at least a dozen blocks behind the monster were painted midnight black. Even from her limited ability to guess, it looked like the backlash from the improbably large rifle had literally ripped itself and the giant to pieces. As if just realizing what had happened, the legs finally toppled over, melting into an ocean of ink before they even hit the ground.

"Holy hell . . .," she muttered quietly to herself.

There was no sign of the storm brothers . . . not that she really expected to see any after such an attack. Something twisted painfully inside her and she felt something catch uncomfortably at the back of her throat. She looked up to the large, perfectly circular void in the clouds above them, exactly where Thunder and Lightning had vanished to minutes ago. Perfect blackness shone through that one, small area, surrounded by endless banks of dark gray. The circle was slowly growing, even as the clouds slowly dispersed themselves.

She felt a familiar tingle at the corner of her eyes, but ruthlessly forced herself to stop. She was a guy damnit! She wouldn't, couldn't cry . . . yet. There wasn't time for that! No time to even think about what had just happened. She forced her mind away from that, filling her entire brain with a single thought.

With feral grace, the slight predator turned to face the center of the street once more. She'd make Brushogun pay for everything he'd done, that was certain . . .

As soon as she found the guy!

He was gone! How on earth could she have lost track of an eight foot gloating psychopath? She almost leapt to the nearest roof, when she saw it. There, right where she had been looking, a small hump began to rise from the vast ocean of ink that filled the street. It was a slow process, as the demon slowly reformed himself; by the time it was finished she was standing directly before him. The glare she gave him promised only a swift and painful demise.

"I hope you had your fun, demon, cuz it's way past time that I sent you back to hell," she growled in a low voice.

Brushogun swayed slightly, betraying an instant of weakness, before catching himself and smiling suavely. "Tut, tut, dear. Don't you know that heroine is bad for you? You might as well just surrender. You're all alone now; no one can possibly save you. Why drag out your suffering? I can end it quickly for you, if you just ask," the demon's voice _oozed_ with false compassion.

She scoffed loudly. "Feh, I'd say you're the one that should be askin for mercy, 'cept I ain't got none for ya. Like ya said, it's down to you and it's down to me, so how 'bout you and me dance?" The master martial artist fell back into her most offensive stance, preparing to lash out with everything she had. She was still pretty much in top form (barring having her head buried into a concrete wall), but she just _knew _that the demon _had _to have felt the effects of all of that exertion. Even if the damn thing wasn't hurt, there was no way that he could still be at full power after all of that!

Brushogun let out a long sigh. "Why doesn't anyone ever do anything the easy way? Very well, a dance you want, a dance you shall have. However . . . do you mind if I lead?"

And suddenly Ranma was on the defensive. Brushogun dove forward with frightening speed, scythe-like claws leading the way. The demon swung his talons with manic intensity, ripping the air asunder with his fury. Had it been any other person on the planet there (excepting aliens and bicentennial masters) they would have been reduced to so much hamburger in seconds.

This meant, for Ranma, it was _almost_ a challenge. She ducked and weaved through the attacks with only minor difficulty, not even bothering to block the razor edged claws. After a year or two of being continually attacked by masters of the blade like Mousse and Kunou, this was hardly anything new. She let herself settle into the rhythm of the battle, slowly letting it soothe her troubled mind, even as she took full measure of her opponent's ability.

Being fully immersed in the fight cleared her mind better than a month with a shrink could. All the thoughts of anger and vengeance slowly floated away; a cool, calculating calm settling over her mind. Sure, anger could be extremely useful in a fight, if it was the _other person_ that was angry, but it wouldn't help her.

It didn't take her long to deduce that Brushogun wasn't really a threat in the hand to hand department, as intimidating as he looked. She continued her analysis, even as she continued to duck and weave around his tactless swings. The demon was reasonably fast, perhaps slightly faster than Mousse, though perhaps slightly slower than Ryouga and much slower than herself. Conversely, Brushogun possessed no real skill, attacking like a wild animal. At this rate, barring anymore unexpected surprises, she figured she could pick the demon apart at her leisure.

So she did.

The next attack that came her way, a savage descending slash, signaled her moment to counter. She slid around the attack like water and launched a dozen powerful punches up and down Brushogun's entire torso. The force of the nearly simultaneous punches was enough to slide the slippery demon back half a dozen meters. Brushogun slid to a stop, sporting a number of deep dents in his hide, testaments to Ranma's power.

The redhead smiled grimly, even as she wiped her blackened knuckles on her pants. All it really accomplished was staining her pants and knuckles equally, but who cared, really?

The Demon Lord of Ink seemed to consider the damage that had just been done to his person for a moment. "Hmm, interesting, you are a fast little mouse, aren't you?" muttered the demon quietly. Without even a hint of effort, Brushogun's wounds all healed instantly. Not that she'd expected much else . . . yet.

"Heh. Got that right, Brushy! You sure you don't wanna do this the easy way? I heard that not many people do, you could be the first!" she spouted blithely.

This only elicited another quiet chuckle from her enemy. "Don't be so blithe about the situation, Saotome. After all, you know what they say about catching troublesome mice, don't you?"

She thought about that for a moment. "Um . . . you get a ca-, a c-, a caaa-, a c-c-c-ca . . . aw hell, you get a **dog**!" she barked out proudly. Take that, irrational phobia!

The demonic entity rolled its eyes in disgust, slapping a wet hand against its face. He slowly drew his hand down his face, looking at her sadly. Finally, Brushogun let out a weary sigh. "No, you mendicant, you _build a better mouse trap_!"

Without warning, the four flags that adorned Brushogun's back, which had been plastered to the demon's back by the heavy rain, suddenly surged to life, rising into the air behind him. Each of the arms suddenly began to spiral in on themselves, forming long tubes . . . which, in the blink on an eye formed into four separate arms! At the end of each arm, hands formed, adorned with seemingly random numbers of razor sharp talons. Five on one, seven on another and so on.

The four arms swung forward pendulously, hovering in the air like the stinging tails of scorpions. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, the forty or more claws all extended to nearly a foot in length, oozing with deadly intent . . . and ink, mostly the ink actually. Unconsciously, she took a step backwards, slightly unnerved by the sudden tripling of her opponent's armaments. Brushogun just loomed before her, apparently delighting in her trepidation.

That was really too bad, the bastard should have attacked when he had the chance.

The handful of seconds that the demon wasted drinking in her hesitation allowed inspiration to strike. With great subtlety, she took another step back, her hands slowly sliding behind her back.

"Hey! Who you callin' a mendicant?" she asked, both to buy time and because she had no idea what the word meant. It sure _sounded _insulting, though. Ah! There they were. She took another step back, giving her a little more distance.

The demon rolled his eyes, looking about ready to answer, when she cut him off. "Heh, ya know who I was hopin' to run into tonight, but didn't? That cat girl." Another step back, opening the gap between them again.

"Ha! Looking forward to running like a little girl? . . . oops, too late for that I suppose. The next time I'm in Hell, I'll be sure to conjure her so the two of you can talk. Now, _time to die_!"

Brushogun lunged forward like a storm surge, a tidal wave of deadly blades leading the way. Ranma nearly smiled as the six armed freak descended upon her, all forty three lengthy claws desiring nothing less then the sweet taste of her blood. Her grip tightened instinctually as she focused her chi forcefully into her arms. Then, in a flash of speed that put the Amaguriken, the Parlay du Foie Gras and even the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist to shame, her hands shot out, exactly forty three times.

Faster than even her own eyes could track, her arms disappeared into a blur, entangling impossibly with the six arms coming her way. For a brief second, there was a frantic back and forth between the two of them, before they both broke off their attacks and leapt back. Brushogun laughed madly as he stared at her, smiling widely.

"My, it appears as if we are evenly matched, Saotome. I think a few more arms might change that, though," boasted the cocky demon.

It was Ranma's turn to chuckle menacingly. Absently, she waved the items she held in her hands about, letting Brushogun catch a glimpse of them. "Think again, Brushy." She then pointed one of the gleaming instruments towards the demon, indicating his many hands.

Brushogun stared at her for a moment, not comprehending her comment . . .

The sound of metal raining down on the pavement rang out repeatedly, suddenly drawing the demon's gaze down to his own feet . . . To the forty three, foot long claws that now laid there; the claws persisted for only a moment before melting away into the ocean of ink at their feet. Brushogun continued to stare in shock for a moment, before raising his gaze to meet hers.

"B-but how?"

Oh, how she grinned.

"Pedicure of the Fierce Tiger, bitch!" She spun around dramatically, before dropping into a low, wide stance. As she did that, she brandished her favored weapons for the world to see: her pair of industrial sized nail clippers. She'd been saving that one for the catgirl (hey, the idea had been stuck in her head forever, how could she _not_ use it?) but this was just as good. "Heh, how's that for 'evenly matched'? I don't think you got enough dangly bits to make enough arms to stop me!"

The Ink Demon stared at her for a moment, then slowly began to shake his head from side to side in amusement. In a matter of seconds, each and every one of the claws regrew to their full, lethal glory. "You intend to defeat me with _nail clippers_? I believe this is the most insulted I've ever been in my entire existence. No, Miss Saotome, I'm afraid that your epic _strategy _is doomed to failure. Just as you are doomed to die."

"Feh, you keep sayin that, but I'm still here, ain't I? Whatcha gonna do? You're outta minions, outta gimmicks and ya can't keep up with my speed. I hate to say it, but it looks like yer on yer last legs here, Brushy," she spouted cockily. She felt her confidence start to take a small upswing, twirling her secret weapons as she stared down her opponent. As long as the bastard couldn't make another Goku, he was pretty much finished. It was all just a matter of time.

Brushogun seemed to agree, as, without warning, his four extra arms unraveled back to their original forms. The four banners waved in the windless air, defying the laws of nature. The idea of surrender was quickly quashed, though, as the demon suddenly let out a raucous laugh. "Defeated, am I?" drawled the snickering demon. "On my last legs, bereft of followers, at the limit of my power? You truly believe that you can defeat me, don't you?"

The pigtailed girl shrugged. "Six arms, eight arms, how many arms can ya make before ya just tie yourself in a knot? So, to answer your question: _um_, _yeah!_".

Suddenly the demon slapped its hands together, wringing them together joyfully. "Excellent! I'd hoped you'd say that! Now your defeat will be all the sweeter!"

"Huh? What the heck are ya talkin bout, jerkwad? You got nuthin!" she barked irately.

Brushogun just smiled wider, the top of his head nearly falling off from the strain. Then, for some reason, the demon pointed a single finger to the ground at their feet. "Heh, heh heh. Saotome, just what _exactly _is it that you are standing in?" Her eyes opened wide in shock at the question. She quickly looked down . . .

To the ocean of ink that was currently submerging her feet.

"Aw, hell," she muttered quietly to herself. She then looked back up to the demon before her, shocked understanding on her fair features. The demon just nodded in answer to her unasked question.

"To quote a kindred spirit, Miss Saotome: I _am __**Legion**_!"

And then all hell broke loose!

All at once, dozens of spikes, tendrils, claws and teeth rose up from the ink all around her. A second after that, her world was reduced to only the most base instinct of survival. There was no time for conscious thought, no time to plan her actions or plot her movements. Every neuron that fired was geared towards a single goal: survival! Her arms blurred, clippers flashing out to cut down as many of the narrower psuedopods as possible. Her legs burned, desperately ducking and weaving her through the jungle of death that had just sprung up around her. She dared not leap, she'd be a sitting duck in the air and the gods only knew what kind of death trap would be waiting wherever she was going to land. Her muscles stretched nearly to snapping as she bent to obscene angles to avoid whipping and grasping tendrils intent on latching onto her. She couldn't afford a single mistake.

She lashed out with her left arm, severing two tentacles and another claw. On instinct, her right leg lifted and she spun out of the way of a looping tendril that had nearly snared the limb. She bent backwards to avoid a jagged looking mass swinging through the air, just in time to block a matching one coming at her from the opposite direction. The pair of clippers in her right hand shattered dramatically under the force of the impact, several shards of metal cutting deeply into her palm.

Ranma didn't even have time to register the pain; she quickly slammed her bleeding hand into the ink, to the street below, and kicked her legs off into a backwards handstand. She regained her feet instantly and continued her desperate dodging. A dozen, two dozen, a hundred attacks flew at her, nearly simultaneously. As far as her eyes could see, her world was filled with a dense, never ending forest of ebony serpents. Except this entire forest was intent on her demise. And, unfortunately, she didn't even have a lame ass magic shield or sword to help out this time!

And somewhere, lost to her vision, Brushogun was watching, and laughing.

Her muscles began to burn with the buildup of lactic acid, ordering her body to stop moving painfully. Just like the pain in her hand, though, she ignored it, buried it in the recesses of her mind that had the time to worry about such trivial things. A long tendril wrapped around her wrist, she ripped it free, using the momentum of the swing to avoid five more deadly implements. Something fast and thin slashed up her back, but she didn't even have the energy to waste shouting in pain. She simply pushed forward, slashing and cutting through the forest by sheer willpower alone.

Where the hell was he?

She realized the mistake before she even made it, without thinking, her nail clipper vainly flashed out trying to clip one of the jagged, tooth-like growths, only to deform into uselessness at the harsh impact. Without hesitation, she dropped the piece of trash and fell into a completely defensive strategy. She continued to desperately dodge; the sensation of something wrapping around her ankle tripped a warning in her brain.

Without even knowing how she did it, her aura, bright gold, burned to life around her ankle, burning away the offending tendril. She had no idea what she was doing, but she continued doing it. Concentrating furiously, the golden aura of her fighting spirit came to surround her entire body. It burned brightly and the deadly serpents began to keep their distance, giving her several very needed seconds to catch her breath.

She eyed the hovering blades warily, even without eyes, they seemed to track her every movement perfectly. An army of predators, all just waiting for a single second of weakness. The tactical part of her brain screamed at her from the dark reaches of her mind. There was no way she could keep up such a furiously intense aura for an extended period of time. She'd burn herself out in a matter of minutes if she didn't end this battle quickly.

So where was the bastard!

She could hear him laughing . . . somewhere. The voice seemed to come from all around her, everywhere and nowhere at the same time, cold, mocking laughter. As she tried to locate the source, one of the bolder tendrils, tipped with a deadly scythe, lashed out at her, intent on her throat. She leaned hastily to the side and lashed out at the base of the blade with a knife hand, the black ink vaporized instantly, dropping the blade to the ground.

And then she was in the thick of it again. As powerful as her aura was, she knew she couldn't rely on it to completely protect her from any direct attacks. A heavy mace or an especially quick slash would certainly pierce her defenses before they were destroyed. So, her aura allowed her a lot more leeway in her movements, but it would be suicide to just stand there and take it.

That was about the last coherent thought she had for several minutes that felt like centuries.

There was only black, everywhere she looked. Black pavement, black sky, black tentacles, black blades . . . it was a wonder she could even remember which way was up and which way down. She literally danced through the forest, dodging where she could, blocking where she had to and lashing out whenever humanly possibly. It was a test of skill like none she'd faced before, speed, endurance, technique . . .

And then, just when she thought she couldn't move another muscle, when her aura began to flicker and spark weakly, she noticed it. The endless waves of attackers were thinning out! She could finally see further out than five feet, she could see the walls of the surrounding buildings, she could see flashes of her fiancée . . .

And she could see him!

He was laughing no longer. Rather, the demon was hunched over somewhat, an expression of great strain on his features. That was it! It must have been costing the demon huge amounts of energy to keep up such a harrying attack for so long! If she could just get to him before she dropped and before he could recover . . .

Hell with holding back now!

"**Mouko Takabisha**!"

She fired all of the meager strength she had left, straight down at her feet! The chi blast slammed into the ground and washed outwards into a golden wave of destruction. Even as the force of the explosion lifted her a dozen feet into the air, it swept over a swath of the inky tendrils a dozen feet across, blowing every single one of them to ash. It would have been an ideal place to land, really, but she'd had other plans.

She'd angled the blast carefully before dropping it, so her flight had taken her over the bulk of the remaining tentacles and towards her prey. The martial artist landed poorly, her muscles failing her completely as she landed. She slammed heavily to the pavement, splashing mightily into the ink, which thankfully cushioned her fall just a bit. A second later, she scrambled to her feet, scrabbling towards Brushogun as she did. It felt like her body was running on nothing but fumes, but Brushogun didn't look any better, wheezing heavily before her.

Though she didn't spare it a glance, she heard innumerable splashes behind her, as the forest of death collapsed in on itself. Not that it mattered, there was nothing between her and her goal now!

Ranma forced one foot in front of the other, dragging her sodden feet through the ink at her feet. She might as well have been walking through lead, for how exhausted she was, but somehow she kept going. Brushogun looked at her in wonder as she approached him. Slowly, the demon stretched back up to its full height, staring down at her menacingly as she moved towards him.

"Most impressive, Saotome. I never imagined you could have gotten this far. Truly, I've underestimated you at every turn, even here, at the very end."

She smiled grimly at the admission. Her body continued to cry for release, but her mind just kept on ignoring it. It'd all be over soon, anyway, plenty of time to rest later.

"Heh, so, not a god after all, eh, Brushogun? Guess even monsters like you got limits."

The demon nodded sagely in response. "Indeed, so it appears. I must congratulate you, you've put up a mighty struggle. I am almost at the limit of my power . . .," Brushogun's sagely expression descended into a demonic grin. "Unfortunately for you, I am only '_almost_ at the limit of my power', **fool**!"

The Saotome Heir's danger sense suddenly flared to life, she prepared to defend herself from any possible attack . . .

Except she didn't get the chance. Again, she realized her mistake just after it became too late to do anything about it. She'd fallen in the ink! She was covered from head to toe in the stuff! Suddenly, and with a force beyond comprehension, her legs slammed tightly together and her arms slapped painfully to her sides. Even her breaths came in ragged gasps as it felt like a giant was pressing a massive foot down right on her ribcage. Then, completely unable to move and lacking even the spark of chi necessary to free herself, Ranma fell back to the pavement . . .

Utterly helpless . . .

* * *

Brushogun almost couldn't believe the sight . . . Certainly, he'd claimed from the very beginning that this was how it would end, but to see it actually unfolding thus, he didn't quite know what to feel. Lying on the ground before him, helpless before his power, was the female form of Saotome. All of her allies dead or defeated, her fiancée just as helpless . . . It was – It was . . .

Somewhat unsettling . . .

The demonic entity looked around again, not even sure what it was he was looking for. Some last minute cavalry, angels from on high, the charge of the light brigade? But there was nothing, innumerable police men were holding just outside the edges of his sight, but they weren't any real concern. As weakened as he was, they knew that if they made a move he'd just kill Saotome and her fiancée, then he'd be able to vanish into the night with the ease of a shadow. If he wasn't stopped here, now, he would escape and return more powerful then they could imagine . . .

So why wasn't anyone stopping him?

N-not that he _wanted _to be stopped. This was all he desired, his nemesis defeated, the world trembling at his power. He could feel his captives struggle against their bonds, but it required almost no effort to hold the exhausted Saotome and the relatively weak Tendo. It wasn't like this was the end of his story . . . though it certainly felt like it. It was just the beginning, there would be many challenges to follow, Saotome was a small fish in a vast ocean, after all, not even comparable to many of the true heroes that protected this world.

So why was he hesitating?

Wait . . . what was he even supposed to do now? He'd put so much thought into this, to creating this great climax . . . but what came after he captured the hero? The demon rubbed his chin in worried consideration. Why did this all feel so wrong suddenly, like something had gone wrong, or something was missing . . . He was fairly certain that he'd formulated an exit strategy here, hadn't it flowed directly into the next stage of his plan, the conquering the world plan?

Conquering the world? That seemed like an awfully silly idea, now that he thought about it. What on earth would he do with the entire earth? Would he be like the president or something, managing the day to day minutia of an entire planet? Could one being even maintain control over an entire planet, especially if everyone was constantly rising up against him? Why would he even want to control the whole world - he _hated _people.

Brushogun swayed slightly, suddenly grasping his forehead. What was he doing again? Hadn't there been something important that he'd been trying to do? It seemed like a dream almost, something about a painting . . . some candles . . . Why did that feel so important? Why did that seem so familiar? How did he get sidetracked onto this entire world domination thing, anyway? It sure didn't seem like something he'd do . . .

He was so very tired; all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep. Everything was so confusing, so muddled in his mind, maybe a nice sleep would make everything better. Easing himself down easily, the artist leaned forward and placed his hands on the ground. He then began to lay himself down to the pavement; for some reason the vast sea of black ink didn't register as odd to him in the least. He was almost half way there, just a little more, then he could sleep this odd dream awa-

The movement stopped abruptly, his body hanging ponderously above the dark liquid. There was something there . . . a voice. Almost a voice, calling out to him from . . . somewhere. It didn't seem to think sleeping was a good idea. He couldn't imagine why, though, sleep seemed like a good idea. He prepared to lie down once more, but the voice came back, louder this time.

It said things to him, dark things, disturbing things. Uncertain now, he cautiously pushed himself back to his feet. It was odd, now that he thought about it. He couldn't understand a word the voice was saying, if it was even using words, but he still knew perfectly was it was telling him. He didn't like what it was saying, not one bit.

Except – except the voice was getting louder now, piercing and shrill. His hands clapped over where his ears used to be, vainly trying to block out the dark howling. He tried to block it out, but it was too loud, it came from everywhere at once, assaulting him from every possible angle. Why couldn't he _stop _it? He couldn't _stand _it, the voice was crushing him, swallowing him whol-

The Demon Lord of Ink stood once more, giggling madly to himself. What was he doing again? Ah, yes, of course, that was it!

Murdering Saotome's fiancée right before her eyes!

The time of his victory had finally arrived and he couldn't even express the pent up desire that he had to kill the annoying blue haired girl. Smiling once more, Brushogun turned to regard the bound female lying on her back (as opposed to the bound female hanging from the cross). Hmm, odd, for some reason the redhead was staring at him strangely. A look somewhere between fear and confusion painted on her delicate features.

Well, hardly time to worry about something like that. "I'd like to thank you, Saotome. You've made my victory more memorable than I possibly could have imagined. Your struggle was righteous and valiant right to the end. It's almost a shame it has to end, but they say that all good things do. Now, there's only one piece of business left to finish before I shuffle you loose from the mortal coil. Don't worry, though, won't take but a second," he explained cheerfully.

With eager swiftness, the demon turned away from the bound redhead towards his next victim, towards the bound form of Akane Tendo. He could see the terror building in the blue haired girl's eyes as he gazed at her. He licked his lips hungrily, her muffled shouts only stoking that hunger. Oh! Oh, how he'd been waiting for this moment. After a full week of being insulted and criticized by this shrill shrew, the only real question was just how long he could prolong her agony before the end.

"H-hey! What . . . are you _doing_?" the question was forced out of Saotome's gasping lungs.

He turned for a moment, looking at the pigtailed girl over his shoulder. He manufactured his most malicious expression for her benefit. "Don't play coy, Saotome. You know very well what I'm about to do. Don't worry though, I'm not needlessly cruel. You'll be joining her soon enough."

Instantly, he felt the strain of her struggles triple in intensity! The demon nearly wavered at the sudden ferocity in the slight female, but managed to maintain his hold on the girl. Brushogun let out a malevolent chuckle, taking another step forward; his eyes still firmly watching the struggling martial artist behind him. Saotome's face was nearly as red as her hair, her back arching all the way out of the ink (in what looked to be an extremely painful manner) as she struggled to break her ink bonds.

"_Don't do it_! For the love of God, _don't do it_!" Saotome's cry split the night, her voice cracking in helpless anguish. Somehow, the girl found the strength to roll over and flop up to kneel on her knees. Even though her arms and legs were held immobile, she used the motion of her entire body to begin hopping herself forward.

Brushogun didn't even bother responding, he lifted his arm to the heavens above. The claws of his hand extended once more, curving and splitting into horrifyingly jagged blades that promised an agonizing end. He turned to face Akane one more. The look of terror on her face had deepened greatly and tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks as she stared back at him.

"**Brushogun**!" Saotome's shout drew his attention again. Starting to get annoyed, he turned to face her once more, his guillotine hand still held high for the killing stroke. His eyes widened slightly at what he saw, though. She was still bound as tightly as ever, but the desperate and angry expression was gone, he couldn't even identify the look on her face, but it was strangely chilling. She looked up at him and he would have sworn that she was already dead.

"I can't stop you, but I swear on my soul: if you kill her, it will be the _last _thing that you ever do." The words were delivered with a chilling finality that went against everything that Brushogun knew of the spirited martial artist. Brushogun stared in wonder for a moment, before shaking off the odd feeling.

"I appreciate your composure. The heroine should never meet their end blubbering like a child. It would be positively embarrassing. Heh, let's see just how long you can maintain that icy demeanor! Watch, helpless, and let me hear you beg!"

He turned back one final time, glaring hatefully at the crucified daughter of the Tendo clan. He raised his bladed hand higher in the air.

"No – **No!"**

He drank in the frantic cries.

"Please! . . . P-please don't!" Saotome's voice cracked painfully, he could hear the suffering in her voice clearly now. This moment just couldn't be any more perfect! But he'd dawdled enough, it was time to end it. With blinding speed, he lashed out-

"_I love her_!"

Brushogun narrowed his eyes to avoid the spray of gore . . .

Except it never came. He stared in confusion at what he saw . . . the tips of his claws were resting, perfectly still, several inches away from Tendo Akane's pale trachea. W-why wasn't she dead? He tried to push the blades forward . . . but they _would not _move! What was going on? He tried again, bringing all of his will to bear on slitting the girl's throat. His hand began to shake from the strain, but still, he couldn't move!

'He loves her.'

Huh? That voice, where had it come from? It sounded familiar, he could have sworn he recognized it . . . from somewhere.

'We loved someone as well, more than life itself.'

Still paralyzed, the demon couldn't even whip his head around to look for the source of the voice! What was it talking about? He was a _demon_! He didn't love, was utterly incapable of it. His entire existence was to bring pain and suffering and death to everyone around him.

'That's how all of this got started. Don't you remember?'

The Ink Demon fell back, clutching his head. It felt like his skull was trying to burst open! What did it mean, remember what? An image flashed through its mind, faster than it could comprehend. A painting – it had been a painting . . . A painting of a woman. Other details began to fall into place: a ceremony, candles, an all consuming blackness. And something else . . .

Something that wasn't an image, or an object, or anything that he could touch at all. It was a feeling, it swelled up in his chest when the image of the woman had crossed his mind. But what did it _mean_? What was this agonizing pain that wanted to tear his chest open for the world to see?

'This isn't what we wanted, all we wanted . . . was her . . .'

"Shut up, _shut up, __**shut up**_He slammed a hand across his head, trying to drum out the voice. This _is _what he wanted! Death and destruction, the world cowering in fear, it was everything that he existed for! He couldn't be swayed at the last minute. "No! The woman dies, _now_!"

"The **hell **she does!"

Brushogun's internal struggle was quelled instantly by the shout. Almost on instinct, he turned to face Saotome . . . only to see that the redheaded female was still bound tightly, kneeling in the center of the street. However, this time a wry smirk was plastered across the ink stained girl's face. Saotome just shook her head, her smirk growing into a full blown grin. She gestured to something behind Brushogun with a nod of her chin. "Wrong way, Brushy."

What! Brushogun turned to see what she was talking about . . .

Just in time to watch Lieutenant Uehara Daizo leap madly from the second story window above him! The officer's trench coat flared out like a pair of brown leather batwings as the old man plummeted through the air; the man's matching fedora flying right off his head. Brushogun's eyes widened in shock and incomprehension. He was still alive?

Just before the officer hit the ground and broke every bone in his body, his fall jerked to a stop about a foot above the pavement. It had been stopped by the long white hose that was wrapped around the Lieutenant's left arm and disappeared back into the window he'd just jumped out of. In a flash, he disentangled his arm from the hose and clamped his left hand over the bright red piece of metal that was firmly grasped in his right hand -

The bright red nozzle of the hotel's emergency fire hose!

"Welcome to the twentieth century, you anachronistic son of a bitch!"

"Say hello to indoor plumbing!"

* * *

Saotome Ranma nearly exploded with laughter at the sight of old man Uehara diving out the second story window of the hotel. Damn, but that old man was crazy! Before the damned ink demon even had a chance to react, the officer fired off a crude remark, then blasted Brushogun point blank with the fire hose.

The high pressure stream of water slammed into the demon's chest with enough force to knock the bastard head over heels to crash bodily to the ground. Ink and paper went flying in huge gouts in every direction as the fire hose tore the demon apart. This time, Brushogun's howls of pain were every bit reality.

"M-_mercy_!"

At the unexpected cry, the cop cut off the brutal attack. The spray of water ended to reveal the much diminished form of Brushogun, half kneeling, half groveling, with a hand held out before him to staunch the powerful stream of water. The demon was no longer the eight foot giant that had loomed over them, now he was simply a man wrapped in grayish blackish paper. He looked actually a bit like a sad, sad version of one of those mummies he'd heard so much about. Rather surprising, though, was the arm which was held out to protect the demon . . . the paper had been torn away to reveal that flesh and blood still existed beneath it, the shreds of paper hanging limply around his elbow.

Uehara smirked wildly at the sight. "Mercy is the mark of a great man, so they say."

Without warning, the old man turned on the fire hose again, battering the reeling demon back to the ground. The assault lasted for a few gratifying seconds, before the Lieutenant shut if off again. This time, it revealed a half naked man, wrapped loosely with a number of deteriorating strips of ink stained paper. One of the demon's white, empty eyes was gone completely, a pale blue eye blinked rapidly, unable to deal with even the pale light of the night.

Daizo's smirk widened into a grin. "Guess that makes me just a good man."

Brushogun let out a gasp, slowly trying to push himself back up to his hands and knees – Only to be knocked down again when Daizo suddenly cut loose on him again with the hose! This time the spray of water pummeled Brushogun until not a drop of black water filled the pavement around him for several yards. Finally, after a seeming eternity, Daizo cut off the hose again. All that remained of Brushogun was the unconscious form of an old man, withered with age and covered with bruises.

Ranma stared at the Lieutenant in shock, even as her bonds dissolved into nothing. As she slowly rose to her feet, gingerly rubbing her sore limbs, she continued to gaze at the old cop.

The Lieutenant looked back at her, still smiling, he dropped the hose then simply shrugged.

"Meh, I'm alright."

Almost immediately, at the sight of their commanding officer taking down the demon, uniformed officers began pouring out of doorways and alleys from every imaginable angle. Without any need for direction, the men immediately set about securing the unconscious form of the unconscious ink demon. Of course, Ranma ignored them completely, still laughing from the sheer insanity that was the Lieutenant.

Ranma's bark of laughter doubled, when without warning, Akane practically tackle hugged the old officer. Her fiancée planted an affectionate kiss on the old man's cheek as she continued to squeeze the life out of him. The pigtailed girl just shook her head in amusement and moved forward to join them.

"You saved me! _You_ saved me! Heh, who would have imagined, out of everyone here, that it would be _you _to save the day?" exclaimed the exasperated Tendo breathlessly.

The redheaded martial artist snickered loudly at the look on the cop's face at _that _comment. "Heh heh heh, yeah, good job, old man. Looks like you really saved the day. Of course, _**I**_ did all the real work, but I'm man enough to admit that even someone as great as _me _needs a _little _help sometimes."

"Ha! You sure coulda fooled me, _Ranko_," replied the smirking officer. The old man then shook his own head in amusement. "Still, hero or not, saving the day or not, all I know is this: there's _no way in hell_ that I'm filling out the paperwork on the mess that you _damn kids_ made of my city! C'mon, let's get out of here and find your little buddies. If we're lucky, we can get out of here fast enough that they'll have to stick someone else with filing the report."

That said, the Lieutenant disentangled himself from the giggling Akane and started angrily stomping through the gathering crowd in a seemingly random direction. Ranma chuckled to herself, the old man obviously had no idea where their friends were. Hmm, it sure felt like she was forgetting something, something really important too. Damn fight, she was so mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted, she could barely even stand.

Luckily, she didn't have to. Akane sidled up beside her, offering her a warm, comfortable shoulder to lean on. Her fiancée gazed at her warmly as she helped her to walk. "Do you still think that you aren't cut out for this hero stuff, Ranma?" she asked teasingly.

Still not able to remember whatever it was that was slipping her mind, she just shrugged it away for later. "Heh, if I ever gotta go through somethin' like that again . . . hell, I can't even think of anything funny to say to go with that . . ."

Akane shook her head, smiling sweetly. After a few more steps, the smile changed slightly, melting into what could only be described as a sly smile. "Soooo, about what you said back there . . .," she asked leadingly.

Instantly, Ranma found a hidden reserve of strength to walk on her own. Without even looking back, for fear of Akane seeing her burning red cheeks, Ranma power walked to catch up to the aimlessly stalking officer ahead of them. She bravely ignored Akane's annoyed calling of her name and fell into step beside the old man, making an effort out of not looking at _anyone_.

"Hey, Lieutenant. I ain't exactly an expert . . . but aren't we living in the twenty _first_ century now?"

"Oh, Shut up!"


	18. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Epilogue

Dark Titans - Arc 2 - Big Trouble In Little Tokyo

Epilogue

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Ranma let out a shuddering sigh as she took another sip of the hot chocolate that one of the nice officers had brought her. At the moment, the chocolaty deliciousness of the beverage overrode her desire to just dump the warm liquid over her head. She had no idea why, but she _really _liked chocolate when she was a girl. Focusing on the soothing liquid also helped to distract her from the very prominent pain in the neck she was experiencing.

She winced as the paramedic used the needle to loop another stitch into the cut on her neck.

The pigtailed girl definitely had to concede that literal pains in the neck were much more annoying than the metaphorical ones. Luckily, it was nothing serious, she didn't even remember getting it, but when it comes to the neck . . . even a centimeter deeper and she likely wouldn't have been there sipping down a steaming mug of hot cocoa.

Ranma let out another sigh, this one more out of frustration than satisfaction. Despite the fact that she was sitting in the back of an ambulance getting stitches, her metaphorical pains in the neck were still living up to their names. Ryu was laying on the stretcher opposite to her, glaring daggers the whole time. The Kumon heir had been restrained for his own safety, or so the paramedics had said, anyway. From what Ranma could see, the guy didn't look too seriously injured.

Hmm, maybe she shouldn't have explained her grand victory in _quite_ such exquisite detail to the bound boy . . . Ahh, who was she kidding? Having a captive audience had only made it all the sweeter!

Her other pain in the neck, affectionately known as her 'uncute fiancée', was pacing the street behind the open back of the ambulance. Luckily, she'd bought Ranma's line that there wasn't any more room in the ambulance for Akane, what with Ryu in there and the paramedic needing to check up on both of them. She knew it was just a matter of time . . . She could see it on her face, Akane was just _dying _to bug her about that . . . thing she'd said during the fight.

Man! What'd she been _thinking_? The second that their fathers got wind of what she'd said, and she'd be trussed up in a tuxedo faster than she could switch genders! That left her with two options; face it like a man and marry the girl, or lie her tight, toned ass off and hope that it blew over before every fiancée, rival and fledgling super villain currently spread to the four corners of the world descended on her head like a Perfect Shi Shi Houkodan.

She chuckled evilly to herself. Like _that _was a hard choice.

Her diabolical plotting was delayed, as a familiar pair of voices approached the back of the ambulance. She cocked her head to see what was going on, only to wince as the paramedic forcefully twisted her head back to where it was, muttering something under his breath about uncooperative patients. A moment later, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natsume and Kurumi wander into view. Both girls looked like hell and were wearing bulky police blankets, but at least they were conscious and mobile. The older sister wandered up to Akane and bowed weakly, even as the younger one waddled up to wrap her in a large hug.

"Thank goodness you are alright, Akane. We were so worried for your safety," said Natsume, relief in her voice.

Akane giggled weakly, still probably shaken up from the whole experience. "Worried about me? What about the two of _you_? I just got kidnapped, _you_ guy's had a whole _building _dropped on you! I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're safe!" Akane then leaned forward and wrapped the reluctant brunette into a hug as well.

The hug ended a solid minute later, when Natsume turned to look in the back of the ambulance. Her head tilted curiously as she looked over the vehicle's occupants. "Ranma, are you well?" she asked curiously.

Ranma just waved off her concern casually. "Course I am! This is _me_ we're talkin' bout here. I mean, I'm not nearly as bad off as poor Ryu here, all tied up and no place to go," she replied cheerfully.

"**Saotome**!"

Ryu began to struggle against his bindings, when the paramedic tending to Ranma quickly turned and glared at the young man. "Listen here, _sir_. If you don't stop struggling, I'll have to sedate you, and considering that you just survived having most of a city block dropped on your head, I'd hate to have to jab you with a needle thirty-five times just to make sure it actually worked."

Kumon considered those words for a moment, paling slightly, then quickly ceased his struggles. A moment later, the boy turned to look at the wall beside him, grumbling the whole time. At the same time that that was happening, Natsume quickly stuck her head into the back of the vehicle. Apparently she hadn't noticed the Kumon boy in there before, because as soon as she saw him, a sly smile grew on her face.

"Oh, my, I'm sorry, Ryu. That was terribly rude of me not to notice you there . . . strapped down to a stretcher . . . completely unable to move . . ." Hmm, on second thought, maybe sly wasn't the right word for that smile. If Ranma had to choose, she'd say the smile was positively _predatory_. A second later, Natsume hopped up into the ambulance and squeezed by her and the paramedic to sit at Ryu's side, smile growing every second.

Ranma chuckled again, at Akane's sudden outburst. "Hey! I thought you said there wasn't anymore room in there?" she barked in annoyance.

The pigtailed girl could only grin cockily, "Heh, well, there ain't _now_, 'Kane." Hmm, maybe her smirk was a bit much, judging by the stormy look settling over her fiancée's otherwise cute face. It looked like an explosion was imminent, when-

"Excuse me, Mr. Ranma . . .," Kurumi called out shyly. Immediately, all of the overactive emotions died away, as everyone turned to regard the cocooned little girl. The youngest Tendo gazed up at her with those enormous, shimmering eyes of hers, almost making her wince.

". . . Do you know where Mr. Thunder and his brother are? No one here wants to tell me where they are . . . and-and I haven't seen either of them since I woke up. You can tell me where they are, right, Mr. Ranma?" The hopeful tone in the young girl's voice caused everyone around her to suddenly begin investigating their shoes with the utmost care.

Everyone but Ranma, that was.

Akane gently gathered Kurumi up into another tender hug, a look of depression on her face that would have looked much more at home on Ryouga's. "Oh . . . oh, Kurumi. I'm _so _sorry, but . . . but they didn't make it . . . T-that giant robot . . ."

Though it didn't seem possible, Kurumi's eyes seemed to grow even larger and . . . uh, more shimmery. The young martial artist didn't seem to understand what she was hearing, and turned to face him again. Ranma was pretty sure the girl was just seconds away from bursting into tears. "Mr. Ranma . . . is that true? Are t-they really _gone_?" she asked in a voice quickly filling with sadness.

Ranma seriously considered the girl's question and how to answer it . . . before finally just shrugging.

"Feh, of course not!"

Akane gasped loudly, "_Ranma_! How could you say that? We all saw it happen with our own eyes!"

The red haired martial artist just waved a dismissive hand. "What're ya talkin' bout, Akane? All we saw was an energy blast goin' through a cloud. I didn't see nobody get hit by it, did you?" she asked teasingly. At the sudden look of shock spreading over her fiancée's face, she continued happily, "Sure, when I first saw it happen, I was shocked as hell, but after goin' over the whole thing with Ryu here, I put a little more thought into it. Think about it, from the time that Brushogun made the elevator, to the time that EVA fired, nearly twenty-four seconds went by. Do you _really _think that those two guys wouldn't notice something like an eight story positron rifle getting pointed their way in all that time?"

The hopeful expression returned to Kurumi's face, even as a confused one descended on Akane's. Behind Ranma, Natsume and Ryu were whispering something back and forth, damn, she really wished she could hear what they were saying . . . not that she was nosy or anything . . .

"But, Ranma . . . then why did the storm stop right after?" Akane asked, sounding confused.

"Because, we waited until the absolute last moment to move," answered a deep, rumbling voice.

Everyone turned in shock, except Ranma whose head was twisted back to where it was by an irate paramedic. She glared at the older man, only to receive a look which seemed to say 'that sedative offer is still open, buddy.' Needless to say, she calmed down quite quickly.

Everyone that _wasn't_ being manhandled or strapped down to a stretcher, spun around to gaze in wonder at the speaker. Standing several yards away was Thunder, the large elemental wore heavy bandages over his right shoulder, most of his arm and across at least half of his chest. The dark skinned hero was also leaning heavily onto his significantly smaller brother for support. Lightning wore a broad smile on his narrow face.

"Indeed! Were it not for our magnificent storm, Saotome would have been swatted like a gnat!-"

"Hey!"

"So, we bravely continued our assault as long as possible, for we knew that once we stopped, that mechanical abomination would not have given us another chance to start the storm anew. In that way, **Thunder **and _Lightning_ are truly the heroes of the day!" boasted the pale skinned youth.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Ranma leaned out the back of the ambulance and glared at the arrogant elemental. "Um, yeah, cept the robot _blew up _right after it shot at ya! You coulda dodged outta the way and kept the rain goin for the rest of the fight if ya did that. All you guys ended up doin was softenin him up for me, I still did all the real work!"

Thunder scratched his chin, looking a tad embarrassed. ". . . Yes, well, had we _known_ that the robot would destroy itself . . . then, perhaps, we . . . _could_ have done that . . . yes . . ."

Ranma smirked at her victory, only to have the sweetness of it stolen by Kurumi suddenly breaking out of whatever trance she had been in, and running forward to wrap her arms tightly around both brothers. Thunder winced mightily at the contact, and Lightning just started looking around uncomfortably, searching for an escape. Then, Kurumi suddenly took a step back and punched the larger boy in the (unburnt) shoulder!

"If you guys were fine this whole time, why didn't you come back before now? Do you have any idea how _worried _I was?" she demanded in a defiant, yet cute manner. Her adorable lecture brought color to both boys' cheeks, even the alabaster skinned Lightning. Whether out of embarrassment over getting chewed out by the cutest little girl in the world, or over the fact that someone had actually been concerned for them, Ranma had no idea. Eventually, Lightning just shrugged.

"Actually . . . we've been in the ambulance right beside this one the whole time. We came down here right after the attack, before any of you even awoke. We only just came out now, because we heard your conversation come to encompass us . . .," explained the pale elemental.

Ranma winced, ouch, that was gonna cost them. For some reason, girls didn't like getting all worried over nothing, no matter how good the reason-

Luckily, any further tongue-lashing was delayed, as another familiar face appeared around the corner of the ambulance. Lieutenant Daizo seemed to give everyone present a quick once over, before he finally began speaking.

"So, all you kids all right?" asked the fedora-wearing officer.

Various nods and quick affirmatives answered the old man-

"I'm **strapped** to a **stretcher**, old man! Someone get me **out of** this thing!"

Daizo considered the responses, then shrugged absently.

"Meh, close enough. Look, here, kids . . . you all did real good out there, _real good_. Every single one of you made this victory possible, and as far as I'm concerned, you're all heroes." The Lieutenant quickly turned to Akane and pointed an accusing finger at her, "Except _you_, little missie! The next time that I tell you to get to safety, you _better _listen, eh?"

The wide-eyed look of shock on the dark haired girl's face was beyond description. It looked to Ranma, that she was a second away from exploding in anger, or bursting into tears, when-

Lieutenant Uehara slapped his knee, chuckling obnoxiously. "Nah! I'm just messing with you, Miss Tendo. You got some real guts, I'll give you that. Of course, maybe next time, you won't act so damn amazed that an old man like me was the one to save the day, heh heh heh."

Everyone present winced, as Lieutenant Uehara Daizo was finally, and indisputably inducted into the Nerima family by Akane's mallet. Luckily, it was a small one, and Akane was struggling hard to maintain her look of indignant anger, even as a disbelieving smile was worming its way onto her lips.

A moment later, Daizo was back on his feet and pushing the large dent out of his favorite hat. He muttered to himself darkly, something about 'mallets', 'crazy girls' and 'the martial artists they liked'. After dusting himself off a bit, and glaring a bit more at the official Tendo girl, the officer let out another gruff chuckle of his own.

"Heh, guess I was asking for that one. Anyway, I'm not the only one that thinks you kids are heroes. The mayor wants to do a big PR thing in front of the station later tonight to honor us, or something ridiculous like that."

The whole lot of them gasped. A little surprised, though she wasn't sure why, Ranma leaned forward excitedly, "They wanna honor _us_? With a big ceremony?" she asked in disbelief.

The various confused and excited stares from everyone else surrounding her seemed to mirror her sentiments. Daizo just looked at them like they were all crazy.

"Um, yeah. You kids just saved the city, hell, probably all of Japan. Why on earth _wouldn't _they want to give you an award or something?" asked the incredulous cop.

Hmm, Ranma thought about that, looking to Akane for a moment. The dark haired girl returned her mystified glance with a mystified shrug. It seemed like a good thing to do, so Ranma shrugged too.

"Hmm, I dunno, no one's ever actually been _happy _about us tearin' up the city before. I figured just not havin to clean up the mess would be reward enough, really," she muttered quietly.

The Lieutenant rolled his eyes, probably not sure that _wasn't _enough of a reward. "Look, all I know is that the Mayor wants everyone looking nice for the photo-op, so if you kids are finished bleeding all over the place, why don't I get you guys a ride home so you can get cleaned up and changed?" he asked cordially.

Ahhh, at that moment, the thought of a hot bath was quite possibly the most wonderful thing she could ever have imagined . . . even if she would have to share it with Ryu.

"Hey! Unless you guys have all forgotten, I'm not going _anywhere_ while I'm stuck in this metal torture device!" barked the irate Yamasen-ken master.

Natsume nodded agreeably, odd smile still on her lips. "That is correct, this is quite a predicament."

Suddenly, the unarguable master of the Female School of Indiscriminate Grappling turned to the paramedic that was just now finishing up the stitches on Ranma's neck. The smile on her lips took on a look that could only be described as impish.

"Could you possibly let us _borrow_ this stretcher for the night?"

* * *

Akane let out a long sigh of contentment as she leaned lazily against her fiancé's perfectly toned arm. She noticed the pigtailed boy's body temperature rose a bit as she did, but the extra warmth was just that much more cozy. After everything she'd been through over the past week, not even the relaxing bath she'd shared with Natsume and Kurumi had been enough warmth for her, so she greedily stole the larger boy's heat for herself.

All around the table, the rest of her companion's sat. Most everyone's numerous bandages and bindings had been judiciously hidden beneath their clothing and, asides from a few band-aids covering a few cheeks, looked relatively healthy. It was pretty surprising, considering just how close everyone had come to dying.

Akane and Ranma were sitting comfortably at the head of the table. Kurumi, Natsume and Ryu were seated on the left side, while Thunder, Lightning and Mr. Saotome were lined up on the other side. At the other end of the table, her daddy was sitting, beaming with pride and relief. After hearing about the celebration that was planned, her father had been overjoyed and had nearly torn apart the house in search of something for his daughter's saviors to wear.

Kurumi was wearing one of Akane's dresses from a few years ago, a cute saffron sundress that she'd used to wear all the time. She had to admit, it looked really good on the younger martial artist. Natsume was wearing a rather fetching blouse and skirt combination borrowed from Nabiki's closet, Akane was almost a little jealous over how well the woman filled out the ensemble. Sitting moodily beside the reserved brunette, Ryu was wearing one of her father's sweaters, and a sharp pair of slacks. Beside her, Ranma was wearing his white, sleeveless mandarin shirt; it always looked so good on him that she wondered why he didn't wear it more often.

Thunder and Lightning still wore their usual outfits, but had somehow managed to clean and repair them . . . odd, that.

Despite the fact that everyone was freshly bathed and nicely dressed, the mood of the room was one of shell-shocked silence. Though their fathers looked ready to burst out in congratulations at the drop of a hat, even they seemed to pick up on the vacant gazes and somber silence as almost everyone at the table stared aimlessly into space.

She could hardly blame all of her friends, old and new. Sure, they had won, but it had been a close thing. Each and everyone one of them had faced their own mortality that day. Oddly, she was the only one not seriously affected by the fight, probably because she'd spent the entire week facing her mortality and coming to terms with the very real possibility that she could die at any moment. It was a most humbling experience . . . and the people that surrounded the table before her were not so easily humbled.

It was almost getting annoying, this heavy silence that engulfed them all. She was about to break it, when-

Suddenly her father leaned forward, a plaintiff expression on his face.

"Everyone! Please, why are you all so sullen? You've accomplished a momentous feat this day, defeating a powerful demon the likes of which we have never fought before. Now is a time for celebration! Allow me to express my gratitude for all that you have done in protecting the city and rescuing my precious Akane." Her father smiled widely and made sure to match gazes with every single warrior that sat around the table.

Before he could continue, Thunder raised a hand up to stop him. Shaking his head in humble amusement, the large teen spoke quietly. "There is no need to thank us, Mr. Tendo. We did only what was necessary. Your generosity as our host for this past week is more reward than we could possibly ask."

Ryu crossed his arms tightly across his chest tightly and nodded to himself. The young man then looked up, smirking wickedly. "Feh, as if I care about any of this reward or celebration stuff. I already got what I wanted out of all of this. So, as soon as they finish parading us around and having us kiss babies or whatever crap they want us to do, I'm out of here."

Akane gasped in shock at the boy's words. "What do you mean by that?" she asked in disbelief. Hadn't he been just as dedicated to beating Brushogun as everyone else had? And why was Natsume looking at the boy so oddly now?

The Kumon Heir just shrugged. "My Art has been restored, that's all I ever wanted out of you people. I've dedicated most of my life to the Yamasen-ken, did you really think I would give up on it that easily? I mean, did you even question _what _the odds were that I would just _happen _to wander into your neck of the woods just as a huge situation was developing?"

She saw a gamut of emotions run across Ranma's face as he considered Ryu's words, then a look of understanding suddenly bloomed. The pigtailed boy snapped his fingers loudly. "Saico-Tek! You saw the first fight on TV!"

The Yamasen-ken master nodded, looking particularly smug. "Exactly. That fight caught my attention, though just enough to make me change direction. It was the fights that followed it that really put the idea into my head. Every fight I saw, as I made my way back to Tokyo, was pushing you harder than the last. Couple that with the fact that the only back up you got was from an aging police officer with a laser pointer . . . and I _knew _that you'd jump at the chance to get some help. Of course, I had no idea that I'd get attacked by that catgirl, but really, it just made my plan work out even better."

Natsume raised a hand, looking as if she was half reaching towards the bandanna clad boy, the look on her face becoming even more unfamiliar to Akane.

". . . Ryu, is all of that true?" Natsume asked in an uncharacteristically weak voice.

The silent question seemed to catch Ryu off-guard, as if he had forgotten that the girl was sitting right beside him this whole time. Just like Ranma, a moment earlier, Ryu's face was besieged by conflicting emotions. It passed so quickly that Akane wondered if it had happened at all, but then Ryu let out a loud snort, before looking away and staring at the far sliding door.

"Hmmph. That's right. Know that I'd do _anything _to rebuild my family's dojo. I would lie, cheat or steal to get what I want . . . Is it that surprising to find out that I'd even sink so low as to help protect the innocent and save a girl I hardly knew from a powerful demon as well?" he asked somewhat sardonically.

_That_ seemed to bring everyone's racing minds screeching to a stop. That was precisely what he had done . . . wasn't it? He'd actually done the right thing for his own reasons, as opposed to just out of the goodness of his heart, like so many other heroes that she knew. C-could she possibly fault him for that?

"Ryu . . .," Natsume whispered quietly, staring at the young man with wide eyes.

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a gale of laughter from the other side of the table.

"Ha! Truly a maneuver worthy of the master of the Yamasen-ken!" bellowed Uncle Saotome uproariously. "No, not just that. Boy, I believe you've actually transcended the simplistic nature of the Noisy thief. Without even stating your demands, you've actually managed steal what you want _without stealing at all_! By using your knowledge of my son and the information offered to you by the news reports, you came up with a plan that convinced Ranma to _give _you what you wanted without even having to ask for it. Ingenious!"

It was Ranma's turn to grunt in annoyance. The pigtailed boy crossed his arms over his chest and looked to the side as well, a somewhat petulant look on his face. "Hmph, wasn't _that _ingenious . . ."

She quickly stifled the giggle that threatened to escape her lips. Uncle Saotome could be so strange at times; only he would consider exchanging fair service for something you wanted to be some kind of theft.

Again, her father silenced everyone, this time with a loud clearing of his throat.

"Very well then. Whatever your intentions were for doing so, I am still eternally grateful to all three of you young men for saving my daughter. That you are so noble as to desire no reward . . . only humbles an old man like myself!" Akane rolled her eyes as her father dramatically draped his arm over his eyes and openly wept with pride. Then, in a move so swift that anyone that wasn't his daughter would have been flabbergasted, her father suddenly switched gears and was all smiles again.

"However!" he cheered excitedly. "I have an important announcement to tell you all. Though none of you know this: while the lot of you were training so diligently, Saotome and I have been out to speak to our family's lawyer about a subject very near and dear to my heart . . ."

Ranma snorted loudly, lazily crossing his arms behind the back of his head. "You two got so desperate to join the schools, yer gettin married yourselves?"

Akane quickly covered her mouth in a feeble attempt to hold in the laugh that threatened to burst out. All around the table, snickers, giggles and full blown laughter was met by indignant sputtering before her father finally calmed everyone down again.

Glaring weakly at the pigtailed boy, her daddy took a long breath, before continuing. "As I was _saying_: Saotome and I spoke to my lawyer on this topic and, much to my joy, he told us, provided they agree to it . . . that he would begin the paperwork to adopt Natsume and Kurumi into the Tendo clan immediately!"

Dead silence hung in the air . . .

Every pair of eyes in the room was suddenly focused upon a gawking pair of speechless young ladies. Even they were staring at each other, eyes wide with incomprehension. Much to Akane's surprise, no one shouted out an alarmed interrogative, or even a gasp of surprise. It almost felt like the entire world had ground to a halt, just waiting to see what came next.

Predictably, Natsume was the first to regain her composure. Wide, shimmering eyes cooled to the crisp perfection of a mountain lake, whose stillness belied the true depths of her thoughts. The pony tailed warrior took a long breath before replying.

"Your offer is a generous one, Mr. Tendo . . . however-"

Natsume was cut off, as Akane's father leaned forward, passion in his eyes.

"Please, don't be so rash, Natsume! At the very least, stay with us for a time before you make your decision," pleaded her father passionately.

The young woman being questioned took a moment to look to her younger sister, before turning back to the longhaired martial artist, a slightly suspicious look in her eyes. What followed was the single word that was on the mind of every person present.

"Why?"

It was delivered with an undercurrent that ran far deeper than simple curiosity . . . perhaps even bitterness. Her father obviously caught the sharpness of her question and looked down in shame.

"These past months have been . . . hard for me. So many terrible things have befallen my beloved daughters . . . I've watched my two eldest abducted from right before my eyes, even as I lay helpless to stop it. Then my youngest daughter bravely ran into the very heart of danger, just to save them. To know that I came within a hair's breath of losing each of my daughters again and again lately . . . It has forced me to remember just how truly precious and tenuous family can be.

"I know, just as well as you, that I am not your true father, but since you have reappeared under my roof, I have thought continuously of our last meeting. It forced me to remember the pain of losing my dear wife, to relive the heartache of losing someone so very, very precious to me . . . It was then, that I realized just how much the two of you must have suffered. Living without a family almost your entire lives? Your only desire to find your father, purely out of love? What I have experienced lately has been only a pale reflection of what the two of you have lived through for most of your lives. And yet . . . and yet, as soon as it was convenient, I sent you on your way into an uncaring world . . ."

Everyone watched in silence as the aging martial artist drew the sleeve of his dark brown gi across his eyes, dashing his tears.

"And yet, even after I turned you away, the two of you were still compassionate enough to come to the aid of my dear Akane . . . Such noble girls you are! So please . . . please, after all you have been through, after all you have done for me, please consider my offer more carefully. A home and a loving family are the least you deserve, and the Tendo clan would be all the greater for having you."

Again, all eyes slid back to gaze on Akane's would-be – no, on her _could_-be sisters. Natsume actually bit her knuckle as she stared anxiously at her sister. For her part, Kurumi gazed back with huge, glistening eyes that bespoke of a kind of hope that even a girl her age really didn't have any right to possess anymore.

Slowly, Natsume looked up, ". . . I . . . I don't k-"

Only to be cut off by Kurumi. The young brunette glared at her sister heatedly and raised a threatening fist. "Big Sister! You'd _better_ say yes, or so help me, I'll punch you _soooo_ hard!"

The Eldest of the quasi-Tendo sisters looked at Kurumi's upraised fist and adorable glower for several incomprehensible seconds . . . Akane was starting to wonder just what the ponytail wearing girl was going to do . . .

When Natsume suddenly laughed, and laughed again! Soon, the normally cool and composed young woman was completely subsumed in a tidal wave of laughter that, were it any other girl, Akane would have called a giggle fit. It didn't last long, just enough to infect everyone else at the table with the sudden release of the palpable tension. When she finally recovered, Natsume wiped an errant tear from her eye, before sitting back up again, tiny smile hanging on her lips.

"Well, then. I suppose, for Kurumi's sake, and for the sake of my own well being, we shall . . . consider your offer further. At least for a few more days," stated the aloof woman in an amused tone.

"**Hurray**!"

Kurumi's exuberant cheer seemed to remind the rest of the people at the table that this wasn't just some soap opera they were watching through a television screen. Within moments, the room filled with chattering of congratulations and exclamations of happiness. Akane herself was more than overjoyed and shared her opinion quite freely with her soon to be sisters.

A moment later, while Natsume and Kurumi were distracted by Ryu and the other boys, Ranma leaned towards her and gently nudged her in the ribs. Slightly more curious than annoyed, Akane leaned over, noticing the wide smile on the pigtailed boy's face. When she turned to regard him, the cocky smirk just grew, and he raised a hand to the side of his mouth, as if preparing to share a great secret.

"Heh, ya know, Akane . . . I _totally_ saw this coming."

Akane rolled her eyes in bemusement before whispering back. "Oh, please, Ranma. As if _anyone_ was surprised by that."

Her fiancé's superior smirk slipped a bit. "And how the heck would _you _figure that out? You've been kidnapped this entire time, ya dumb Tomboy!"

"_Excuuse_ me? I'll have you kn-"

Their budding argument was derailed by a knocking at the front door. Before anyone even had the chance to go answer it, the sound of the door opening was heard. A moment later, the familiar form of Lieutenant Uehara rounded the corner, looking rather handsome in his full dress uniform. The police officer smiled wryly as he surveyed the circus that the living room had become in the past few minutes.

"Heh, well look at all of you. I got to admit, you kids actually clean up good, some of you actually look halfway respectable now. No, not you, Saotome, but pretty much everyone else."

Akane giggled at Ranma's indignant outburst. The Lieutenant's cutting wit was much more entertaining when it wasn't aimed in her direction. Before her human comforter had the chance to jump up and argue the point, Daizo gestured for them all to get up with a wide swing of his arm.

"Okay, okay, enough of that. If all you kids are good to go, then let's get this media circus over with. I just want to get this done with as soon as possible so I can head straight into early retirement," ordered the only halfway respectable authority figure present in the house.

With a few groans of protest mixed with excited chattering, all of the martial artist's around Akane slowly made their way to their feet. Then, in a mass exodus the likes of which she hadn't seen since the last time she waited for the bus.

As the Lieutenant started to shepherd the lot of them down the hallway and out the front door, the phone started to ring, but she left it for her father to get; after all, she had much more important things to worry about now. Just as she passed the Lieutenant Uehara, he shook his head in amusement at the situation.

"Ahh . . . Thank the gods this is all over. If I ever had to deal with another monster like that, I'd lose my mind."

* * *

Daizo waved politely to the adoring masses as he finally exited stage left. The cheers of the milling multitudes that literally flooded the streets rang through his ears as he quickly ducked behind the curtain of the massive stage that had been set up especially for this event. He almost couldn't believe how many people had come out, it had almost been like standing on an island amidst a churning sea of humanity.

As the aging police officer made his way to the stairs, he slowly removed his hat and let out a beleaguered sigh. It had been a harrowing experience, being put on display for the people of Tokyo, along with his young compatriots. He'd put on a good show of it, waving and smiling, and all of that other stuff that he usually hated to do. The kids had had an amusing array of reactions to the crowd, from smug disinterest to exuberant exhilaration.

He sighed again as he made his way down the stairs. The weight of the oversized piece of metal hanging from his neck felt more millstone than medal at that moment. Everything had been going so well too. Him and his little posse of quasi-vigilante's had gone up, waved for the nice people, and were quickly ushered off the stage . . .

Except for him.

Not far from the bottom of the stairs, waiting in the wings if you will, were his young companions. The overly wide smiles adorning their faces and the looks of laughter just barely restrained made him decide to pistol whip the first person that so much as made a _peep_!

Apparently the youths saw the stormy look on his face, and valiantly kept their comments to themselves for as long as was humanly possible for the-

"Congratulations, Mr. Commander!" cheered the overly adorable Kurumi.

Damn! Grumbling darkly to himself, Daizo discretely placed his pistol back in its holster. And with the silence broken, the laughter and cheers came in gales. Now thoroughly annoyed, Daizo flung out his arm and pointed an accusing finger at his true nemesis.

"Damnit, Saotome, this is all your fault!"

For some reason, his angry bark didn't have the effect he had hoped, in fact, it only made the pigtailed martial artist laugh all the harder. Now using his fiancée for support, Saotome struggled to form words around the wheezing laughter.

"W-what's wrong, heh heh heh, _Commander_ Uehara? I mean, it's not every day that you get made the Head Honcho of Tokyo's brand spankin' new Super-Normal Defense Force!"

The Commander groaned at the violently unnecessary reminder of his esteemed new position. He'd wanted nothing more than to get _out _of this insanity, and now he was mired in deeper than he imagined was even possible. Hell, he didn't even know why they had picked him, he'd just fluked his way through the entire mess. The only reason that he had even gotten saddled with the case was because he just _happened_ to be the last cop standing when Saotome had made his not so grand entrance onto the scene of that first battle.

Still, duty was duty, you couldn't exactly say 'no' to the Mayor of Tokyo. Of course, as they say: misery loves company.

"And it's not every day that you're made my second in command, Saotome. You got me into this mess, so there's no way in hell that I'm letting you leave me holding the bag," Daizo barked back in the least angry tone he could manage.

The pigtailed boy's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"_Me_?" he asked in shock.

"**Him**?" Ryu asked, even more shocked.

The Commander smirked and shrugged. "Meh, it's union rules, Saotome showed up first, so he's got seniority." He then turned back to face the shocked Saotome. "So, what do you say, Special Agent Saotome? Do you think you've got what it takes?"

Everyone turned to regard the amusing sight of Ranma being put on the spot like that. The young man hemmed and hawed for a moment, "Um, I dunno, I mean, I am still in school and stuff, ain't that gonna be a problem?"

Daizo shook his head, his smirk growing into a smile. "Well, of course you'll _all_ still be going to school. You can't become a police officer, even a special agent, without a good education. However, that's no reason that you can't get on the job training after school and on the weekends. And, did I mention the fact that the Tokyo Police Force provides excellent scholarships for people that save the city?"

Natsume perked up noticeably at that fact, she quickly took a step forward, dragging her younger sister with her. "You – you mean that you would provide the money for Kurumi to get a proper education?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded, quite happy with himself. Sure, there wasn't _actually _a police scholarship program for people that saved the city, but he'd damned well make sure that there _would be_. While Saotome and his fiancée were both currently enrolled in school, Daizo was well aware that both of the not-quite-Tendo girls, and Kumon for that matter, had almost no access to a formal education due to being on their own their whole lives. After all they had done for the city, providing them with that basic necessity was the least that the city of Tokyo owed them.

"That's right, from basic tutoring all the way up to university if you want. And that goes for you two as well," he stated, indicating Natsume and then Ryu.

Even as the pony tailed young woman looked ready to start shedding tears of joy, Ryu looked taken aback at the notion.

"Me? Why on earth would I want to go back to school? And what makes you think I want to join this foolish defense force of yours anyway?" asked the slightly irate bandanna wearing martial artist.

"What? After that fuss you put up about Saotome being second in command? I figured you'd jump at the chance to join up."

Kumon shrugged, even as he turned his back to the gathering. "What do I care about that? I've got the Yamasen-ken back. Now I can finally restore the Kumon family dojo."

"Kind of hard to build a dojo with no money, isn't it?" The Commander asked leadingly. He nearly chuckled as the young man suddenly turned back, an appraising look in his eyes. The interrogative look on the Kumon boy's face was all the prompting he needed to continue.

"Now, I'm not saying that rebuilding your family dojo isn't important, but wouldn't it be easier to do if you actually had a steady income? And wouldn't a good education help you attract students when you finally did reopen your dojo? After all, what's the rush? You're still young, I bet there's still a lot more that you'd like to learn and do before you settled down and finally started teaching others, isn't there?"

Ryu seemed to consider this very intently. Slowly, almost infinitesimally, a small smile started to worm its way onto the young man's face. ". . . You _do _have a point. I wouldn't exactly say these past few weeks have been fun, but they have shown me both how much I can still improve, as well as how much I still need to . . ." The bandanna clad boy's gaze discretely slid over to encompass certain nearby martial artist and the smile quickly doubled in size. "I suppose it wouldn't _kill _me to stick around the area for a time and . . . see how things develop."

A certain nearby martial artist blushed a very pale pink, but definitely didn't seem to mind the idea. On the other hand, another, shorter martial artist turned green at the very idea and started making gagging sounds behind the other martial artist's back.

The Commander smiled smugly to himself. Well, with a little guilt tripping and outright bribery, it appeared that he now had a solid core to build his new Super-Normal Defense Force around. Of course, this was just the beginning. Their victory had been far too close of a thing to relax over; when the only thing that tipped the balance in their favor had been an old man with a firehose, it was abundantly clear that relying completely on a small group of martial artists just wouldn't cut it in the future. No, it was a good start, a very good start, but he had a _grand _vision forming in his mind already.

And now that he had his core of Japanese citizens accounted for, he finally turned to the two elementals, whom had been watching with interest this whole time. "Heh, I don't suppose you two have visas to work in this country, do you?" he asked jokingly. It'd be a lot of paperwork, but if it could be done, these two boys would be an invaluable resource. Though Thunder and Lightning lacked the skill and talent of Saotome and his team, their raw power outstripped all of the martial artists combined. Add to that their ability to fly unaided . . . yes, valuable indeed.

If they were interested, anyway.

Thunder shook his head apologetically. "I am afraid not, though we rarely ever worry about such . . . mundane facts, we have only Vietnamese and American citizenship. And we don't carry any of the paperwork that would be required to get a . . . a . . . what did you call that again?"

Daizo waved off the question, chuckling wryly. "Don't worry about it. But, you know, I-"

"It matters not!" Lightning burst into the conversation with stark suddenness, not terribly unlike his namesake. "Now that we have accomplished our goal here, saving you all from the demon Brushogun, it is time for us to depart!"

The large, dark skinned elemental nodded. "It is true, after defeating the demon, it has become obvious that his was not the terrible power which we have been tracking. We must keep trying to find out what is the source of this great . . . unrest, which seems to be blanketing the natural world."

A loud sniff from Kurumi garnered the attention of the group. "You mean – you mean that you're leaving now?" she asked sadly.

Lightning quickly looked up and away, feigning disinterest as his brother stepped forward and dropped to a knee, opening his arms wide to envelope the comparatively tiny girl. A moment later, he pushed her to arm's length and gifted her with a gentle smile. "Worry not, Miss Kurumi. I doubt our search will take too great a length of time. And if we come across the Titans once more in our search, then we shall get communicators of our own, so that we may keep in touch with you through Ranma's."

Kurumi sniffed again, before nodding sadly. "Okay, as long as you promise that you won't be away too long. And you _better _call." The young woman then playfully punched the larger boy in the arm.

Ranma chuckled loudly. "Heh, well, at least come back to the dojo and hang out some before you take off. I don't think Mr. Tendo would ever forgive you if you guys just took off without say goodbye. Heck, I'm surprised he didn't try to adopt you guys too, just to get a complete set."

Everyone laughed for a few moments, before calm descended on the group once more. It was Akane's turn to break it this time. "Well, why don't we all head home now, then? I think the celebration will go fine without us here now, don't you?" she asked teasingly.

As one, the entire group began to move again, heading back to the waiting police wagon that had brought them all over. Damn mayor couldn't skimp for a limo, apparently. As they walked, Daizo found himself beside a proudly smiling Saotome. The pigtailed youth turned to face him.

"Ya know, I think this police thing might actually work out . . . Of course, I do have one condition concerning the Teen Titans . . ."

The Commander just waved off the concern. "We'll worry about details later, now it's time to relax, preferably at a place where there aren't ten thousand people screaming their hearts out."

Ranma nodded, before stepping up into the back of the van. Daizo was just about to join him . . . when he stopped for a moment, turning back to the massive stage behind them. You know, now that he thought about it . . .

All that cheering really _did _feel kind of nice . . .

* * *

Genma smiled with pride as he watched his only son go through an agonizingly slow, yet beautifully perfect kata in the darkened interior of the dojo. The sun had long since set and the lights were off, leaving the boy to practice in near complete darkness . . . but the blackness didn't hinder his son in the slightest! How proud the boy made him, practicing so diligently, even after all of the other children had long since gone to bed for the night.

All of Tendo girls had been exhausted after the long day and the emotional departure of the two young storm gods, and had gone to sleep relatively early. The Kumon boy had lasted a little longer, sparring some with Ranma, but he'd quickly lost interest as well, possibly still bothered by his injuries. But here, now, his son, his Ranma, continued to train, continued to better himself. Even though his boy had fought longer and harder than any of the others, had very nearly defeated the demon with his bare hands, he still had the energy and drive to keep going.

Genma had never been prouder.

Silently, he turned to the man at his side, to his lifelong friend, and nodded once. Soun nodded back, a proud, yet serious expression on his face. As one, they pushed off from the wall and approached the pigtailed prodigy just as his kata was coming to a close. As soon as the boy finished, the serene look that had been painted onto his features dissolved away, revealing the cocky and carefree smirk that was so very much at home on his son's face.

"You two are up pretty late, aren't ya? And still sober, no less. Are you guys sure yer alright?" asked Ranma jokingly.

Ranma's laughing manner died away as he noticed the serious looks on his and Soun's faces.

"We need to speak to you, boy," Genma stated solemnly.

Soun nodded, running his fingers down the length of his chin. "Indeed, Ranma. It is a matter of grave importance, and it concerns you and Akane directly."

The boy shrugged easily. "So what is it? If it's another crazy match-up scheme, then forget it. I ain't in no mood for that kinda junk right now, old man."

Genma took a half step back, allowing Soun to take the spotlight. The longhaired martial artist simply shook his head, before replying.

"No, Ranma, nothing like that. There is . . . no easy way to work up to it, so I'll simply come out and say it. Ranma . . . I intend to name Natsume and Kurumi as the heirs to the Tendo Dojo."

"**Wha**-_mph_!"

The bespectacled martial artist quickly clamped his hand over the boy's mouth to silence his startled outburst. He held it there for a moment, until the look in his son's eyes told him that he was done trying to wake the entire household. A heated look still lingered in Ranma's eyes, which was directed solely at the Tendo patriarch.

"What the heck are you talking about, Mr. Tendo? What about me an- um, what about Akane? Does that mean you ain't joinin' the schools no more?"

"No, no, boy. None of that is changing. The schools shall still be combined, and you and Akane will still have an inheritance. However, I believe that Natsume and Kurumi are both disciplined and talented enough that the Tendo Dojo would surely flourish beneath their expert teaching," Soun explained briefly.

Ranma cocked an eyebrow, an expression that Genma had never really seen his son use before his trip to the United States . . . it didn't seem very manly the way his boy did it. "Hmph, so what's the catch then. If you two are still so set on me marryin' Akane, then where are we supposed to teach?"

Genma smiled broadly and clapped a hearty hand against his son's shoulder. Not quite speaking loud enough to wake the whole house, he exuberantly exclaimed, "Ha! Why, you'll be inheriting the _Saotome _Dojo, boy."

His excited declaration was met with an equally deadpan stare. "Pop, there ain't no Saotome Dojo."

He waved off the boy's concerns, still smiling widely. "Don't be silly, boy. Of course there isn't a Saotome Dojo . . . _yet_! That's why we have to build one. At least in this case, your dogged stubbornness actually helps us, since it means we likely have some time to design and build a truly proper dojo."

"Are you crazy, old man? Where the heck are ya gonna get the money to do something like that? I don't think sweeping up after Dr. Tofu is gonna pay for something like that," barked the boy incredulously.

It was Tendo's turn to step in, smiling widely now as they unveiled their plot. "Well, that is true. However, your father was recently offered a new and much more prestigious job. Perhaps you remember the phone ringing just as you left for the ceremony earlier today?"

Ranma nodded uncertainly, even as Genma's chest swelled with pride.

"That phone call was from the Chief of Police. On behalf of the formation of the new Super-Normal Defense Force, he asked Saotome and myself to become combat instructors for the new task force. Since you and your friends would either be in school, or on duty, they wanted people that could provide training in a full time capacity. Unfortunately, my current obligations didn't allow me to take the offer, but Saotome was more than eager to."

The Elder Saotome nodded, beaming widely. "Indeed, boy. You're looking at the official martial arts instructor for the Super-Normal Defense Force. Between our three incomes, we'll be able to put up a dojo in no time!"

That brought the boy up short. "Huh? . . . _Three_ incomes? What the heck are ya talking about? Is Mr. Tendo gonna help out too?"

Soun shook his head in amusement. "No, Son. He was referring to his income as an instructor, your income as an officer . . . and the funds which Nabiki has been secretly sending to you to help provide for our family," he explained with a knowing smirk.

Immediately, Ranma started to sweat nervously, everything about the boy's body language screamed that he was about to start lying through his teeth. "W-w-what? I – I don't know what yer talking about, Mr. Tendo . . . Heh . . . I mean, what makes you think I've been talkin' to Nabiki, and why the heck would she be sendin' me money?"

Both of the much more experienced men shook their heads at the pathetic sight of Ranma nervously rubbing his hand through the hair at the back of his head while chuckling nervously. Soun clucked his tongue several times.

"Please, Ranma, give us some credit. I know that my daughters' disappearance has weighed heavily on me lately, and that, perhaps, I have been neglecting my responsibilities as the head of this house, but my mind has not completely abandoned me. Despite the fact that Nabiki had selflessly taken on all of the responsibility of maintaining the house's finances and the paying of the bills, it was still my bank account that the money came from to pay those bills.

"It took me some time, but did you think that I wouldn't notice that no money has been leaving my account, and yet the lights are still on and the water is still running? Since no one else in this house brings in nearly enough to pay for all of those utilities without me, it was obvious that the money was coming from somewhere else."

Soun broke off suddenly, using his sleeve to dash tears which threatened to form in his eyes.

"To think, even though my beloved Nabiki has abandoned her family to a life of crime, that she still endeavors to meet her responsibilities. It fills my heart with great happiness to know that even though she has left us in body, she is still with us here in spirit."

Ranma rolled his eyes, muttering very quietly to himself. "Sheesh, ain't like she's dead or nuthin'. . ."

Genma clapped the boy on the shoulder again, still smiling. "So, as you can see, us 'old men' are still too clever for the likes of you, boy. Maybe someday, far in the future, you'll gain even a fraction of our accumulated wisdom, Ha!"

"Yeah, just can't _wait_ for _that _to happen," the boy muttered darkly. Ranma then raised his hands into the air, as if waving off the entire discussion. "Like I care, Old Man. None of this junk is my concern, since I _ain't _marryin' the Tomboy anyway. Only thing that _I _know, is that I sure as heck ain't gonna be the one that tells Akane about this _plan _of yours. In fact, let me know when you're gonna, so I can make sure I'm visitin Ryouga over in America that week."

The expression of stark panic that descended on Soun's face at the boy's declaration was quite a sight to see, but Genma knew that it would all work out in the end. After all, it was obvious that his boy was going to end up marrying the girl. All of the boy's other fiancée's had vanished, and the Ranma didn't even talk to any other girl in Japan. As long as Soun and Genma stayed the course, their plan would succeed by default!

"Yes, yes, boy, you keep telling yourself that." Genma then laid a companionable arm over the shoulder of his distressed friend and began to turn them back towards the dojo door. "Well, we'll let you get back to your training. You make your father proud with this tenacious dedication to the art!"

Ranma made a quick double-take.

"Huh? Training?" Ranma mused openly. "What're ya talkin' bout? I'm just killin time."

The pigtailed martial artist pulled a small, amazingly thin cell phone out of his pocket without warning. The boy looked at the LCD screen on the small device before nodding silently to himself. Ranma then looked up at them, smirking arrogantly. "In fact, it's about that time right now. Sorry, Pops, but I gotta go. I'm expectin a call from someone actually _worth_ talkin' too, heh."

With that, the widely smiling boy strutted proudly out of the dojo . . .

Leaving a very confused pair of men staring after him.

* * *

"-nd _then_, after I've done _that_, I'm gonna _stomp _on 'em!"

Ranma smiled widely as the miniature face of Raven winced harshly at his rather vivid description.

"Don't you think that's just a little excessive? I mean, it's not even like you were the one to actually open the gift . . . That, and I doubt you could actually be _that _cruel to your best friend, or Beast Boy and Cyborg for that matter," she replied with a knowing smile on her inviting lips.

He rolled his eyes and grumbled in annoyance. "Sheesh, Rae, how many times do I gotta tell ya? Me an Ryouga ain't best friends, we ain't even friends. We're _rivals_! That means we get to beat the tar outta each other whenever we feel like it."

Raven's eyes twinkled mischievously as she gazed back at him via the communicator. In a very familiar fashion, the corner of the young woman's mouth quirked up into an annoying smirk. "You just keep telling yourself that, Ranma. And, please, for the last time: Don't Call Me _Rae_."

"Heh, yer on the other side of the planet, _Rae_, whatcha gonna do about it?" he taunted teasingly.

The young hero's eyes narrowed, "I could hang up on you."

A bark of laughter actually escaped from his throat and Ranma stared around frantically, expecting a horde of angry fiancées to descend on him any second. When it became apparent that his minor outburst hadn't awoken the rest of the house, he returned his attention back to the communicator.

"Yeah, right, Rae. You know ya love talkin' to me, you ain't gonna hang up."

A stubborn expression formed on the violet haired girl's tiny face for a moment, as if she was contemplating doing just that . . . but then it dissolved into a resigned smile.

"No, no I suppose I '_ain't_' going to hang up on you. Though, I do wish you would work on your English, your pronunciation is just atrocious."

"Hey!" he barked indignantly. "I talk English just as good as I talk Japanese after all that crammin' that Cologne forced us ta do. Not ta mention all the classes and stuff that me an' 'Kane have been takin' since we got back!"

For some reason, his virtual companion groaned weakly. She rubbed her tiny temples for a moment before taking a deep breath and continuing. "_Anyway_ . . . don't you think that kind of violence is a bit much for a silly prank?"

Ranma replied with the flattest stare that he could possibly produce. "Raven, those three _jerks _got me a freakin' _mechanical kitten_! I swear, those guys are **monsters**! What I said I was gonna do would just be for starters."

Raven just stared back, a little on the nonplussed side, so he soldiered forward.

"Heh, still, I totally called it when you guys sent all that stuff to us. As soon as I heard it was from the three stooges over there, I knew it was gonna be something gadgety, something fuzzy, or something that was gonna hurt me. I _still _feel terrible for getting Kurumi to open it for me, God only knows how freaked out she musta been when that mechanical abomination jumped out at her!" he exclaimed.

Again, Raven rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ranma, I'm sure she was positively _traumatized_ by the harmless T-Kitten 2000."

Hmm, if it weren't for the fact that the young woman's words were so completely factual, Ranma would have sworn she was being sarcastic. He couldn't imagine the horror of opening a package to find one of . . . one of _t-t-those_ inside . . .

He shook his entire body to rid himself of the horrid mental image.

"Well, I guess I'll have to let Cyborg off the hook. Hey, when did you say he was comin' over again?" he asked, glad for a change in topic.

Raven tapped a delicate finger to her bottom lip for a moment, trying to recall it herself. "Oh, yes. He said it would take him at least three days to get together all of the equipment to install a suitable security and defense system in the Tendo Household. He told me to assure you that it would be . . . ugh, that it would be 'so totally technologically tremendous, that it would completely blow your mind' . . ."

The pigtailed boy sniggered at her feeble imitation of her cybernetic friend. "No doubt, no doubt. Course, I ain't up on that technology stuff, so it's not like it'd take much. Still, it's pretty awesome of you guys to help me out like this again. I mean, I ain't got _no _chance of keepin' my identity secret after that last fight."

And, not that he would tell even Raven, though she was pretty much the only person he trusted to talk about anything to, Nabiki had already left a quick message earlier in the night saying that Gizmo was going to covertly drop some countermeasures around his mother's house as well, on the off chance that someone found out about her after they'd tampered with her records. He had to admit, Nabiki was at least as key to his crime fighting success as the Titans were, it was the least he could do to keep that fact on the down low for the mercenary woman.

Raven waved off his gratitude with a graceful wave of her hand. "Again, it's the least we can do. We are indirectly responsible for your current problems, so helping you protect your family is just common sense. I'd like to say that hopefully he won't go overboard . . . but this is Cyborg that we're talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if your dojo had laser cannons popping out of its walls by the end of the week."

Hmmmmm . . . _that _was an interesting though. Having the dojo filled with lasers and deathtraps, it'd be like his very own personal . . . um, personal room of dangers! If he could get Cyborg to set that up for him, man, he'd be back on top in no time! Of course, the idea of a house full of security measures programmed to protect him also brought another errant thought to mind.

"Heh, I'm probably gonna need all those security measures over the next few weeks. Akane's been hounding me all night, tryin to get me to fess up to sayin that I loved her durin' that big fight. She can be pretty cute when she tries, but trust me, Rae, if she doesn't get her way, she's gonna start goin on the warpath, you can bet on that," he explained morosely.

Still, an Akane on the warpath was something he could deal with. An Akane that was aware of his real feelings . . . that was an unknown. He had no real idea if she felt the same way, if she would return his feelings. And that didn't even count the hell that their fathers would cause if they caught wind of it . . . No, it was just easier this way.

His eyes traveled back down to gaze at the exotic looking beauty speaking to him from half a world away. The impish smile on her lips, all the more intriguing for its rarity, made him smile a bit himself, despite the trouble he was literally dumping into his own lap.

"Does that mean that you _did_ say that you loved her during the fight?" asked the violet eyed lady.

". . . Um, well, it's complicated, ya know? It was a real hectic fight, and a whole lotta stuff was goin on. What with the demon and Goku and all of that other stuff, really, what I may or may not have said durin' all that craziness ain't really here nor there . . . is it?" he asked/stated tenuously.

For a moment, it looked like Raven was going to go in for the kill after his weak deflection, but then her expression softened and she obviously took pity on him. "I'll _grudgingly _admit that it was a very pitched battle. I suppose that if you're not ready to admit certain things to certain people, who am I to question? I just want you to know that I'm very proud of you. You handled the entire situation, from start to finish, like a true Titan. I honestly don't know if even _I _could have done as well, despite the fact that I'm _soo_ much more powerful than you."

He knew she was just baiting him, since she _knew _how much he hated it when she mentioned that fact, but, as usual, he tore into the bait like a shark. "Yeah, right. Why don't you just come over with Cyborg and we can put that little delusion of yours to rest, but good."

"I'd love to. Unfortunately, the T-Ship is going to be filled to capacity with equipment, so I'll have to pass." Raven's cocky smirk (which Starfire told him was almost unheard of before he dropped by) dissolved into a softer, warming smile. "Still, whether you admit it or not . . . Akane is lucky to have someone as courageous as you."

"Heh, heh, yeah, we'll see if she thinks that over the next week, or whether she punts me over to America first."

Raven actually giggled, though it was quick and quiet. She then shook her head, her silky hair swaying alluringly from side to side. "You know, Ranma, no matter how many times we speak, I just can't figure you out. You have the woman of your dreams sleeping in the very next room, the life of whom you've just saved this very day. I'm no expert on these things, but in all the novels I've read, damsels recently delivered from distress tend to be extremely grateful . . . and yet here you are, whiling away the night speaking to some dreary girl half a world away . . . why is that?"

That brought the pigtailed boy up short. It was such a simple question, but his mind drew a complete blank when he tried to answer it. Really, he'd 'delivered Akane from distress' plenty of times, and she'd never seemed extremely grateful before. Maybe Raven just read trashy romance novels? Still . . . even before everyone else had gone to sleep, he'd already been thinking about, no, looking forward to Raven's call. It hadn't even occurred to him to do anything _but _spend the wee hours of the morning speaking to the girl.

A vaguely confused and uncharacteristically serious expression settled on his features as he looked back at the violet-eyed beauty.

"I . . . I really don't know . . ."

* * *

A vaguely confused and uncharacteristically serious expression settled on the pigtailed boy's features as he looked down at the small, circular device in his hand. Several long moments passed, before the boy shook his head, as if dismissing some errant thought. Then, without missing a beat, the young martial artist began talking animatedly to the person on the other end of the communication, smiling and gesticulating energetically . . .

A line of static rolled down the screen, causing the image to flicker for a moment.

The scene presented on the monitor then switched to a different scene, this one of the pigtailed warrior's earlier battle with the demon, Brushogun.

The figure shifted his attention away from that particular monitor, scanning across the massive bank of screens that were scattered across the arching wall before him. Video feeds from around the world were currently being displayed for him. He gazed at each monitor in turn, trying to cull as much information about each of the people as he could. Their current locations, their current endeavors, their personalities, dispositions and capabilities . . .

In another monitor, a young man, looking very similar to the Saotome boy save for a checkered bandanna, knelt before an achingly familiar statue. A look of intense concentration was carved into the boy's features, much like the stone that he studied so furiously.

Another screen displayed a lithe, female figure leaping gracefully from one rooftop to the next. Her movements were a poetry of motion as she flowed forward with careless abandon. Though it meant less than nothing to him, another figure followed her, struggling desperately to match her effortless pace while wearing a sleek, though obviously cumbersome pack on his back.

The screen next to that one showed almost a complete reversal of the last scene. In this one, it was the lithe, young female that was following the male figure. This male also carried a sack, though this one was by no means sleek, literally overflowing with . . . questionable content. The pink haired girl was doing her very best to keep pace with the ancient master . . . and stay one step ahead of the mob of women that chased after them.

Several monitors below that one, a young woman wearing her brunette hair in a short, yet stylish cut was standing in front of a table, speaking to a group of people that were off screen. The Japanese girl was wearing a dark green bodysuit and appeared to be explaining a large diagram to the people off screen.

Another video feed revealed an aerial view of a vast forest. Though it was hard to distinguish through the dense canopy, the camera was clearly following the progress of a lone male. From this distance, it was impossible to make out any fine detail, only one thing made itself obvious . . . the strangely shimmering vest they young man wore.

Yet another monitor displayed an underwater scene. This one, too, was from an obvious distance, but the details were much easier to make out. It showed a young man, wearing a spandex uniform of blue and black. The youth's flowing black hair floated in the current behind the young man, almost like a living entity.

The final screen that drew the figure's attention didn't present anyone at all. It was a very pleasant presentation of some foreign countryside. The only notable landmark was a lone, towering mountain far in the distance . . .

The figure let out a long, tired sigh. His exhaled breath filtered through the small slits of his mask, or, at least it should have . . . He found that he was having trouble breathing lately . . .

He dismissed the unproductive thought. Again, he began to scan the vast bank of screens. Studying, analyzing . . . searching for what he needed. There was so very much that he needed to do, so very many things that were crucial to his plans. And that didn't include those very certain tasks that he had to complete for . . . others, but he still had time before those came to pass. Unfortunately, his time was quickly running out.

The figure let out another weary, empty sigh.

"Promises to keep . . . promises to keep . . ."

"And miles to go, before I sleep . . ."


	19. This Ain't A Scene Chapter 1

Dark Titans - Arc 3 – This Ain't A Scene...

Chapter 1

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

With one last nostalgic glance to the receding forms of Ryouga and Kasumi, Cologne entered the airport. With only a minimum of effort, she found her way to the ticket booth and presented her ticket to the young woman that staffed it. She was running very late, but she was certain that she would be able to get boarded . . . even if she had to use some unorthodox methods to do so.

"I'm sorry, but this ticket has been cancelled," replied the young woman.

Yes, for someone of her skill, not to mention her age, getting aboard a plane shouldn't be a problem . . .

Wait a moment.

She turned to face the attendant, the girl's words finally catching up to her. "Excuse me?" she asked icily. The girl shuddered slightly at her demeanor, but handed back her ticket with a shaky hand regardless.

"T-t-this ticket, it was – it was cancelled, just a few hours after it was purchased. Certainly you would have known about that . . . w-w-wouldn't you?" asked the uncertain youth.

The ancient elder pinned the girl with her glare, causing the poor attendant to cringe pitifully. "And **who** may I ask cancelled this ticket?" she asked harshly. The young woman looked about to faint from terror, when a voice interrupted them.

"I believe that I may be able to answer that."

Cologne turned with refined dignity to face the woman that now stood behind her. She appeared to be in her late twenties, early thirties; slightly tall, and of Asian ancestry, perhaps . . . The young woman wore her raven hair short and swept back. Her face held a cold expression as she looked down at Cologne. The woman's outfit consisted of an artfully crafted ebony suit, but one that, to Colognes' trained eye, possessed a number of small alterations that would allow for a greater freedom of movement.

Hmm, yes, just by looking at the girl, Cologne could tell she was a martial artist, and a skilled one at that. She chuckled quietly to herself; this could be interesting.

"So, pup, I'm certain that you have some good reason for delaying my trip," she uttered in a serious voice.

The woman bristled slightly at the 'pup' reference, but restrained herself. "Indeed, if you would come with me, I would speak with you in private." asked the young woman. Her voice was hard, but obviously the girl seemed to know enough not to actually make any demands in her position. Cologne could sense she was very skilled, but this youth was a hundred years too early to even consider being a threat to her.

"Very well, I look forward to your explanation."

The woman nodded, and began to lead them towards the back of the airport, where the planes were being loaded. As they walked, the woman began to speak again.

"My name is Wu-san Sandra, though my contemporaries call me Lady Shiva," said the woman, finally introducing herself. "And you are Cologne, an elder of the nearly legendary Joketsuzoku village hidden within the mists of China. Frankly, I had not thought the legends true myself, but your recent activities in America have changed that opinion."

Cologne shrugged, unconcerned. The village did nothing to promote its existence, the less people that knew of it, the safer they were, considering their more archaic laws. "Ah, so you cancelled my ticket in hopes that I would teach you a few tricks while I was still here? Or perhaps you wish to challenge me, to "prove that you're the greatest warrior"?" she asked in a mocking voice.

Their walk soon led them out of the airport completely and onto the tarmac of the runways.

Again, Lady Shiva (what a silly name) bristled at her mocking words.

"Hardly, I've trained under masters greater than the likes of you. However, my current employer has taken a great interest in you and your village. He wishes to meet with you personally to discuss some matters of business."

Well, that piqued her curiosity. What businessman could possibly be interested in a tiny village of martial artists located on the far side of the planet? Her curiosity inflamed further, as their impromptu tour of the airport ended, leaving them standing before a very extravagant personal jet.

"And who, may I ask, is this mysterious employer of yours?" she asked, interested to see where this was going.

The woman smiled for the first time that night, though it was a bit of a feral smile. "A concerned industrialist, you may even have heard of him in your short time in America . . ."

"His name is Lex Luthor."

* * *

Cologne let out a pleased sigh as she leaned back into the leather of her warmed seat. Even the jaded matriarch had to admit that the level of comfort afforded to her in this private jet was leaps and bounds beyond the first class flight that Nabiki had chartered for them several weeks earlier. She had a cup of some of the finest tea she had tasted in over a decade balancing perfectly on her lap. A devilishly handsome young man lingered in the corner of the cabin, his only purpose appearing to be to fulfill her any and every whim for the duration of the flight. To top it all of, the soothing sounds of Chinese flutes were filtering through the air, flowing forth from the planes hidden speakers.

Unfortunately, as enjoyable as the journey itself was, the reading material left much to be desired. Running down the center of the opulently decorated cabin was a low, intricately carved and lovingly stained coffee table. Strewn across the surface of said table was a wide selection of magazines and newspapers set out for her reading pleasure . . .

Even her age addled mind was able to quickly connect the common theme plastered across the face of each and every publication:

"Lex Luthor, Philanthropist of the Year"

"Mr. Luthor donates millions to feed the starving in Africa."

"Lexcorp breakthrough could save millions of lives."

"Lex Luthor begins construction of much anticipated Lexor City"

Cologne's eyes narrowed dangerously as she dropped the half read magazine in her hand back to the table . . . not because of the Lex-centric nature of the publications, but in disgust at the fashion article that she had just read.

She would forever curse the French for creating the Beret! Why, or why hadn't she put a stop to it while she had still had the chance? The wizened matriarch sighed regretfully, before relegating the thought back to the list of her life's many regrets . . .

A moment later, she perked right back up. While it was obvious that reading was unlikely to be very rewarding, she did have another source of entertainment handy. Though it was more of Happi's past time than her own, baiting brash, arrogant youths was _always_ enjoyable. Cologne's eyes slid across the cabin to where her impromptu guide was sitting, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

The crossed arms were a strong signal that this _Lady Shiva_ was not in the mood to talk, though the fact that the girl had sat as far away as possible without depressurizing the plane was also a pretty good hint as well. Cologne suppressed an evil chuckle; that just made her want to nettle the young warrior all the more.

Apparently the youth could feel the gaze upon her, because she quickly looked up and shot an angry glare Cologne's way. It was a good glare, the Joketsuzoku had to admit, and had probably ended many a conversation in its time. Unfortunately, Cologne was not so easily cowed.

"So, Child, what style of martial arts is it that you practice?"

Rather predictable, true, but really, she had no other interest in the girl at all. Maybe the child would even be good for a laugh, studying martial arts flower arranging or some such foolishness.

"None of your business, Old Woman," came the curt reply.

'Oh hoh!' Cologne's eyes veritably twinkled with amusement as her level of interest jumped several notches. Nearly every young warrior that she knew always declared the martial arts they practiced proudly, the more silly the art, the prouder they boasted. For this child to hide her fighting style, it led her to some interesting conclusions . . .

"True enough, true enough, but please, humor an old woman. It is a long flight and a little conversation will help the time pass more quickly."

Lady Shiva's icy features actually cooled further, which was an impressive feat, even by Cologne's standards.

"My current assignment is to escort you to Metropolis, not to _amuse_ you."

An odd expression settled on the young woman's face for a moment; half scowl, half . . . something else. Ah hah! That was it! Really, she should have recognized it earlier after having spent so much time around Hibiki Ryouga. The look on Lady Shiva's face was a rather unique mixture of resentment and jealousy.

_Now _the pieces were beginning to fall into place. She had thought the youth simply impudent, but it went beyond that. The younger warrior was obviously skilled, and by the way she carried herself, knew it. And yet here she was, playing tour guide for an aging old lady.

Judging by the fact that this woman was selling her skills to the highest bidder, she obviously believed herself to be highly talented. The fact that she had been hired by such a powerful mogul lent much credence to that claim. For her to be sent to bring Cologne to her employer, it was likely a double blow to her pride. Both being given such a mundane task, as well as being told that the person that she was going to retrieve was even more skilled than herself.

"Fair enough, I suppose. If you are so ashamed of your style that you dare not name it, I completely understand . . ." she trailed off, her voice flowing sarcasm more quickly than a mountain stream.

Reverse psychology was such a mundane tactic, so she figured she'd add the heavy emphasis to make her teasing intent all the more obvious.

As expected, Lady Shiva's eyes rolled in annoyance at the insultingly blatant taunt. "It would be a waste of time telling you, Old Woman. The style I was taught is an ancient and secret style known only by my master, the O-Sensei."

Ah, there was that hint of pride beginning to show through-

Wait a moment . . .

"O-Sensei . . ." she mused to herself.

A look of smug satisfaction formed on her companion's face and her tightly crossed arms lowered a fraction of an inch. Now that the child felt she had the upper hand in the conversation, she was becoming more open.

It was just the kind of expression that Cologne couldn't resist wiping off a person's face.

"O-Sensei, is it? Are you referring to the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, or . . . darn it all, what was that other fellow's name? They were both born around the same time and both joined the Japanese army for a time; I have such a hard time remembering which one is which. Still, I know there was another person wandering around that started going by that title as well, curses, it's just on the tip of my tongue . . . bah, oh well."

The young warrior met her gaze with a skeptical look. "You expect me to believe that _you've_ met O-sensei?" her tone was as skeptical as her expression.

A bark of laughter escaped Cologne's withered lips. "Please, Child, the circles that we masters of the martial arts travel through are not so large as you seem to think. And when you live for as long as those of our ilk tend to, it leads to _many _opportunities to run into our contemporaries.

"In fact, I did meet your master. It was some sixty or seventy years ago, now. I remember him kindly, not so much for his prowess, as for his story."

At this, Lady Shiva actually leaned forward, glaring heatedly. "And now you impugn O-Sensei's ability? Perhaps if the two of you had actually battled, your defeat would have led you to believe otherwise."

Cologne rolled her eyes at the girl's outburst. Not that she could blame her; students were often loyal to their teachers. Even if they weren't, it still stung the ego to hear someone claim that the person who taught you all you know is weak. Still-

"Bah! Don't be a fool, Girl! Of course we fought. Admittedly, neither of us were nearly the ancient masters that we are now, but that just gave us all the more reason to challenge one another," she explained imperiously.

Even though her companion wished to hide it, an unmistakable hint of curiosity crept onto Lady Shiva's face. The girl leaned forward another inch, her arms slowly lowering to her sides and her legs uncrossing. Cologne smiled; she did so love reading body language. The aged matriarch leaned back into her own seat, getting more comfortable as she let the memories wash over her.

"I meant no disrespect with my earlier remark, Child. I did defeat your master; for someone that started training so late in life, he was actually quite skilled."

"What do you mean by that?" Lady Shiva asked, half in annoyance, half genuine curiosity.

"Well, you have to understand, in the Joketsuzoku village, we begin training almost as soon as we can walk . . . hmm, how best to put it?"

Suddenly, she perked up, thinking of an excellent example.

"Tell me, have you seen that new movie, '300'?"

A small, private smile formed on the young woman's lips as she gazed into the distance, ". . . mmm, three hundred men, eighteen hundred abs . . ."

Cologne chuckled, she'd take that as a 'yes'.

"Well, our society is not so different from that. We endure great hardship to be forged into the greatest warriors on the planet. And even among our people, I was hailed as a prodigy and a genius.

"No, the outcome of our battle was never in doubt. Your master, although my senior by a decade or two, had actually started training years after myself. Nor was he privy to the ancient and esoteric arts that were made available to me. However, I do remember his story; we actually spoke at great length once our battle concluded."

Again, Lady Shiva betrayed another trace of her well-concealed curiosity to Cologne's trained eye. It was rare to hear about one's master's past, it was common for such people to be quite secretive. And, of course, hearing about your master's past defeats would be almost unheard of, enlightened master or not, no one liked to talk about getting beat up.

Cologne hid another chuckle before continuing her tale, "Unlike myself, your master was not born into the life of a martial artist, though he was still a warrior. Back, before the turn of the last century, he had been a soldier in the Japanese army, as I mentioned. One of his many missions took him to China, only adding to the endless bloodshed. Needless to say, at that point I was not so sympathetic to his story.

"However, what he told me next changed my perception of him completely. In one of the battles he fought, he somehow managed to find himself bereft of his weapons and fighting for his life against a Chinese martial artist. In a decidedly honorable manner, your master decided to finish the battle on those terms. Unfortunately, one of his subordinates was not so confident in his abilities. Fearing for his life, the soldier shot the martial artist dead, ending the duel rather abruptly.

"Your master was so outraged by the action that he denounced the Japanese army for the soldier's shameful behavior. Then, in a noble decision, decided to take up the Art himself to atone for the warrior's death."

Slowly, with a look of mild amazement on her face, Lady Shiva leaned back. "It's amazing . . . You really _did_ meet O-Sensei. Everything that you've spoken of is true; he told me that much himself. I must know, what was the battle like? How did you defeat him?"

Cologne's wrinkled lips stretched out painfully as her smile widened further. It was always nice to have an interested audience, even one that was willing to sell their skills for something as petty as money. Even as she began to recount the battle as well as her memory would allow (though perhaps with a _few_ minor embellishments), she reflected on the young woman's last question.

She could explain the entire duel in finite detail, but she doubted that she would truly be able to get across just _how _she defeated _O-Sensei_. It was painfully simple to her, yet infinitely complex to try to explain.

The aged Matriarch focused her eyes until the world faded from view, leaving only the ebbs and flows of chi that saturated the world and everything in it. This girl, though twice his age, reminded her keenly of the young Robin. Like him, her aura was focused to a razor's edge, but it had obviously never been _utilized_.

That was the most basic answer she could give, yet the one that her current companion would find all but impossible to understand. O-Sensei, for all his training and talent, did not believe in the concept of Chi. Well, not so much that he didn't believe in Chi itself, so much as the idea of utilizing his life force in battle had been laughable to him. So, no matter how good he could be by conventional standards, he had never, nor would ever, stand a chance against a true martial artist such as herself or her son-in-law.

She also knew that, like Robin, Lady Shiva would never understand unless it was explained to her exhaustively. How _could_ you possibly explain a technique of such power and grace as the Hiryua Shoten Ha to a person that believed something as basic as hitting some of the bodies more lethal pressure points was an 'Ultimate Technique'?

Sadder yet, she knew that none of them, not Lady Shiva, not Robin, not even the boy's mysterious _mentor_ would _ever_ stumble across this key to the secrets of true power on their own. After all, how could they? People like these, they didn't _love _the art, didn't _live _for the art, sacrifice _everything_ for the art! For Lady Shiva and her ilk, the art was simply a means to an end, just a tool to be used. For the young woman, it was likely just her means to wealth and power. For Robin and his mentor, it was just another tool in the fight against injustice. Certainly each and every one of them trained tirelessly, but they only did it so that they might defeat others, not to improve themselves, to push themselves to the absolute limits of human endurance . . . and then smash those frail boundaries to splinters.

Well, at least Robin was beginning to see the error of his ways. Between her training, his sparring with Ryouga and his nightly _sessions_ with Happosai, she had no doubt that the boy would surpass all of his martial peers in a matter of months.

'Oh well', even as her train of thought rolled gently into the station, she began wrapping up her retelling of the epic battle between O-Sensei and herself.

It was somewhat heartening to see the look of fierce concentration on Lady Shiva's face as she listened. The girl was analyzing every maneuver she described, likely breaking down the entire battle even as it was being narrated, noting every mistake made by either warrior and imagining what she could have done differently.

"Indeed, it was quite a battle, and after hearing his motivation for taking up the Art, I must admit that I found myself fancying him a bit. Why, if I hadn't been such a stickler for the law back in those days, I'd likely have been tempted to teach him a few of our village's techniques to help him on his quest."

Lady Shiva nodded along amiably . . . before shaking her head as the last bit of that first sentence suddenly registered.

"Wait a moment! You _fancied _him?" she asked somewhat incredulously.

The look on her face was quite amusing, it seemed the Lady could only picture O-Sensei as the ancient master that had taught her.

Cologne's smile turned wicked as she decided to really drive home the mental image. "Oh my, yes! If only he had been a little stronger, I would have bedded him in an instant. He was quite handsome for a Japanese back then, you know?"

The expression of mingled shock and a slight green tinge went beyond amusing to truly comical. It was always so much fun to mentally traumatize young people that took themselves too seriously. It took her companion several long minutes to recover enough to speak.

"O-Sensei was _married_ for your information." Lady Shiva sounded positively scandalized at the notion. This, of course, only amused Cologne further.

Winking conspiratorially, the Ancient master leaned forward, "Never underestimate a determined Joketsuzoku, my dear. After all, I was quite the looker myself in those days and . . . let's just say that martial arts weren't the _only _skills that I had mastered . . ."

_That_ did it! Having driven the final nail into the coffin, Cologne had only to sit back and watch. The look on her companion's face was truly priceless, she could practically _see_ Lady Shiva struggling to demolish the mental pictures forming in her mind even as the formed unbidden. Yes, even a hardened warrior could only take so much of this form of punishment before finally cracking. She had to admit though, her son-in-law would have probably made a mad dash for the lavatory several minutes ago.

"Heh, heh ,heh, ahhhh, you children are always good for a laugh. Tell me, how is O-Sensei doing these days? I hadn't thought on him for quite some time, maybe I should drop in for a visit one of these days," she asked, now in quite a good mood.

Lady Shiva's face immediately regained its former cold demeanor.

"He is dead."

. . . There was only one thing that Cologne could think to say to that.

". . . oh."

* * *

The man sat at his massive Oak desk, oblivious to the vast space surrounding him, which composed his office. No, all of his attention was focused directly on the large pair of heavy double doors that stood some thirty-two feet and four inches in front of him. The gears in his head were whirring madly, had been for nearly a week now. If he had been anyone other than himself, he would have almost sworn that he was _giddy _with anticipation.

After all, it promised to be an eventful meeting.

A soft tone sounded from the face of desk, it was quickly followed by a voice emanating from the smooth, polished wood.

"Mr. Luthor, Lady Shiva and your Guest have arrived."

Lex Luthor smiled, running a palm over his bald scalp before reaching down and pressing a seemingly featureless part of the desk's surface.

"Please, Patricia, show them in."

A moment later, the large doors opened and the familiar form of Miss Wu-San entered. He forced himself to school his features as he finally caught sight of the figure that strode after her with surprising spryness.

His informant had told him that she had been quite short and extremely old, but that hardly did the woman justice! He had heard the term 'shriveled with age' bandied about before, but this was the first time that he had ever imagined using it on a living, breathing human being.

Still, considering the life he had led, it would take more than something as minor as this to throw him off his game.

With dignified grace, he stood up behind his desk and straightened out his ebony, three-piece suit before walking around the furniture to stand before his guest. Without so much as a nod from him, Lady Shiva moved off to stand by one of the far walls. As soon as he stood before his guest, he bowed politely, staring into her large, owlish eyes. Then, still bowed slightly, he offered her his hand.

"Greetings, Elder Khu Lon of the Joketsuzoku. Please let me welcome you to Metropolis."

The ancient woman's eyebrow cocked in amusement at his words. An expression that could quite possibly have been a smile formed on the woman's impossibly wrinkled lips.

"My, my, you actually got it right. I must say I'm impressed, not many people bother with the proper pronunciation."

He just smiled wider, sweeping out his arm grandly.

"But of course, Honored Elder. What kind of host would I be if I couldn't even pronounce my guests' names correctly? And frankly, I'm surprised that a person of your status and abilities would tolerate such disrespect," he stated in good humor.

Cologne smirked amiably, "Well, time does seem to have a way of putting life into perspective. Besides, if I struck down every whelp that showed me so much as an ounce of disrespect, the past few weeks would have forced me to cull nearly an entire generation of promising heroes and martial artists."

They both shared a good chuckle over that. Lex was quite pleased with how things were progressing. He had feared that there would have been a fierce clash of personalities between the two of them, resulting in an arduous uphill battle to achieve his goals.

Gesturing politely behind him, he indicated the plush leather chair that sat facing his desk. "Would you like to sit before we continue?"

His guest nodded, before slowly walking towards the chair. As she passed him, she replied, "Yes, that sounds just lovely. These old bones of mine aren't so strong as they used to be."

He smirked as he watched her gingerly leap up into the chair, laying her gnarled staff across her lap. She was obviously hiding the true extent of her abilities, and he didn't expect anything less from the wily old woman. Lex knew that she was far more . . . _active_ than she was letting on, but that information wasn't useful, since he had no idea just how much power she was actually hiding.

Without further ado, he made his way back to his own seat and sat down facing the ancient woman. Resting his elbows comfortably on his desk, he clasped his hands together before him and graced her with a winning smile.

"Now, I'm certain that you have a few choice questions concerning why exactly you happen to be here right now, and I assure you that we'll address your concerns in good time. First, though, let us get properly acquainted."

He tapped a finger to his chest. "As you've undoubtedly determined, I am Lex Luthor, CEO of Lexcorp. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Cologne nodded politely, apparently amused by his overt display of manners. She then replied in kind, "And, as your informants have already informed you, I am Khu Lon, matriarch of the Joketsuzoku village."

Hmm, his estimation of the woman rose several notches. Not only was she effortlessly piecing the situation together, it appeared that luck was on his side; not only was she an elder, but the actual matriarch herself.

Perfect . . .

"Excellent, excellent, now that we're properly acquainted, we can begin our discussion in earnest," he stated happily. "Now, I must admit that my information in regards to you and your village is actually quite limited, almost surprisingly so, considering my resources. In fact, most of the intelligence I've gathered was garnered from the exceptionally skilled martial artists that I've brought into my employ, such as Lady Shiva. And even then, they all spoke of your people as if you were only a legend."

It was a risky gambit, laying all of his cards on the table like this, and it went against the grain something fierce, but still . . .

Again, his guest nodded in response. "Hmm, indeed, that is probably for the best right now. No need for either of us to reveal _all _of our secrets at such an early stage in our relationship, now is there?"

Lex felt a chuckle bubbling up from the back of his throat, and decided to just let it out. This Khu Lon was no fool, that was for certain. Of course, considering she was at least one hundred years old, he'd be greatly disappointed if she had been otherwise.

The matriarch then continued speaking, a slightly smug tone hiding at the core of her words. "I must admit that my knowledge of yourself is also quite limited. Considering that all I know of you is what I read on the plane on the way here, I'm sure you can understand . . .

"However, even with the small amount of information granted me, I still believe that I have pieced together a fairly accurate assessment of the type of man you are, Mr. Lex Luthor," Cologne stated quite confidently.

Hmm, interesting. One of his eyebrows rose in interest as he took in the knowing look that had appeared on his guest's wrinkled face. "Hmmm, indeed? And what kind of man, may I ask, do you believe me to be?"

"You, Mr. Lex Luthor -" Suddenly Cologne's eyes narrowed dangerously and she leveled a withering gaze in his direction, "Are a dangerous man. You are a man that knows, indisputably, what it is that he desires and is willing to do anything and everything in your power to gain what you desire. You are a man to whom morality and honor are cast aside in the face of your driving ambition; truly, you are the most dangerous type of male on this great green earth."

The mega-billionaire was taken aback by the old woman's harsh words for a moment.

"That's a very harsh claim, Honored Elder. Whatever led you to that conclusion, I was fairly certain that the magazines I provided were all positive ones."

"Heh heh heh, well, that in and of itself was actually a clue," explained the ancient crone.

The harsh glare was gone now, replaced by an excited twinkling in her eyes. It looked very much like the look those television detectives got when they were about to unravel a great mystery at the end of the show.

"The very fact that you are a successful businessman is a fairly clear indicator that morals aren't very high on your list of priorities, but that's nothing really noteworthy. Being the leader of my people, I understand well the number of morally dubious decisions that one can be forced to make to ensure the survival of your interests.

"However, the magazines were a subtle hint. Let's face it, anyone as rich as you, doing so much good for the world, is obviously hiding something." A wizened smile appeared on her wizened face. "As for the rest, it was actually the young Lady Shiva, whom told me everything that I needed to know to determine the kind of man you are."

That caught the attention of his hired hand at the back of the room. The raven haired woman suddenly pushed off from the wall, an indignant expression on her face. "What? I told her nothing of you, Mr. Luthor. We spoke of nothing but martial arts."

Again, Cologne nodded, though this time more to herself than to anyone else. "Indeed, don't get upset at the young girl, Mr. Luthor, she didn't divulge any of your dark secrets during our conversation. Of course, as with most people, it's the things which _aren't_ said which are most informative.

"There were three main things which brought me to my conclusion. First, was your approach. Really? Canceling my ticket and sending a skilled warrior to _escort_ me back to your fair city? The fact that you did this in such a secretive manner obviously speaks to your willingness to do what needs to be done to gain your objectives. Also, doing things in that way also limited my choices, whereas if you had simply contacted me openly about a meeting, there was a chance that I would have declined out of hand."

Lex nodded, perhaps he was getting a little too used to strong arming people. It was hard not to, though, when you were one of the wealthiest men on the planet and had the resources to do so quite easily. He then gestured for her to continue.

"Next, was Lady Shiva herself. Though she never divulged the fact, it was child's play to determine that she was an assassin," stated the matriarch calmly.

Again, Lady Shiva started, but quickly moved back against the wall at a glance from him.

"I could give you a list of reasons for this: her reluctance to name her style, the fact that she is willing to sell her skills for something as petty as money, but really, it was nothing so deductive on my part."

With that, Cologne flipped her staff up, before snatching it from the air and pointing the narrow tip of the implement directly at Lady Shiva's impassive face. All without taking her own eyes off of Lex himself. Somewhat impressive, really.

"It was her eyes. I knew the moment I saw her, that she was no mere employee or bodyguard. Your little lapdog there had the eyes of a killer and nothing she could ever hope to do could hide that fact.

"Of course, that ties back to my opinion of you. After all, you knew that she was an assassin, likely one of the most notorious in your pale world of mediocre martial artists, and yet you still hired her on. In fact, it's likely more apt to say that is _exactly_ why she is now in your employ, correct?" she asked leadingly.

A shallow incline of his head was all the answer she needed to continue. He wasn't even bothering to hide his growing smirk. Formidable indeed.

"Of course, neither of those things are of any real consequence. As I've said, I am aware of the types of decisions that people of power are forced to make and I would be a hypocrite if I said I've never resorted to _questionable_ means to ensure the safety of my people. However, the most glaring reason for my rather "harsh" words is also the most obvious."

This time, the look she graced him with caused a nervous lump to form in his throat. Him! The most powerful man in Metropolis, the man that could stare down the likes of Superman without blinking. Somehow, this ancient, shriveled up old woman made him nervous. Amazing!

Again, he simply waited for Cologne to continue her explanation. She was only too happy to oblige.

"The battle against the Headmaster was _not_ a fact made available to the public. Most of the battle occurred beneath the earth. And those few battles that occurred on the surface only involved the children, and were resolved with relative swiftness. Even the finale, which, though spectacular, was also quite brief, ending long before any police or news crews arrived.

"Considering there was no report announced, news-wise or police-wise, let alone a report that actually made mention of myself, it leads to an obvious conclusion. That conclusion is that your _informants_ were actually spies, either among the H.I.V.E. academy's students or staff. That, in turn, means that you are actively observing the goings on of notorious criminals such as the Headmaster, yet you are not inclined to do anything to stop them, despite your tremendous resources. I would not even be surprised to learn that your company actually supplied some of the Academy's needs through covert means."

Finally, Cologne leaned back into her seat and crossed her staff across her legs. A wide, satisfied smile spread across her withered features.

"And that, Mr. Luthor, is why I believe that you are a dangerous man."

Lex's smile only widened and he leaned back into his own, personally crafted, chair. "Very good, Elder Khu Lon, very good indeed. Everything which you've stated is absolutely correct. Even your postulations are on the mark. And, all that being true, then you shouldn't be surprised by this."

At which point, he pulled the pistol from his jacket, aimed dead center of the Old Woman's forehead . . .

And fired.

* * *

Ranma suddenly shot up in his desk. It took him a moment to reorient himself, since it was English class and he'd been sleeping quite soundly . . . Still . . .

For some reason that he couldn't understand, the strangest feeling had washed over him, strongly enough to actually rouse him from his slumber. It had felt, in his inexperienced opinion, as if someone, somewhere, had just done the most stupid thing in the entire history of the world . . .

Meh, whatever, he was sure that whatever it was wouldn't come back to bite him in the butt later.

Satisfied, he gently lowered his head back to his desk.

* * *

Cologne chuckled in amusement at the scene unfolding around her. Behind her, Lady Shiva had nearly leapt half the length of the spacious room in a single bound when the gun had gone off. What exactly the youth intended to do, the old woman had no idea. Before her, even as he gingerly rubbed his aching wrist, Mr. Luthor was smiling like it was his birthday. With casual ease, Cologne lowered the tip of her staff to the floor before her, and snaked the end of it through the trigger guard of the pistol lying at the base of her chair. A quick flip lifted the gun into the air, where she deftly snatched it from the air for her inspection.

She clucked her tongue disapprovingly at what she saw. "Tsk, really, Mr. Luthor? A Ruger Mark Two? I'd have thought you'd be more of a traditionalist. I had thought that you'd had an actual Luger in your jacket when I first came in. Heh, I must be slipping."

The tall, bald man shook his injured wrist one last time before lowering it back to his side. The excited grin never left the man's face. "Traditions are fine and all, but I also believe in progress, Honored Elder. One must keep up with the times, if not forge on into the future itself."

Hmm, a male with views so progressive they would make Perfume's ideals seem positively conservative. She nearly chuckled to herself; she simply _had _to bring this man back to the village some time, if only to drive the other Elders mad with frustration.

"Indeed, indeed. I have seen the price that must be paid for clinging to tightly to the past. So then, have I passed your test? Are you ready to finally tell me just what it is that you've brought me here for?" she asked, with a small amount of steel in her voice.

Her host laughed then, a good-natured laugh, which, in the deep baritone of the man's voice, was actually quite pleasant. He casually waved off her curiosity . . .until he winced in pain and pulled his, likely sprained, wrist back to his chest.

"Too soon, Elder Khu Lon, too _soon_. We've only just met. I admit that I'm burning with anticipation to tell you everything, however you have every reason not to trust me, and you have yet to give me any reason to trust you. If this partnership is to work, we first need to forge a bond of mutual trust and respect between us."

Hmm, that made some sense to the aged Matriarch. A man with as much power as this man appeared to possess obviously possessed grand ambitions to match; much grander ambitions then that fool, the Headmaster. Even with everything she had gleaned from the man so far, she herself had no real idea what those ambitions could be yet, only unsupported suspicions. However, to his credit, he had been totally honest with her up to this point, even admitting to her harshest accusations . . .

"Very well, Mr. Luthor. You have piqued my curiosity. What exactly is it that you had in mind for this . . . partnership?"

Lex finally returned to his seat, steepling his fingers before him even as he leaned back.

"Well, for starters," he started, "I would like you to be my guest for a time. I'd like you to be audience to all of the inner workings of my company, so that you might gain a better insight into what it is that we do, and how we go about it. And, of course, while you're here, you would be treated to all the finest that Lexcorp could possibly offer."

Cologne considered this carefully, a slow grin blooming on her lips. "So, you intend to win my trust by lavishing me with anything and everything that I could possibly desire?"

He returned her crooked grin and nodded.

"Anywhere you wish to travel, no matter how far, any food you desire, no matter how exotic, every whim you may have, shall be indulged. Anything you could possibly want will be provided for you, just name it," he stated imperiously.

To her credit, she mulled over her dilemma for an entire second before reaching her decision. Matching gazes with the statuesque male's cool eyes, her grin blossomed into a full-blown smile.

"Well, now that you mention it, there are one or two things I can think of . . ."

* * *

With one final sweep of the broom, the last of the dust was cast from the sidewalk and onto the road.

Mousse sighed lazily and leaned heavily on the wooden cleaning implement. He took a moment to lift his glasses up to his forehead, letting the world melt away into a gentle mass of colorful blurs. It wasn't like there was anything he cared to see on the street, and he could _see_ well enough without them now.

Normally, he would have been overjoyed to have so little work to do around the restaurant, but now the tedium was just killing him. They'd only been back from the States for about a week and business had been slow the whole time. Without their main cook, they'd been forced to cut out delivery orders completely, and since the shriveled up monkey still wasn't back, they hadn't exactly been keeping . . . 'regular hours'.

To be honest, he had been enjoying the lazy days, but now he realized he just didn't have anything to fill his time with anymore. Saotome was keeping his distance, which was nice, and Mousse wasn't as fickle as Ryouga to attack the pigtailed boy for no reason at all. Ukyou was away for the foreseeable future, too, so he didn't even have her to go to and whine about the injustices of life.

His train of thought caused him to chuckle to himself. Oddly enough, Shampoo had been talking to him more, but mostly to complain about how bored she was, or to complain that she'd missed out on her chance to fight any real villains back at the academy because of him.

In a way, he was feeling a bit jealous of the Hibiki boy. _He_ was out in the world, living with exciting people, fighting exciting villains, not at all like what Mousse was up to. Feh, for all the excitement that Mousse had seen lately, he might as well be cooped up in a cave looking at a funny looking rock . . .

Hmm, that wasn't really it, though. He was really more jealous that Ryouga had gotten to spend so much more time at the academy than him. Ryouga had been there for months, Mousse had only gotten to spend, maybe, a week in the actual classes, what with his special training and all.

He smirked to himself as he nodded to an attractive lady (construction worker), as she passed by. Now _that_ was what he really missed, the private training that the Headmaster had put him through. True, the man whose care he had been put under hadn't had much to teach him as far as combat was concerned; however, there was a lot more to the assassin's craft than one would initially think. Sure, it wasn't the most honorable profession, but his teacher had been most knowledgeable, and the lessons had been intense.

Man, if he'd only had another week of that, he was sure that he'd have been able to figure out how to adapt his hidden weapon technique to fool even the most sophisticated scanners in existence.

Oh well, lost opportunities, he supposed-

"Mousse! Get your lazy butt in here!"

Shampoo, obviously, and speaking Mandarin with much aplomb. That was another thing that they'd let slip since Cologne had been away. His lady love hadn't bothered speaking Japanese, unless Ranma was around, since they'd stepped on the plane back to Tokyo. He could hardly blame her. She still had some trouble with the language, and no one liked to look like a fool for something they couldn't help.

Well, what was he waiting around for? Her wish was his command after all.

A moment later, he was inside the restaurant, broom mysteriously absent now. Sitting lazily on the counter (and he'd just _polished_ there!) was the lavender haired beauty. In her hand was a large, white envelope.

As soon as she saw him, she stuck her tongue out at him teasingly and returned her attention back to the envelope.

"You're always so slow, Mousse. Can't you ever stop thinking, even for a minute?"

The hidden weapons master rolled his eyes, before remembering that he could barely see without his glasses on. With a quick nod of his head, his trusty spectacles slid down before his eyes.

"What is it, my dearest Shampoo? Did you need something?" he asked, adding just a touch of sarcasm to retaliate for her teasing.

"We got a letter in the mail, it's addressed to the both of us. It looks like it's from the United States," she replied, sounding interested for the first time since that Martial Arts Flower Arranging person had blown through town two days ago.

Hmm, interesting, there was a pretty short list of people it could be from then. Even shorter if it was addressed to _both _of them. That most likely cut out Ukyou and Ryouga to be certain.

Without further hesitation, Shampoo tore into the envelope. The fragile, white paper didn't stand a chance against the curious Amazon, giving way before her inquisitive fury. What was revealed when she'd finished mutilating the envelope was-

"Airplane tickets?" she asked, confused.

"Airplane tickets?" he asked, also confused. "Hmm, you don't suppose that Nabiki decided to add some actual martial artists to her crew, since the Titans got Ryouga, do you?"

Now that'd be pretty fun . . . not that he really wanted to actually fight the Hibiki boy face to face, but hey, that was what Mammoth was for. He wouldn't mind another go at Raven, though, now _that _was a formidable opponent-

"Biih," Shampoo gave him another raspberry, "Don't be stupid, Mousse. As if Nabiki would want someone as weak as _you _on her team."

Again, the nearly blind martial artist rolled his eyes in affectionate annoyance.

"Fine, then who are they from?"

The love of his life took a minute to examine the tickets . . .

"Hmmm, it says that they're from Great Grandmother!"

Shampoo's eyes widened in surprise at the destination.

"She wants both of us to come to Metropolis!"

"Metropolis!" Mousse replied in shock . . .

"Where on earth is Metropolis?"


	20. This Ain't A Scene Chapter 2

Dark Titans - Arc 3 – This Ain't A Scene...

Chapter 2

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Shampoo winced as her companion let out a low whistle of appreciation for their surroundings. In response, she buried her elbow into his side with enough force to bruise internal organs. With an explosive burst of breath, he turned to stare at her; only to have an annoyed glare fired his way.

"Stupid Mousse. No act like backwards country bumpkin. Is only office building."

The longhaired male continued to stare at her for another moment, before breaking out into a wide smile.

"But Shampoo, we _are_ backwards country bumpkins. Besides," He then gestured to the lavish hallway they had been instructed to walk down. Persian rugs carpeted the entire stretch, tables and chairs of English Oak lined the walls. Priceless works of art hung every ten feet, as if to taunt visitors with the insane wealth that their host possessed. "Have you even _seen _this place? This Luthor guy is so rich, I think they need to make up a new word just to describe it."

Shampoo grumbled under her breath. Just because it was true didn't mean he had to act so impressed. Where was his warrior's pride? So, with all of the pride of a true warrior, she stuck out her tongue and raspberried him.

"Biiih! Speak for self, bumpkin. Fine, him rich man . . . just . . . not whistle so loud. Shampoo have wicked hangover."

Even someone as proud as Shampoo would admit that their latest flight to the States had been simply _amazing._ And that stewardess . . . steward . . . or had his name just been Stuart? Anyway, the young man that had been pampering her on their ultra first class flight had been very understanding about her desire to indulge herself since her Great Grandmother wasn't around to spoil her fun.

"Heh, the way that guy was feeding you drinks, you'd think he was trying to induct you into the mile high club."

Hmph! The nerve of some people! Sure, she may have gotten a _little _tipsy, but it wasn't like she would ever betray her husband . . . though, that attendant _had_ been very handsome . . .

Okay, honestly, she had been so drunk on that plane that the only reason she hadn't dragged Stuart into the bathroom herself was because he looked like the kind of guy that would need three friends and a baseball bat to fight his way out of a paper bag.

And besides!

She looked at Mousse through lidded eyes.

"Shampoo surprised you even notice, considering how much you drooling over that too, too blonde stewardess."

Immediately, Mousse turned his head away from her and buried his hands deeply into his sleeves; both were nervous habits of his that were nearly as old as the boy himself. Of course, the fact that she wasn't completely blind meant that his feeble efforts did nothing to hide his reddened cheeks.

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about, Shampoo! You know I only have eyes for you. Besides, I wasn't even wearing my glasses for most of the flight; I could hardly even see her . . ."

An evil grin spread across her lips as she decided to press her attack. "Oh _really_? Shampoo pretty sure even _dead man _notice blond girl's rack when it shoved _that_ close to face."

"Eh heh heh . . ."

Mousse nearly turned sideways as they continued walking. He then pulled a hand from his sleeve and began to rub the back of his head nervously. It wasn't one of _his _nervous traits, it was one that she usually saw that stupid Lost Boy doing, and seeing Mousse do it annoyed her. On the other hand, Ranma did it once in a while too, so it was a _little _cute.

Still, it reminded her too much of that cabbage headed Lost Boy, so under the cover of swatting him upside the head, she knocked his hand back to his side.

"Hmph, and no think Shampoo _not _notice fact you no wear glasses. Mousse only do _that _when trying to impress someone."

Seriously, she made the mistake of saying he had nice eyes _once_ and 'Bam'! The blind duck practically refused to wear his glasses unless his life was on the line. Having that redheaded alien girl reinforce the idea had only made it worse.

"Ummmm . . . heh . . . ah, well, you are aware that the shriveled old mummy is going to _kill _us for drinking on the plane, right?"

Shampoo giggled to herself. That was easily one of the most blatant dodges that she had ever heard. Still, she'd better let it go, before _he_ turned the conversation back to the fact that _she _hadn't been acting any more mature than him.

"You worry too much. We is martial artists. We masters of own bodies; Shampoo sure we can hide tiny hangovers from Great Grandmother."

The look that he shot her simply screamed 'You can't possibly believe that,' but he was kind enough not to actually say it. Instead, he just tipped his head to the side, indicating the massive set of double doors before them.

"Well, I suppose we're about to find out . . ."

Shampoo nodded, nervously straightening out her clothing and smoothing down her hair as much as possible with only Mousse's enormous glasses as mirrors.

Several moments passed . . .

"Um, so, should we knock?"

". . . Shampoo no know . . . usually elders call us in when _they _good and ready."

Several more moments passed . . .

"That's it, I'm knocking."

"Mousse not dare! Great Grandmother call us in when she want talk to us."

"This isn't the village, Shampoo. I don't think they care."

"Great Grandmother _is _village!"

" . . . That doesn't even make sense . . ."

"You shut up before Shampoo induct _you _into village ruling caste."

"What? How would you . . ." Mousse suddenly looked down to his groin, his eyes widening in a most amusing manner, " . . . oh . . ."

Shampoo crossed her arms under her chest, smiling wickedly as she revelled in her victory. "Maybe Mousse not so stupid after all-"

Suddenly, the doors before them opened, causing both bickering martial artists to jump an inch. Standing at the foot of the door, literally, was her Great Grandmother; the aged warrior pinned the both of them with an annoyed glare.

"What are you fool children standing there like gawking chickens for? We've been waiting for you for _minutes_."

The violet haired Amazon went red in the face, before pushing the blood from her cheeks by sheer force of will alone. She then turned to glare at Mousse, just _daring _him to say-

Oh_no_ he did _not_!

He did _not _just stick his tongue out at her! If that little blind duck didn't watch himself, she'd give him a _real_ taste of the Three Year Smiling Death.

Without wasting another moment, her Great Grandmother herded them into the room. Only minimal use of her cane was used, a fact which led Shampoo to believe that the ancient woman wasn't _that _upset . . . though now she just traded one set of reddened cheeks for another.

Wow . . .

It took her a full tick of the clock to take in the entirety of the room before her. If the hallway had been impressive, then the room they entered defied all adjectives. A massive bay of windows sprawled across the back of the room, almost as large as the expanse of windows in the Titan's main room. The literal wall of glass filled the room with painful, painful natural light, but offered a simply_gorgeous _view of the city.

And that was just the most blatant feature. Rugs, paintings, pretty much everything that had been in the hallway was in here as well, only even _more_ extravagant. The main difference being the desk that was set in the center of the room . . . though, it was possible that someone had backed a flatbed truck into the room and simply lined it with wood. Really, how much paper work could one person possibly have to do to require a desk _that _large? Almost as an after thought, she noticed there were three extremely comfortable looking chairs set before the monolithic desk.

Despite the size of the room, it only had two other occupants. Leaning against one of the distant walls was a raven haired woman. She looked to be pretty old, at least in her thirties, and was watching them like a hawk watches a family of tiny rabbits. Shampoo immediately locked glares with the woman and shot her a challenging look. She knew a martial artist when she saw one, and she'd be damned if she was going to be intimidated by some corporate lackey.

The rooms only other occupant was currently seated behind the expanse of the desk. The moment they entered, the suit wearing gentleman rose to his feet, revealing that he was much larger than Shampoo had been expecting . . .

Much balder as well, though she noticed _that_ well before he stood up.

"Ah, Xian Pu, Mu Tzu, it's so good that you could make it. Please, let me welcome you to Metropolis. My name is-"

"Lex Luthor."

Shampoo looked to the longhaired boy beside her. His confident statement had been even more startling then their host actually pronouncing their names correctly. Mousse just turned to her and shrugged.

"The name on the building helped . . ."

Mr. Luthor smiled knowingly. "Now don't sell yourself short, young man. I'm sure that a person with your rather _unique _education would know my name quite well, Mr. Mu Tzu."

Understanding dawned on her immediately. Mr. Luthor _had _to be referring to Mousse's recent stint at that villain academy . . . but why would Mousse know this man's name from there? The wily Amazon cast a critical eye on the statuesque figure of their host. He almost seemed larger than life, the way he towered over them, practically radiating a calm confidence. With Mr. Luthor behind it, the oversized desk suddenly didn't seem so ridiculous . . .

Just what kind of man was Lex Luthor?

"Now then, you must be tired after your long trip, please have a seat." Mr. Luthor gestured to the nice looking chairs before him, "Now that you've finally arrived, we have some very important business to discuss."

Shampoo hesitated for a moment, but quickly followed suit when her Great Grandmother took a seat herself. She had to admit, between shooting death glares at the older woman leaning on the wall, that her curiosity was absolutely _killing _her. As soon as she sat down, though melted _into _seemed a more apt description, into her chair, Mousse shrugged and sat down on her Great Grandmother's left side.

She certainly hoped she wasn't smiling as blatantly as he was. Damn! These chairs were comfortable.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Mousse began cautiously, "Just what kind of business do you have with us?"

Was she getting so bad, that she wasn't even bothered by the fact that her male companion was speaking out of line, when it was obviously the Elder's place to initiate the discussion about to take place? When had she gotten so soft that she didn't even bat an eye when Mousse so flagrantly disregarded the village's laws?

When had she stopped _really _caring about the laws themselves?

The violet eyed warrior quickly banished such disturbing thoughts from her mind as Mr. Luthor smiled another of his charismatic and charming smiles. The man then leaned back into his chair, casually steepling his fingers before him. Shampoo had to admit, she'd never met a male that possessed such a presence before, at least, one that wasn't the direct result of a powerful battle aura.

"Well, Mr. Mu Tzu, I have a project in the initial stages of development, and I very much need the assistance and cooperation of the Joketsuzoku people to accomplish my goals. However, this project is at a very delicate stage, so it is not yet in my best interest to inform you of the plan in its entirety, at least until I'm sure you can be trusted . . ."

What? How _dare_ he infer that she was untrustworthy! She was just about to make her opinion very vocal, when-

"Which is why I am offering each of you positions here at Lexcorp. I feel this is the best way to form a bond of trust, as we build a working relationship over the coming weeks and months."

Weeks?_Months_? Just what was her Great Grandmother getting them into? What about Ranma? How was she supposed to win him over from a half a world away?

"Wait, wait – wait just a minute," Mousse interrupted again, "You flew us around the entire world, just to offer us _jobs_? . . . What kind of jobs?"

It didn't take someone with Shampoo's lifetime of experience to see that Mousse was more than just a _little _interested. Not that she could blame the blind duck. He didn't have any real ties to Nerima, especially since most everyone had already left to become heroes and other such foolishness. Mr. Luthor picked up on it immediately, leaning forward, a sharp look on his features.

"Well, I've taken the liberty of having my human resources people prepare a small aptitude test for the two of you, just to see where you . . . best fit into our company. Though, I have a few ideas of areas where you might thrive, already. Of course, since the two of you _are_ so young, it would be prudent of me to start you off with more conservative salaries, say . . . Two hundred thousand dollars a year?"

Two hundred thousand? Was that a lot, or not? Damn, why hadn't she paid more attention to the exchange rates? She had enough trouble with Yuan to Yen. Unsure of herself, Shampoo turned to Mousse to see what he thought-

. . . For some reason, her lifelong companion appeared to be choking on his own tongue!

Without thinking, she leapt from her seat and slapped him across the back hard enough to knock the gagging fool to the floor.

"Stupid Mousse, you stop dying now! You embarrassing Shampoo!"

After a few more whacks for good measure, Mousse finally remembered how to breathe and inhaled a huge lungful of air . . . which immediately incited a coughing fit of epic proportions, complete with chest thumping, hacking, wheezing and tears . . . the whole nine yards, really.

"Two – two - 'cough' - _hundred_ _**thousand**_ . . . a _year_?"

Hmm, judging by _that_ response, it appeared that it was a _lot _of money. Feh, like she cared about that.

Looking quite amused, Mr. Luthor somehow manufactured a helpless expression and waved his hands to the sides in a most put upon fashion. "I'm sorry, son, but that's all I can offer at the moment. If you're looking for a raise, you'll have to go through the same channels as the rest of Lexcorp's employee's."

A dry, rustling chuckle filled the air, finally reminding them all that the Ancient Amazon was _indeed _still among them.

"A clever tactic, Mr. Luthor, attempting to bring us into the fold, as it were. So, tell me, what ridiculous sum of money to you intend to throw in my direction to secure _my _cooperation?"

Again, Mr. Luthor leaned back, steepling his fingers before him. Apparently it was his 'bargaining' position. The man's chair swiveled to the side slightly as he met Cologne's gaze with a determined gaze of his own.

"Do you think I would be foolish enough to believe that mere monetary gain would be enough to sway one such as yourself, Elder Khu Lon? Heh, even your rather stoic Great Granddaughter was unimpressed with such a base offer. Must come with the aesthetic warrior lifestyle, I suppose.

"No, I was thinking something a little more influential would be in order, so, I've decided to make you Vice-President."

Stunned silence reigned for a moment.

". . . Vice-President of what?" her Great Grandmother asked slowly.

Mr. Luthor smiled ever wider. The man gestured grandly all around them.

"Why, of all of Lexcorp, of course. You would have unfettered access to anything and everything you saw fit. You would have the ability to influence major company decisions; division heads would be answerable to you, you would have the power to hire and fire people . . . to reallocate resources however you saw fit . . ."

The last was added so leadingly, that Shampoo could practically see the gears in her Great Grandmother's head start turning. The reallocation of resources as she saw fit? Shampoo couldn't even imagine the plans forming in the ancient warrior's mind . . . One thing bothered her, though.

"What about old Vice-President? Him no be upset?"

Not that she really cared, but these ultra-materialistic people tended to be pretty petty.

Mr. Luthor's deep, bass laughter assuaged her concerns before he even bothered to explain.

"I admit that the man was a bit put-out by the decision, but when I told him that he was more than welcome to fight your Great Grandmother for the job, he quickly agreed it was for the best."

Before she even realized it, Shampoo was giggling at the mental image of a mousy little paper pusher squaring off against the Matriarch of the Amazon village in ritual combat. As she did, Mr. Luthor turned back to her Great Grandmother.

"Think of it, Elder. My intelligence and ambition, being guided by your wisdom and experience? We could make a formidable pair, the two of us. Just imagine the good you could do for your village, or the entire world in time?"

Shampoo could only stare, wide eyed. It was true that her Great Grandmother was easily the most powerful woman in the entire village, both martially and politically. Thanks to her shrewd mind, the Elder's influence extended well beyond the village itself, with contacts across half of China . . .

But all of that was _nothing _compared to the reigns of power that this male was freely preparing to hand to her now. If her Great Grandmother accepted this offer, it would literally catapult her from complete obscurity to being a person capable of influencing global economies at a whim . . .

Shampoo didn't even want to _think_ about what the old woman could do with that kind of power . . .

Suddenly, the idea of Nabiki becoming a supervillain didn't seem nearly as terrifying as it had moments ago. She looked across to Mousse, to gauge his reaction, only to see an even _more_ horrified expression on his face.

With grace bordering on reverence, her Great Grandmother nodded her head a single time.

"Very well, Mr. Luthor. We accept your generous offer. After all, I believe it would do these children good to see a little more of the world." The Elder chuckled to herself, even as she gestured to Shampoo over her shoulder.

Mr. Luthor immediately rose to his feet and clapped his hands together excitedly. "Excellent, _excellent_! I believe the next several months shall be very exciting for all of us."

The bald business mogul then pressed a seemingly random spot on the surface of his desk, causing a small screen to slide seamlessly out of the polished wood. A young woman's face appeared on the screen a moment later.

"Patricia, is everything prepared for our newest employee's aptitude tests?"

"Of course, Mr. Luthor. I'll escort them down myself as soon as you're done."

"Excellent. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you, my dear."

With that, another press of the button caused the screen to vanish once more. Mr. Luthor then returned his attention their way, anticipation filling his entire face.

"Miss Xian Pu, Mr. Mu Tzu, if you'd be so kind, Patricia is waiting for you at the end of the corridor. Elder Khu Lon, if you could please accompany me, we have a literal mountain of paperwork to get through tonight."

Even as her Great Grandmother nodded in agreement, a twinkle in her eyes that Shampoo wasn't sure she had _ever_ seen before, Shampoo herself and Mousse quickly got up and made their way to the door. She just couldn't believe it. Everything was happening so fast, it was leaving her dizzy . . . no, wait, that was just the hangover. She chuckled evilly to herself, she couldn't believe they had gotten away with –

"Oh, by the way, Shampoo . . ."

The violet haired Amazon stopped mid-step, a cold chill racing up her spine. Wishing she had a blindfold, she reluctantly turned to face the firing squad.

"We _will _be discussing your punishment for drinking alcohol on the plane . . . _later_."

Damn! Shampoo _hated_ it when she did that: left some nebulous punishment hanging over her head. Ever single time, she would be left waiting so long that she imagined the anticipation was even _worse_than any possible punishment to come . . .

She'd been proven wrong every single time.

"Miss Xian Pu," Mr. Luthor spoke in a stern tone, "We here at Lexcorp do not condone underage drinking among our employees. I hope this won't be a problem, will it?"

Shampoo hung her head, her cheeks burning with shame at the double admonishment-

Except, just before she could turn away, and even as Cologne was still nodding imperiously in agreement, Mr. Luthor very quickly, and very subtly . . . smirked. It caught her attention just long enough for the older man to silently mouth

'Check your mini-fridge later.'

Immediately, Shampoo perked up slightly, but not too much, and nodded smartly. "Shampoo understand perfectly, Mr. Luthor. Will not be problem at all."

Maybe she had perked up a little too much, as her Great Grandmother suddenly turned an inquisitive gaze over her shoulder . . . only to see the sternly staring face of Mr. Luthor glaring at Shampoo . . .

Shampoo quickly took advantage of the distraction to make a break for it. She grabbed Mousse's hand and forcefully dragged him from the room before anything else could go wrong.

There was one thing that she had gleaned from this meeting, though . . .

She definitely _liked _the way this Mr. Luthor operated.

* * *

With a weary sigh, Mousse swung open the door before him . . . only to suck that very same breath back in as he gawked at the sheer size of the living quarters that sprawled out before him. He didn't have time to comment, though, as a powerful (yet delicate) hand playfully (yet forcefully) shoved him off to the side A moment later, an excited Shampoo strode into the room.

"Out of way, Blind Duck, this _Shampoo's_ room, remember?"

As soon as the bubbly Amazon saw the room, she let out an appreciative whistle of her own. The young warrior then whirled back to the door to address the devastatingly attractive brunette that had escorted them there; Patricia, if he recalled correctly.

"Which room Shampoo's bedroom?" she asked, sweeping her arm across the massive living area behind her. There were couches, chairs, a nice dining table, a small kitchenette, and most importantly, a ludicrously large entertainment system strewn artfully across the vast space. There were also four doors, two on each of the walls to their sides, since the wall across from them was yet another expansive bay of windows.

Mousse was pretty sure they could reopen the NekoHanten in this apartment alone if they started feeling nostalgic.

Without missing a beat, Patricia took a step into the room and pointed out the four rooms in rapid succession.

"Bathroom, Master Bedroom, Guest Bedroom and Study." She then turned to face him, almost instantly causing his glasses to fog up. "Your room is very much identical, Mr. Mu Tzu, and it's only three doors down. I can show you the way, if you like."

Mousse tugged at his collar, suddenly feeling a little hot under it. "Heh, uh . . . n-no thank you. I'm sure I can find it on my own, after I help Shampoo unpack . . ."

An alluring smile spread across the woman's lips and she took several gliding steps towards him. Before he even had a chance to start fumbling and tripping over himself to move back, the gorgeous woman quickly fished into the breast pocket of her blouse and produced a pair of, what looked to be credit cards.

He let his mind boggle at the impossibility of fitting even something as thin as those cards into a blouse _that _tight . . . maybe she knew some hidden weapon techniques of her own . . .

"Well, Mr. Mu Tzu, you'll be needing these. They're the keycards for your rooms." She gently pressed the cards into his unresponsive hand, closing his fingers around them so they wouldn't drop to the floor. "The top one is yours and the bottom one is Miss Xian Pu's. After your positions are determined, they'll be upgraded to your new security clearances to let you get around the building, so make sure not to lose them."

With that, Patricia finally released his hand and proceeded to sashay out the door. Mousse found himself staring at the empty doorframe for several more seconds, before his self preservation instinct finally decided to kick back in. Immediately, he spun back to face the only other occupant of the room, hand at the back of his head and a nervous laugh on his lips.

"Eh, heh heh . . . well, I guess we don't have to worry about the commute . . . eh?"

Shampoo's flat stare bored through his skull and into the wall behind him. The violet eyed girl held her unimpressed gaze for a long, long moment, arms crossed tightly under her chest, before letting out an annoyed sigh.

"You using Tag Body Spray and just not telling Shampoo? Bad taste must be big trend in U.S., is only explanation Shampoo can think of for what going on lately."

Mousse chuckled weakly, even as he grumbled on the inside. If it were anyone else, he'd just chalk it up to jealously, but this was _Shampoo_ they were talking about. She just seemed to enjoy reminding him of his social status, or lack thereof, from time to time.

Oh, why did change have to come so slowly?

"Feh, she was just being nice. It's not like I'd even have a _chance_ with a woman like _that_."

He nearly bit his tongue when he realized what he'd just said; unfortunately, it was already far too late for that. Shampoo whirled on him, fire in her eyes and Mandarin flame spewing from her tongue.

"_Excuse me_? _She's _too good for you, but _I'm _bland enough that you think you have a chance with _me_? Is that what you were trying to say?"

The nearly blind weapons master back peddled as quickly as his bulky robes would allow. He frantically waved his arms in a vain attempt to ward off the rising ire that he had so inadvertently sparked.

Damnit, Mousse, think, think like the wind!

"N-no-no! That's not what I meant at all!" he pontificated, switching back to Mandarin as well, "I . . . I was just thinking that – that I'm . . . too _young _for her – yeah! I mean, look at her, she looks like she's in her-" mid twenties "-early thirties!"

Shampoo glared at him suspiciously for another minute, but his desperate gambit seemed to have mollified the worst of her righteous female fury. Then, switching gears quickly enough to send his head spinning, the violet haired goddess beamed him a smile and spun around to make her way to the master bedroom.

"Come on, Silly Duck, you need to unpack my clothes and weapons."

The slightly affectionate nickname put a wide smile on Mousse's face and he quickly made his way after her. He did so enjoy spending time with Shampoo like this, just the two of them. With no one else around, she didn't feel the need to put up such a tough front, and he didn't feel the need to continually try to claim her love.

It was just . . . nice.

He entered the master bedroom just in time to hear Shampoo squeal in joy, before she twirled around to land excitedly on her mammoth, queen sized bed. All he could do was stare for a moment, as the simply beautiful young woman stretched herself out across the shimmering satin sheets of the bed, literally purring in contentment.

A second later, he averted his gaze to the side before she had the chance to notice his adoring gaze. It was so rare to see Shampoo _genuinely _enjoying herself like this, especially with him around, and he didn't want to ruin that for her. Of course, he wasn't in a rush to leave either, so he took a seat at the elaborate vanity that took up most of the nearby wall. It was a really nice vanity too, just like the ones he saw the models using in the movies.

Idly, he wondered if there was one in his room too . . .

What? You didn't think his hair got that luxurious by itself?

"So, what did you think of that test?" Shampoo asked out of the blue, "I mean, what was with those questions? 'A fellow employee approaches you and informs you that your perfume slash cologne is too strong. How do you respond?'"

Mousse chuckled quietly. He had to agree, not only were a lot of the questions downright bizarre, but a lot of them were very repetitive as well. Of course, he was pretty sure he had a good idea of what answers they had actually been looking for.

"Yeah, that was a good one. I picked 'B', myself: Apologize and thank them for their input, so that I might better integrate myself with the workforce. Heh, wasn't too hard to figure that one out . . . so, what response did you pick?"

Suddenly, Shampoo began to study the sheets below her with deadly intensity, absently drawing small circles in the fabric with a delicate finger. The nervous habit brought a smile to his face, as he was sure it was something that even Ranma rarely got to see.

"Um . . . yeah . . . I picked that one too . . ."

Mousse rolled his eyes. He didn't need to be a childhood friend to see through _that_weak reply.

"Shampoo . . ."

The violet eyed beauty glared hotly at him for a moment, irate with his presumption . . ., but then let out a very unladylike snort and flopped onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Then, for some reason, she switched back to Japanese.

"_Fine_, Stupid Blind Duck. Shampoo add _new_ box to check. It say 'Bash in head and feed to herd.'"

Mousse could only stare, wide eyed at the love of his life.

"S-Shampoo! You can't do that!"

"Biiih!" Shampoo's pink tongue darted out teasingly. "Shampoo know that . . . no have any herds."

Mousse's wide eyed stare descended directly into incredulous gawking.

"That's _not _what I meant! Please, at least tell me that that was the only question you changed."

At that, Shampoo crossed her hands behind her head and stared off into space, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh," she nearly purred, "Shampoo add _lots _of boxes."

It was said in such a way that he was pretty sure only her Amazon pride was stopping her from cackling madly. In anguish, he slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Shampooooo . . ."

Said Shampooooo rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Stop being so stupid, Mousse. Not like Big Desk Man fire us. Him not giving us jobs because he like us, him doing it to buy loyalty, so it not matter _what _we do."

The hidden weapon master was about to respond . . . but found himself without a response to that. It honestly hadn't occurred to him, but the deceptively clever Amazon was absolutely right.

"Heh, well, I've gotta say it's working so far."

Shampoo stared at him seriously, before squealing happily again and kicking her legs into the air.

"Shampoo _know_! Was no sure until she lay on bed, but now Shampoo sold! No can _wait_to see what new jobs are."

Hmm, he had to agree. He was pretty interested to see where his aptitude test would eventually place him . . .

"Aren't you worried about your test, though? I mean, it was developed to find us jobs that suited us."

The violet eyed warrior nodded gleefully, "Exactly, Shampoo just wanted to give honest representation of self. No want to get stuck as secretary or something, that _men's _work!"

Against his will, he chuckled at her mild sexism. It was times like this that he truly loved, simply sharing the enjoyment of each others company, without anyone else to interfere. It didn't take too long for a comfortable silence to descend over them.

". . . So, what Mousse think Big Desk Man's plan is?"

So much for comfortable silences . . .

He considered the question for a moment.

"Well, the most obvious thing I can think of is that he wants to find a way to steal our martial arts secrets in order to create some kind of secret army of ultra powerful martial artists . . ."

Shampoo stared at him flatly.

"Mousse spend too much time at villain school. Besides, that no make sense."

He shrugged, reluctantly agreeing. "True enough, I suppose. Unless he has an army of five year olds ready to dedicate the next twenty years of their lives to the martial arts. I mean, it's not like he can clone us . . . is it?"

The two warriors shared a nervous glance . . .

"Naw!" they exclaimed in unison.

Shaking his head in amusement, Mousse slowly rose to his feet and began to root through his sleeves for Shampoo's luggage. "Well, nothing to do but enjoy our free time while we still have it. I figure I'll go set up my room after this; you have any plans for later on?"

A slow, wicked grin spread across Shampoo's lips.

"Shampoo think she check out Study."

Mousse's eyes widened in horror.

"You didn't bring _that _did you?"

His lady love's wicked smile only grew, becoming truly frightening.

"Shampoo never leave restaurant without it. You finish unpacking Shampoo's things, you know where it all should go . . ."

"Shampoo have _business _to attend to."

* * *

Cyborg hung up the phone, casually dusting off his hands at another job well done. Well, that was the last of his chores done, so now he could finally kick back and relax. This in mind, he did a quick survey of the main room. It was pretty much empty, the only two occupants consisting of: Raven, sitting curled up on the couch, actually reading the newspaper for a change, and Beast Boy, several seats down and frantically bouncing up and down as he played on the Game Station.

Both seemed like viable sources of entertainment. He was always up for a game, but Raven was always so hilarious when she got mad . . . terrifying, but hilarious.

Not sure who was more deserving of his torment, the Titanium Titan strolled up behind the couch and casually began to look over both of his targets once more. The violet haired girl seemed to be pretty involved in whatever article she was reading, which meant that she would be especially annoyed if he disturbed her . . .

Well that was an easy decision; now, what to do, what to –

"_**Nooo**__ooooooo_oooooo!"

Beast Boy's anguished wail derailed his train of though, and even caused Raven to lower her paper . . . for about a second, before she remembered it was Beast Boy and she didn't care.

Hmm, angry Raven was fun, but not nearly as fun as Beast Boy when he was gettin' his butt whooped.

"Sounds like you're havin' a good time there, eh, BB?" he asked tauntingly.

Rather than take the bait, the emerald changeling growled loudly. "I _was_! But then that Nǚjiézú guy logged on and fragged me!"

The name brought Cyborg to a dead stop. Immediately, his circuits started to sizzle!

"Ah _hell _no! That Nǚjiézú guy knows that this is _Cyborg's _server!"

In one fluid motion, he hopped over the couch to sit beside his best buddy.

"Dawg, pass me a controller. I owe that griefer _big time_ after what went down the _last _time he popped up!"

Whoever _Nǚjiézú_ was, he'd been a thorn in Cyborg's side, and his player score, for _months_ now. It was time for a size sixteen boot full of payback-

Cyborg Style!

- Fifteen minutes later –-

"-ere – no, where is – wait, _wait_, I got . . . _Damnit_!"

Cyborg angrily dropped his controller to the floor and stomped his feet several times for good measure. Beast Boy, head hanging in shame, looked over at him pitiably.

"You know, I wouldn't even _mind _all the head shots, but why does he have to wait till I _spot him,_ before he blows my brains out? It's just _wrong, _Dude, worlds and worlds of wrong!"

Cyborg was about to explain, in great detail, the depths of cheating that their opponent _had _to be resorting to beat both of them, but was interrupted by a wry chuckle from the peanut gallery. Both young men turned to _glare _at the curled up form of Raven.

"What makes you so certain that he is a _he_?" she asked leadingly.

This time, the look that the both of them gave her was calculated purely for the purpose of letting the girl know that she had just said the dumbest thing in the history of forever. The answer to that was as obvious as the calibrations one would need to make to the engine of the T-Ship to produce a magnetic bottle capable of containing the anti-matter produced as a waste product of the ship's unique propulsion system.

"Um, because he's _beating _us, Rae."

Beast Boy chimed in, nodding fervently. "Like, Duh, Raven. There's no way that a _girl_ would be good enough to take us on."

For just a moment, Cyborg imagined that Raven was suddenly wearing four pairs of glowing crimson slits where her violet eyes normally were, but shrugged it off as a trick of the mind. The glare she was impaling them with now was more than scary enough without dragging that kind of stuff into it.

"But your executioner colored their little space man _pink and purple_. Does that sound very _masculine_ to you?"

Cyborg just shook his head sadly.

"Jeez, Rae, I didn't know you were so critical of the gay community."

Raven's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as she sputtered indignantly.

"_What does that have to do with_ –" In an amazing feat of will, the fuming female calmed herself and leveled her critical gaze their way once more. "So, you're saying that it's okay for you to be beaten by a gay man, but not by a woman?"

Cyborg and Beast Boy shared another quick glance, before they both shrugged. Man, she was asking all the easy questions today.

"Of _course_ it is. A guy is still a guy, gay or not.'

His emerald cohort nodded, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. "And really, with guys as good looking as _us _around, how can you blame them?"

That did it, Raven was on her feet, practically simmering in her own indignant fury.

"Congratulations. You've actually found a way to make your acceptance of the gay community _more _offensive then your sexist attitude towards women. That's it, I'm going to-"

"Talk to Ryouga?" Beast Boy supplied, lacing the words with enough innuendo to actually clue Starfire in.

Cyborg was starting to get worried, especially since Raven's death glare was starting to set off his proximity alarm . . . but then the pale girl let out a long, weary sigh.

"Do either of you know if he's in the tower?" she asked, almost pleadingly.

It was all he could do to contain his growing mirth. God, he loved teasing Raven.

"Sorry, Rae. He called me a half hour ago to order a few pizzas to Terra's cave. Sounds like he's pullin another all nighter. Heh, Dawg's been down there so long, that the pizza guys don't even think I'm makin crank calls anymore."

The weak sigh that the girl let out this time, nearly deflating her visibly before them, actually sparked a small touch of sympathy in his titanium heart. They'd gotten their laughs; he should really throw the girl a bone.

"Why don't ya head down and make sure he's doin alright? I bet the pizza will be getting there pretty soon, ya know?"

He felt better immediately, as the robed girl seemed to perk up at the thought . . . only to be crushed under the weight of the frown that suddenly descended on the girl's normally neutral features.

"Hmph, he's already made his opinions quite clear on having a girl with 'an aura as _huge _as mine' disturbing him while he's with Terra. That's it, I'm going to talk to Ranma."

With that, the their teammate began to levitate towards the main elevator.

"Umm, dude?" Beast Boy called out over his shoulder, even as he returned the rest of his attention back to the game before him, "Isn't it, like, four in the morning there? Dude's gonna be pretty ticked if you wake him up, won't he?"

Raven's head tilted to the side as she considered this for a moment, likely coming to the stunning conclusion that BB was actually right, then she shrugged. "First of all, you should be calling me '_Dude'_ even less than you should be calling me 'Rae'. Second, it's Friday night there, so he won't mind."

And in a flash of black she was gone.

Cyborg shook his head in bewilderment, even as he turned back to the game and picked up his own controller.

"Man, Cy, that's some seriously messed up stuff, eh? Don't ever let me go all wonky like that, will ya?"

Absently, Cyborg nodded, even though it was already far too late to keep that promise, considering how crazy BB had gone over Terra, like, five seconds after meeting her. Still, there was just one thing he couldn't figure out.

"I just do _not _get Ryo, dude. I know that _I _like a little junk in the trunk . . . metaphysically speaking," he explained emphatically.

Beast Boy let out a bark of laughter. "Heh, metaphysically my _butt_!"

"No, not _your _butt."

"Ha! Awesome one, dude!"

"Alright now, BB, down to business. It's time to bury Nǚjiézú so deep that it'll take him a year to dig his way out."

-Five Minutes Later-

"Buddha! Make the suffering _stop_!"

"I got – wha – _no_** . . . AGH damnit**! A freakin'**plasma sword**?"


	21. This Ain't A Scene Chapter 3

Dark Titans - Arc 3 – This Ain't A Scene...

Chapter 3

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Mousse did his best to conceal his amusement as Cologne was wracked by another awe-inspiring yawn. Apparently Luthor hadn't been joking when he'd said they'd had a mountain of paperwork to get through the night before. It seemed that even someone as versed in Amazonian law as Cologne had a limit to how many legal documents she could dredge through before faltering.

Oddly, Mr. Luthor himself seemed to be rather chipper this morning. It might have had something to do with the excited energy which seemed to encompass the man as he led them through the corridors of the LexCorp building. He was supposedly escorting them to meet with a group of their new co-workers, and Mr. Luthor seemed to think it would be a very interesting meeting.

Of course, they hadn't actually been informed what their new jobs were yet, but their employer assured them that it would all be sorted out within the hour.

"We there yet?"

Shampoo's inquiry came out sounding more exhausted than irate. He chuckled quietly to himself; that would teach her to stay up all night –

Oops!

Apparently he hadn't chuckled quietly enough, as a pair of violet (heavily rimmed with red) eyes lanced through him. Luckily for the vision-impaired youth, he was saved from certain doom by their bald benefactor.

"Actually, indeed we are, Miss Xian Pu." Luthor grandly gestured to the large pair of double doors not too far down the hall from their current position. The sign above the door was actually enough to perk the both of them up immediately.

'Gymnasium'

Now he was _very_ curious about this meeting. What kind of corporate types would they be meeting in a gym?

Without further ado, Luthor moved forward and swung open the doors. What was revealed was a room beyond the weapon master's wildest dreams. It was a gymnasium, to be sure, but one that made the Hive Academy's gym look like a home exercise machine. Revolutionary and cutting edge seemed to be the theme for the day, with the latest and greatest equipment lining each and every wall; a few of the machines he actually recognized _from _the Academy. Oddly enough, though, it looked like a lot of the exercise machines had either been moved to the side, or taken out completely. Almost the entire center of the room was bare, except for a thick layer of Olympic quality floor mats which stretched nearly from one wall to the other.

Well, bare except for the mats and the five people training on them. So, these were their new co-workers, eh? Maybe there _was_ something to his 'martial artist army' idea. The five figures were quite distinctive . . . which said a lot coming from someone that lived in Nerima.

Wait just a moment!

Mr. Luthor took another step into the room, then gestured to the five figures politely. "Elder Khu Lon, Miss Xian Pu, Mr. Mu Tzu, may I introduce you to-"

"_Master Cain_?"

Everyone looked up at his unexpected outburst, but he couldn't possibly hide his surprise. What was _he _doing here?

The man in question, an older, yet distinguished gentleman with graying hair and currently wearing a starched white gi, smiled widely.

"Mousse, my boy! How have you been holding up?"

The older martial artist strode forward and clasped hands with an exceedingly confused Mousse. He honestly wasn't sure what to say.

"Master Cain . . . I must admit, I hadn't expected to meet you again, let alone so soon . . ."

Master Cain leaned in and winked conspiratorially. "Well, I'd say I was surprised to see you here as well, but I'd hate to lie to such an excellent pupil."

_That _really sent Mousse's head spinning. What had he meant by that-

"Ahh, I see," stated Cologne, "So that would make you Mr. Luthor's informant from the Hive Academy, now wouldn't it, Mr. Cain?"

The hidden weapon master's very recently ex-instructor chuckled in amusement. "Lady, I've trained some of the greatest martial artists on the planet, but I've never seen _anyone _that could do the things that Mousse could do. Even with the limited time I had to work with him, I saw the potential in him to become a _very _valuable asset."

The man then turned back to Mousse, smiling knowingly, "And what do we do with a valuable asset, boy?"

Mousse buried his hands deeply into his sleeves, feeling strangely embarrassed that an answer immediately sprang to mind.

". . . You sell it to the highest bidder," he replied contritely.

"That's right!" Master Cain stated proudly, "And, technically speaking, I didn't take the information to Mr. Luthor until _after_ I had left Brother Blood's employ, so informant is a bit of a misnomer."

Cologne nodded, grinning wryly, "I see, well, I apologize for that, then. So, I assume that you'll be continuing the boy's training in the less honorable arts, then?"

Mousse blanched slightly at the condemnation, but the older man just shrugged agreeably, "If that's what Mr. Luthor wants."

The sudden shift in topic finally brought the mogul back into the conversation. Luthor simply shrugged in amusement.

"We'll see how things progress. Now, as entertaining as it is to see old friends reacquaint themselves, please allow me to introduce the rest of your associates."

The bald businessman gestured quickly to Master Cain, "Obviously, you already know David Cain."

He then indicated the raven haired woman that had been in his office the day before, "And you've enjoyed the company of Lady Shiva as well."

The next warrior he pointed out was a mountain of a man . . . wearing a huge tiger mask for some reason. Aside from that, Tiger Face was wearing a gaudy orange outfit with tiger stripe trimming.

"This gentleman is known as the Bronze Tiger." Tiger Face proceeded to nod politely in their direction. Though, the mask made it hard to tell if the man was being snide or genuine.

Lex then gestured to a man of obviously Greek heritage. The man, with slicked down black hair and a rather sharp goatee (and wearing shades indoors for some reason) stared them down with calculated coolness. "The young man, there, is Constantine Drakon."

Hmph, Mousse thought to himself, young by Luthor's standards, anyway. That Constantine guy looked to be at least in his late twenties, if not early thirties.

"And, of course, last but not least . . ." Lex's arm swung out, grandly bringing everyone's attention to . . . an empty space on the floor mats, ". . . Cheshire?"

Huh? Mousse had been sure that there had been another warrior present, an attractive young woman (probably only a few years younger than himself) wearing a cat mask (maybe she was Tiger Face's daughter?) and a green Gi . . . top? Honestly, he wasn't sure, as most Gi's he'd seen had come with pants, but then the top did go down to about mid thigh . . .

"_Nihao_ . . ."

The hidden weapon master gave a start as he suddenly felt a presence appear right beside him . . . as in wrapping around his arm and pressing some very soft and warm assets against him.

In the distant back of his mind, he noted a hint of a Vietnamese accent, but that piece of trivia was quickly lost to the current situation.

Of far greater concern was the intense buildup of fiery chi about four feet to his left. He didn't even need to look to know the royally pissed look that was doubtlessly forming on Shampoo's face, considering how often he had seen it before . . .

And then it was gone.

"This boring, Shampoo _bored_."

The cocky statement quickly drew all eyes to the youngest Amazon present. Shampoo chose that moment to take a step forward before pointing condescendingly at the warriors arrayed before her.

"You all supposed to be best fighters money can buy? Fine, you tell Shampoo who she have to kill to get title and then we no need you weaklings anymore."

The older woman, Lady Shiva if he recalled, glared balefully at the violet haired warrior, hissing "Insolent child" under her breath.

Tiger Face simply crossed his arms over his massive chest impassively (he assumed, again, hard to tell through the mask), while the Greek actually took a step forward, smiling malevolently-

Only to be stopped by David Cain's outstretched arm. The veteran assassin then closed in on Shampoo himself, only to take her hand into his own.

"So, you are _the _Shampoo that I've heard so much about. I must say, you're not nearly as dead as Mousse made you out to be." The gray haired man sent a conspiratorial wink Mousse's way before continuing, "And forgive me for saying, but not even Mousse's most anguished wails of loss truly did your beauty justice, by dear."

The blissful sound of Shampoo's laughter filled the air, even as Mousse felt his cheeks start to burn.

"Master _Cain_!"

His humiliation only deepened as the shapely young woman on his arm began to giggle as well.

After Shampoo finished laughing, either at the old man's antics, or Mousse's embarrassment, she leveled an appraising gaze on the assassin.

"You teach Mousse, right? Did you help Mousse train to avenge Shampoo's 'death', or you try convince Mousse not to let vengeance consume soul?"

Master Cain met her serious look for a moment, before shaking his head in bemusement. "I'm afraid that it was the former, my dear. I've never been an advocate of 'forgive and forget' myself, and he was _quite _broken up about the whole affair."

Shampoo maintained her deadly serious stare for another few seconds . . . before breaking into a wide smile.

"Alright, you Shampoo like, no kill you."

Mousse shook his head, now _that _had been predictable. Still, that was pretty high praise from the violet eyed Amazon. David simply chuckled happily, before replying.

"I think you'll do well here, Shampoo. However, you have to understand, we are a proud lot. After all, the people gathered in this room are some of the greatest martial artists _known _in the world,"

Mousse felt the young woman on his arm swell with pride-

"Except for the girl,"

Only to deflate like the proverbial pricked balloon.

"So challenging one of us to combat is no small matter."

Lex chose that moment to step in, linguistically speaking.

"Actually, I think a demonstration of Miss Xian Pu's skills would be a very enlightening experience. You can choose amongst yourself who will be her opponent. While you do that, Elder Khu Lon and I shall move up to the observation deck; we have some business to discuss."

The sharply dressed man then turned to Shampoo and smiled just a little _too _charmingly for Mousse's taste.

"I look forward to seeing what you're capable of, Miss Xian Pu."

With that, the multi-billionaire turned and made his way to a door on the east wall. Cologne turned to follow, but leveled an even stare at her Great Granddaughter before she did.

"Don't disappoint me, Shampoo. You have three thousand years of Amazon pride resting on your shoulders."

If the love of Mousse's life felt at all pressured by the rather blunt ultimatum, she didn't betray even a trace of it. Instead, Shampoo smiled wickedly and turned back to the gathered fighters.

"So, who Shampoo kill first?"

The four elder martial artists shared only the briefest of glances before Lady Shiva scoffed loudly.

"And debase ourselves? Feh, you can have the girl. Beat her, and _maybe _you'll be worthy."

Rather than scream in outrage, as he half expected her to, Shampoo turned to face him . . . or more accurately, the young woman now tightly gripping his arm. The smile on her face was _not _pleasant . . . even by Shampoo standards.

". . . Perfect," she literally purred.

* * *

Cologne patiently crossed her arms behind her back as she gazed through the large sheet of plate glass that separated them from the gymnasium proper. She had to admit that she was feeling a little curious to see how things would progress, though it appeared they had chosen the least interesting warrior to be Shampoo's opponent.

Behind her, sitting casually in a chair and not even putting on the pretence of actually watching the fight, Lex Luthor leafed through a pair of manila folders. Business seemed like a good topic, since it didn't seem like the fight would be one of the high-octane slobber knockers that she had gotten so used to over the past few years.

She didn't bother turning from watching the goings on below as she began to speak.

"All of the arrangements for the shipment have been made. A train will carry it to the city that I have chosen, and from there, a contingent of warriors will take possession of it to take it back to the village. I assume there are no problems with this?"

From the sounds of it, Lex didn't bother looking up from his reading as he replied, "Well, it would be easier to just airlift the cargo, but I appreciate your desire for secrecy at the moment. I've even arranged a number of third party specialists for you to choose from to check the shipment for tracking devices, just to be sure."

The corner of the Matriarch's mouth quirked up in amusement. "A sound precaution. I shall deal with that in the hour."

Silence reigned for several moments, punctuated only by the sound of shuffling paper and the occasional chuckle from Luthor.

". . . So, are you certain about Shampoo?" she asked finally.

A pause, followed by the sound of more rustling paper. "You mean making her an Executive Officer in LexCorp's Security Forces?"

Cologne finally turned to face the man, eyeing him owlishly. Luthor met her gaze over the edge of the papers he was reading.

"Yes, actually. I believe it is an excellent opportunity for the girl . . . but I must admit that I'm not sure she's prepared for such responsibility."

As skilled as her Great Granddaughter was, she didn't exactly play well with others and there were times she despaired that Shampoo might never grow into the type of leader she was being groomed to become.

Lex read another line, letting about another small chuckle before returning his attention to her.

"Well, Khu lon, you know as well as I; you'll never be ready for responsibility if you never receive any. Besides, I actually believe that your Great Granddaughter is an excellent fit for the job.

The bald man leaned back into his chair, lowering the folders into his lap. He then raised a hand and began to tick off his fingers one by one. "She's aggressive, territorial, clever, manipulative and ruthless, and these are just the traits that I've heard from you."

He lifted the top folder, the one that he had been reading from, and waved it around.

"From her aptitude test, I've also learned that she's much smarter than the broken English would lead one to believe. While Mu Tsu was able to tell us everything that we wanted to hear, she was able to ascertain the full extent of the situation, that the test was essentially meaningless."

Cologne nodded. She and Lex had discussed Shampoo's and Mousse's future careers before the children had even put pen to paper on that test.

"Not to mention," Lex continued. He held up the test in question, "The girl has a wicked sense of humor."

The man chuckled in amusement before continuing, "I don't say this often about young people, but I like your Xian Pu. With her attitude and personality, I think that she'll do quite well here. In fact, I'm thinking of putting three squads directly under her command, see how she handles it."

Hmm, interesting indeed. Cologne would be quite happy to see her Great Granddaughter rise to the occasion.

She shook her head ruefully. As hard as it was for her to admit, she found herself being drawn deeper and deeper into the machinations of the man before her. She knew he couldn't be trusted, not yet, and knew he was still hiding his true agenda, but he possessed and uncanny knack of offering her exactly what she wanted. Power and influence for the village, a positive learning environment for Shampoo, and most importantly, a little excitement and uncertainty for an old, old woman.

On the other hand, that fool boy, Mousse, was still trailing around, but with the proper molding, even he looked to have the potential to become very useful. Speaking of which.

"So, have you determined what the boy's first target shall be?"

An enigmatic smile played across the man's lips. "I have a place or two in mind. However, I want Cain to confirm that Mu Tzu is up to the task before I send him out. Industrial espionage isn't a task to be taken lightly, after all."

Again, Cologne nodded in agreement. It was another sound precaution. Still, she had to give Mr. Luthor credit. He was determined to win her trust, and was making better progress than most had in a lifetime. It wasn't just a matter of what he offered, but just how much of his organization he was laying bare before them. Shampoo would essentially become the eyes and ears of LexCorp, watching over all of its employees . . . and its enemies. Mousse had been assigned directly into LexCorp's Black Ops. That was impressive in and of itself, considering it was not only revealing the less legal aspects of his operations, but actively inviting them to participate. And, of course, he had given her actual sway over his company.

Even for one such as herself, the sheer mass of possibilities that swirled though her mind was somewhat daunting.

Where to even begin?

So lost in thought, was she, that she didn't even realize she had been staring vacantly through the glass before her for several long moments.

"So, what do you think of the cadre of warriors I've assembled?"

Hmph, apparently the man had mistaken her contemplation with actual interest.

In reply, she scoffed loudly, "Feh, you promise me a group of the world's greatest fighters, yet all you have to show is yet more assassins."

"Now, now, Elder. Don't you think you're being somewhat harsh? There is some real talent down there. Most of the people out there have actually defeated the Batman in straight combat."

This time, a derisive bark of laughter was her response.

"You say that as if I should be impressed. I am quite aware of who you speak. Frankly, as far as I'm concerned, the only thing worthwhile that that man has done for the world of martial arts was to give Robin the very basic physical conditioning to make the boy trainable."

A rueful chuckle issued from behind her. "Of course. I keep forgetting to whom I am speaking. Still, do you think you can work with them?"

At that question, she turned to peer at the man imperiously, "I don't like working with people so set in their ways. The girl, at least, is likely to have an open mind. Everyone else will undoubtedly require a constant contest of wills. How many of them will survive is anyone's guess."

Her eyes narrowed as she continued to study the confident man.

"I am loathe to admit it, but I still haven't completely divined your game yet. The simplest answer is that you want an army of martial artists under your control . . . but as we both know, the simplest answer is usually simple deception.

"You have all the trappings, yet five warriors do not an army make. And by now, you must know that there is no easy trick, no shortcut to training skilled warriors properly . . . so what is it that you're really looking for?"

Lex chose that moment to lean back into his chair, looking positively Machiavellian. "All in good time, Elder, all in good time . . . so, how is the fight progressing?"

The ancient Amazon let out a resigned sigh. The mystery of why she was here was even more tantalizing than all of the wealth and power that he was showering upon them. If only she had more information . . . bah! Oh well, as the man said, all in good time.

With that, she took a casual glance over her shoulder, onto the battle below.

". . . about as well as can be expected."

* * *

"Go on three."

"Ready?"

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Go!"

As one, the pair of paramedics carefully lifted the stretcher into its upright position. They were very mindful not to jostle its comatose occupant, in fear of exacerbating her already serious injuries. The first paramedic winced at the figure of the beaten and bloodied young woman securely strapped down to the gurney. It certainly looked like the girl was in for a bad night, but there was one thing he knew for certain . . .

He didn't want to be around when they had to dig out those mask fragments . . .

* * *

Shampoo smiled vindictively at the four remaining warriors. Each and every one of them was doing their very best to look unimpressed, but she could still see the trace of wonder dancing merrily at the back of their eyes. All she could think was:

'One down, four to go.'

Unnoticed behind her, Mousse shook his head sadly . . .

* * *

Lex shook his head in amusement as he looked down on the remnants of the spectacle.

"Your Great Granddaughter certainly has a killer instinct. I believe it will take her very far here."

To his side, the withered crone nodded in agreement, though her features were bereft of the amusement which filled his. Was she not satisfied with her Great Granddaughter's victory? It had seemed excessively thorough to him.

"Well," he continued, since it didn't seem like she was prepared to respond anytime soon, "Providing any of my people can actually survive your training, or Xian Pu's demonstrations, I'm certain that the gymnasium, at the very least, shall be a hive of activity. Unfortunately, other than that, I'm afraid that we'll likely be drawn into the tedium of running a multinational conglomeration before too much time passes. I doubt anything important will happen in the next few weeks . . . Which I think is for the best, since I'd prefer to keep the knowledge of the existence of meta-martial artists such as yourself as limited as possible for as long as possible."

Cologne nodded slowly, "Keeping your aces up your sleeve, as it were. Always a wise tactic." She then gave him a strange look, "And what's this 'meta-martial artist' nonsense?"

Lex shrugged, "It seemed like a fitting term. Your abilities are as far beyond traditional martial artists' as meta-humans' are beyond normal humans'."

The ancient warrior seemed to mull this over, before finally shrugging herself. "It does have a nice ring to it, and I can imagine how irate it will make your employee's down there, being demoted as it were. As for things progressing slowly, I share your sentiment that it is for the best. No need to rush head long into the darkness; things will move along at their own pace, I'm certain."

He allowed a wry smile to twist his lips as he idly watched the martial artists in the gymnasium below. It was true, patience wasn't one of his greatest virtues, but it _was_ the best course for now. Even though he held all of the cards at the moment, he couldn't afford to rush things, not considering how wily the old woman was. No, what he had gathered before him was only the beginning, the beginning of something grand . . . but he could afford to wait. The most important things he had to concern himself with for the moment were keeping this new breed of warriors under wraps, and earning the trust or the ancient matriarch. Then, then he could finally begin the second phase of his project.

It was all just a matter of time . . .

A stray thought crossed his mind, bringing an amused chuckle to his lips.

"Heh, heh heh . . . 'Bash in head and feed to herds.' Really, Elder, your Great Granddaughter is _brilliant_."

Finally, he saw the corner of his companion's mouth twitch upwards, if only a fraction of an inch. Cologne then let out an obviously manufactured disgruntled groan. "Feh, not so brilliant as you make out. What is that fool girl thinking?"

". . . She doesn't have any herds."

* * *

It had been, Cologne reminisced, very much as her erstwhile partner had anticipated. The weeks had literally flown by in a flurry of activity, though she had never actually found any of it to be tedious at all. Though Lex had yet to confide in her his full plan, she had had so many things stacked on her plate, to use the vulgar term, that she scarcely even cared.

First and foremost, she had buried her Great Granddaughter beneath a mountain of language teachers. Japanese, English, German, most every important language, really . . . Except French.

Oh, how she _hated_the French.

And though it was too soon for anything to come of the newer languages, her Shampoo's grasp on English and Japanese had both started to firm up nicely after only several weeks of intensive drilling.

Next had been setting up a secure line of communication with the village council; which turned out to be much easier than she had anticipated, what with their access to Tamaranian technology. My, but hadn't Perfume been handling that alliance like a master in her absence? Now, a rather steady flow of supplies and equipment was trickling into the village, both for the villagers' use, as well as for trade. Of course, she made certain to use a different method and route each time . . . though, really, she refused to fool herself into thinking that her host couldn't locate the village at any time he so desired. It was just fun making everyone jump through hoops for her amusement, really.

Mousse had resumed his espionage training under Mr. Cain. Even she had to admit to being impressed by the new levels of mastery that the young male was attaining in his Hidden Weapons techniques. Even before he was kidnapped, the young warrior could fool simple devices, such as airport metal detectors . . . but now . . .

So impressed with the boy's progress was Lex, that he had even sent Mousse on an . . . 'information gathering' mission only the week before. Apparently it had gone quite satisfactorily.

As for her new 'students' . . . well, she hadn't been forced to kill any of them, yet. Young David Cain was quite receptive, though a bit too old to really benefit from the training too extensively. Lady Shiva was, sadly, about the same; she had the raw talent, though . . . maybe with more time. As for Drakon and Tiger Face (Mousse's nickname for the man had spread quickly, much to the assassin's chagrin.), she was honestly surprised that she _hadn't _killed them. Both men were simply insufferable, but _just _skilled enough to merit their continued breathing.

As she had predicted, the only student that really gave her any real sense of hope was the young Cheshire. She was young, impressionable, open to new ideas, and by far the most dedicated of the lot. After all, after considering the savage beating that Shampoo had laced on the girl, a fierce, if one-sided rivalry was a forgone conclusion. Cologne just chalked the girl's disturbing infatuation with Mousse up to the odd mental instabilities that seemed to plague all young warriors.

It seemed that everything was going perfectly; even Lex's plan to keep the knowledge of so-called 'Meta-martial artists' from spreading in any serious way . . .

At least until now.

Luthor's office was littered with martial artists, all watching last night's news, all the way from Tokyo, on a massive plasma screen.

To say 'so much for keeping things quiet' seemed to be just a legendary case of understatement. Leave it to her future son-in-law to create an international incident just as _they _wanted to keep their existence a secret. Still, between the demons, the gods and the miscellaneous other martial artists that had flocked to Ranma's banner, it looked like it would be quite the exciting battle indeed.

"Feh," scoffed Constantine Drakon, "Are we supposed to be impressed by this pigtailed buffoon? Why are we even watching this farce?"

Cologne rolled her eyes, even as Shampoo whirled on the man.

"Shut up, Drakken! Ranma is a warrior beyond your wildest dreams, so watch and see what a _real _man is like."

The Greek assassin returned her simmering glare, "It is pronounced 'Dra-_kon_'!"

"As if I could care less." Shampoo, obviously enjoying her newfound proficiency in the language then spun back to the massive screen, "Go, Airen! Kick that demon's butt!"

Mousse let out a disgusted groan. "Why are you cheering for him, Shampoo? He's only fighting this demon to save Akane, after all."

Her Great Granddaughter seemed to consider this for a moment, before slightly modifying her cheer.

"Airen! Win by an incredibly narrow margin! Preferably after Violent Girl is already dead!"

It was Cologne's turn to let out a disgusted groan. Apparently a new job and an improved vocabulary weren't enough to change her Great Granddaughter at all.

Beside her, Luthor studied the screen with fierce intensity. The large man rested his chiseled chin on an upturned fist, apparently deep in thought as he took in the battle unfolding before him . . . even though it technically took place hours before.

"I . . . think the situation is still salvageable, Elder. Your protégé has yet to do anything beyond conventional –"

"_Mouko Takabisha_!"

The screen flashed a blinding gold for several seconds.

Cologne let a self satisfied smile creep on to her face at the wide eyes that now populated the faces of all those around her, excepting Shampoo and Mousse, of course.

"W-what was that?" asked a somewhat shaken Shiva.

"Just a middling chi technique," she supplied in a rather amused tone. She then turned to stare down her would be pupils.

"Mark well what you see, assassins. For what you see now is the power of a _true_martial artist. One that lives for the art, breathes for the art, strives for the art and that would sacrifice all for the art. This is the defining divergence between those that simply hone their bodies into weapons with which to kill, and those that practice the art as an extension of their soul and love it with all of their heart."

Maybe she was being a bit heavy handed about it, judging by the pained looks on Shampoo's and Mousse's faces (after all, there were very few indeed that could measure up to her future son-in-law) but she wanted to make sure that her murderous compatriots at least started to understand the truth. The Martial Arts _were_ an art, not just a tool, and that was why none of these assassins, none of the so-called heroes, would ever be truly great. Without the love of the art, from a born and bred warrior such as herself, to the inner city youth training after school, it was all meaningless.

"Hmmm . . ."

Cologne turned to glare at person interrupting her moment . . . only to see Lex wasn't paying any attention to her at all. The man was still watching the screen with fixed concentration.

"You know . . . energy blasts such as that are very common amongst meta-humans. I doubt anyone will think anything of-"

"_**Hiryu Shoten Ha**_!"

The entire room filled with blinding white light and the multi million dollar speaker system suddenly assaulted them all with the very wailing of the damned themselves.

The rather vivid image of a manmade cyclone hungrily devouring most of a city block hung on the screen for a seeming eternity, the buildings seeming to disintegrate in slow motion as everyone in the room watched with slack jaws. Not even Cologne herself had _ever _seen a Hiryu Shoten Ha of such unimaginable size, and she had been present for the whirlwind created by the combined power of Ranma, Ryouga and Starfire . . .

Then, impossibly, the towering cyclone swelled painfully before bursting messily up its entire length, raining debris for as far as the camera could see.

With glacial slowness, Cologne tore her eyes away from the spectacle before her to gaze upon the man beside her. Lex's jaw hung open for only a second, before clicking shut tightly, the muscles along his jaw clenching fiercely.

"This . . .," the man started grimly, "is a disaster."

Mousse actually had the audacity to chuckle out loud. "So much for keeping things under wraps."

Shampoo slapped a hand to her forehead, regressing slightly at the shock of the moment, "Shampoo forget about that!"

What else could possibly go wrong?

* * *

With an annoyed grunt, Ryouga dropped his communicator to the cave floor and petulantly turned his attention back to the only girl that seemed to understand him lately. Terra, as always, stared back with blissfully unjudging eyes. She was also kind enough to not point out the fact that he was, in fact, acting petulant in the first place.

Why couldn't every girl be a stone statue?

It would certainly make life simpler. They'd still be pretty to look at, but you wouldn't get: malleted, spatula'd, slapped, yelled at, ignored or abandoned. You could even talk to them without ending up sounding like a complete moron . . . sounding crazy on the other hand . . .

Which just brought him back to the source of his annoyance. He had called the tower, hoping to talk to Raven; half to pick her brain, half just to hear her voice. Unfortunately, all he had gotten was a somewhat sleepy looking Kasumi informing him that Raven was _still _talking to Ranma after that massive fight that the pigtailed boy had gotten himself into _hours _ago.

The fanged boy let out a weary sigh. It would hardly be rational of him to get all worked up over something as silly as that. He knew that the two had forged a fast friendship after the ordeals they had gone through to save his sorry butt. It was obvious that the whole thing was just as innocent as his own relationship with Starfire. Besides, Raven had so few friends anyway . . .

Still . . .

"Argh!" He clubbed himself upside the head. This was exactly the reason he wasn't making any progress! The mountain of pizza boxes towering at the back of the cavern stood in silent testament to his lack of concentration. It was the Bakusai Tenketsu training all over again. He had to get his act together! If he didn't get results soon, he was pretty sure that Beast Boy was going to start using his bed as a litter box.

The mental images his imagination started to form at that disturbing thought were more than enough incentive to get back to work.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, the bandanna clad boy sat down in front of Terra and closed his eyes. Again, he racked his brain for every trivial bit of knowledge that he had ever heard or conceived of concerning chi . . .

Which immediately made him think of Raven again. He remembered that she had mentioned a kind of 'chi sight' technique that Cologne had taught her.

Of course, thinking of that only made him think about Ranma, and start his temper to simmering. When he had asked Raven to borrow the scroll Cologne had given her, she'd told him she'd given it to Ranma!

Once again, that pigtailed jerk had gotten something that Hibiki Ryouga had needed! And what did the guy even need it for? It wasn't like Ranma was here trying to bring Terra back to life. It wasn't like _Ranma_ didn't already have a million fancy techniques that people handed off to him like spare change!

"_Damn-_oops . . ."

Ryouga's eyes snapped open and he very carefully extracted his curled fist from the hole in the rocky floor before him. Terra's statue vibrated for another few seconds, causing the Lost Boy to suck in his breath . . . but finally stilled.

Feeling quite abashed, he quickly filled in the hole and patted it down. Beast Boy would _kill _him if he knew that he was doing stupid stuff like that five feet from Terra's statue.

And he'd thought he'd been making progress with his temper, too. Unfortunately, anything even remotely concerning his rival seemed to set him back to square one. Like when Raven had told him about the scroll, he'd been so annoyed that he hadn't even thought to just ask _her_ to teach him the technique. And now, when he'd finally swallowed his pride enough to talk to her again, Kasumi's helpful reminder had only set him off all over again.

A long sigh escaped his lips.

He sure wished Starfire would visit. At least she'd have the common decency to knock some sense into him if she even suspected the idiotic stuff that was going through his head down here.

Another sigh and he closed his eyes again.

With a great feat of will, he pushed all of his mental baggage to the side and tried to get into a more constructive mindset. Gradually, he felt all of the annoying distractions plaguing him begin to dissolve away into nothingness, leaving him alone in the blessed darkness.

He took another long breath, then opened his mind's eye to the world, just as Cologne had taught him. What he did instinctually during a battle was painfully difficult now, though. It took him nearly a full minute to attain the state of concentration required to use the Bakusai Tenketsu, but once he finally slipped into the right state of mind, things began to come more easily.

It started small, the breaking points surrounding him showing up as tiny pinpricks of light against a canvass of purest black. The tiny nexi of chi represented the metaphysical points within the stone around him where the numerous lines of chi, which ran through the very earth itself, crossed. It took longer than he had expected, but it had only been a matter of time. After all, perceiving the breaking points was the most basic level of the Bakusai Tenketsu training.

He then let his mind begin to wander . . . kind of the mental equivalent of crossing his eyes. Slowly, a fuzzy golden glow seemed to suffuse from the points around him, painting, in broad strokes, a spectral picture of the cavern in his mind. This was why he had wanted to get that scroll off of Raven, since he thought he might have accidentally stumbled across a part of the technique with his latest development. He wasn't one hundred percent certain, but he was pretty sure he was seeing the ambient chi of the entire cavern, its 'aura' as it were.

Tentatively, he lifted his own hand before his face. Yes, though he couldn't actually see his hand, he could _feel_ it in front of his face, his mind translating the odd sensation into a ghostly azure phantom of his hand. Running down the length of his forearm and throughout his hand, were a series of glowing points; the very same points that he had mistaken for breaking points on Ranma so long ago.

Hmm . . . he let his arm drop to his side and slid his 'gaze' back up to Terra's hand. Perhaps it was just him being dreadfully slow, but the placement of the breaking points along her arm were placed very similarly to his own.

Without bothering to open his eyes, he rose to his feet and carefully made his way up to the base of Terra's statue. This was more or less where he had been for the past week, staring at the fuzzy golden glow that was Terra's statue and the cavern that surrounded it, but it had been like trying to watch television without an antennae: just a rough, blurry image.

. . . Man . . . when was the last time that he'd really been able to just sit around and watch T.V. anyway? He'd spent so much time in this God forsaken cave lately that he was worried that he was going to start sprouting lichen. Beast Boy barely even gave him the minimum three hours training in the morning just to keep himself in shape, and forget actually doing anything relaxing, let alone actually fun.

Heck, when was the last time that he'd actually had fun for that matter? Sitting in a cave, striving desperately to save the life of a girl he'd never even met before was not fun, was not relaxing . . .

Hmmm . . . he _did _remember the last time that he'd really had the chance to relax. A flash of pink and navy blue filled his mind as he remembered his hands kneading the taught muscles of a certain sorceress' back a seeming lifetime ago. That had been a nice night, no worries, no problems, his whole world had just been to make her happy . . .

He chuckled weakly to himself . . . what was he even doing here? Wasn't he the insanely determined one that had doggedly tracked down Saotome for a stupid bread feud? Why wasn't he out there finding her? Ranma had insinuated . . . something, Ryouga wasn't sure what, but the pigtailed boy had sounded absolutely certain that Jinx hadn't just abandoned him.

And it wasn't like he was actually doing Terra any good here . . .

. . . Huh?

He kept his eyes squeezed tightly shut, but forcefully shook his head from side to side. A moment later, and a little dizzy for the effort, it was still the same. For some reason . . . he could see Terra standing before him as clearly as if she had been standing under the sun. Well, not really, there wasn't any color besides the same dull golden glow that suffused the entire cavern, but now, Terra, the cavern, even his own hands, it had all come into sharp focus! Every detail, every gentle curve, every meridian of chi . . .

Huh?

Wait a moment, since when had he been able to actually see the lines of chi that ran between the breaking points? He could see them in his own arm as well, brighter than on the statue, but flowing steadily throughout his body. He focused on Terra again . . . the brightest spot was at the very tip of one of her fingers; the very same finger with the hairline fractures running down its tip.

He followed the miniscule meridian down the length of her arm; from the tip of her pinky finger he counted nine breaking points . . . though he supposed that wasn't really an appropriate term, down the length of her arm: one at the very tip of the finger, four tightly spaced together on her rather delicate wrist, another at the elbow, one mid triceps and finally one at the armpit.

Several other meridians ran down the arm as well, but out of curiosity, he continued following the one he had seen. Faint lines traveled off in several directions, branching off throughout the chest, but one moved across the torso, to a strange concentration of energy . . .

He realized it was Terra's heart.

Something was niggling at the back of his mind, trying to tell him something, but he couldn't figure out what it could possibly be. Out of curiosity, he began to move down the torso . . . lungs, stomach, kidneys, bladder, gallbladder, spleen, liver, small intestine, large intestine, as many of the organs as he knew the names for, anyway.

From the liver, it was eleven more . . . chi points down her narrow legs and to the floor of the cavern . . .

Except the lines didn't stop at her toes!

". . . what the hell . . .?"

The tiny channels of chi sank into the stone, then branched off in all directions, as far as his mind's eye could 'see'. It was . . . was almost like the stone itself was sustaining her . . . or something . . .

Or more like the bulk of Terra's chi had been forced out of her body and into the cavern itself! Hadn't Beast Boy and Raven told him that her final act had been to literally quell an erupting volcano by sheer willpower alone? He couldn't even imagine the raw power it would require to do something like that . . . Perhaps it had taken all of her power, quite literally?

His mind was racing now, as he hypothesized what on earth could have happened here. He was likely completely wrong . . . but everything seemed to be slipping into place in his head. From what he'd heard, Terra's power was intimately tied to the Earth, derived from the Earth. What if she had expended all of her power, and it had become infused into the cavern itself. What if she hadn't turned into stone because she'd burnt herself out, but as a sort of self-preservation instinct to preserve her body after she had channeled all of her life force into stopping the raging volcano?

But . . . that didn't quite fit, either. Because it looked like there was still a connection present between the girl and the Earth . . . so why hadn't her energy flowed back into her body? Sure, it likely would have taken time, but from what he could see, there was no flow of chi at all.

Maybe he was just crazy, after all, he had no idea that things worked that way anyway; who was to say that her chi would even return to her body after something like that . . . but that line of thought left him at a dead end. So, if the chi _would _have returned naturally . . . what was stopping it from doing so?

He started his examination of Terra anew. He was starting to feel that looming sense of . . . something hanging over him again, as if some huge secret were about to reveal itself to him . . .

He made it about as far as her ankle . . .

And suddenly he knew.

"T-t-that's it . . . that's _it_!"

He _knew_!

His eyes snapped open and he stumbled back drunkenly several feet. H-he had to tell Raven . . . Beast Boy – _anybody_!

Unable to contain his excitement, he spun and bolted out the mouth of the cavern as if the hordes of hell themselves were on his heels, shouting his excitement every step of the way!

"_**Raa**__vvvvv_eeennn…."

. . . leaving a familiar, hexagonal piece of metal laying useless on the cavern floor.

Yes, it was going to be a long week.

* * *

Cologne smirked smugly as she watched the battle draw to its ultimate conclusion. Not only were the shell-shocked expressions on the faces of her so-called pupils just absolutely priceless, but she was quite certain that she had never seen anything so outrageously hilarious in her long, long life. Really, _the _Saotome Ranma being saved by an aging officer with a fire hose?

Oh, she simply couldn't _wait _to rub it in the boy's face the next time she saw him.

Still, it seemed like Lex's strange obsession with keeping them a secret was lying in smoking ruins at his feet now. A shame, really, but hardly critical for her . . .

So, why was the man suddenly smiling again?

And why did his gaze keep slipping from Ranma to Shampoo and Mousse?

"You know, they say that the Chinese word for 'Crisis' is composed of the characters for both 'Danger' and 'Opportunity' . . ." The man turned to glare at the martial artists gathered behind him,

"And the first person to say 'Crisitunity is fired."

Slowly, Mousse lowered his hand to his side . . .

"As I was saying," Luthor continued, "Maybe this disaster is just a stroke of good fortune in disguise?"

"A-hem."

Cologne's overtly obvious throat clearing garnered her the attention which she sought.

"Actually, that is a rather gross misconception. I don't know which catch phrase spouting capitalist mistranslated it first, but the Mandarin word for 'Crisis': 'wēijī' is _not _formed from the linguistic elements which signify danger and opportunity."

". . ."

Had she existed in a more whimsical world, Cologne imagined the chirping of crickets would have accompanied the silence that had descended over her audience.

"Ummm, I hate to doubt you," doubted Mr. Luthor, "But I have read entire books based _solely _on that concept. I find it hard to believe that so many people could be incorrect."

Cologne shrugged amiably. "Oh, you must be absolutely right. After all, what would I know? I'm only a _Chinese_ woman with over a _century_ of knowledge of the language."

Lex lifted a hand, extending a finger in preparation to make a statement . . . but nothing came.

Satisfied that she'd shut the impertinent pup up, she prepared to continue her explanation-

Until David Cain interrupted her. "Are you certain, Elder? I mean, I've practically lived my whole life by the principle of finding opportunities in chaos."

The ancient Matriarch considered this before nodding slowly, "Well, I can see how that could be true for you. However, I really don't think it's honoring the spirit of the parable if _you_ are the one creating the crisis so that you can profit from it."

Around the room, a disturbingly large number of people began to shift uncomfortably. She half expected a choir of innocent whistling to start up in accompaniment; unfortunately her current company was far too serious for their own good.

"As I was _trying _to say, 'wēijī' _is _composed of elements which signify two separate concepts, and yes, the first syllable 'Wei' _does _represent danger. However, the second element: 'Ji' in _no _way represents opportunity. A more appropriate translation would be 'incipient moment', or perhaps 'crucial point', indicating when something begins to change. Thus, a wēijī is indeed a genuine crisis, a dangerous moment, a time when things start to go awry. To try to claim there is some hidden message of finding profit amidst danger is as ridiculous as . . . as . . . as if I were to say a windmill was a form of weather pattern because the first word is 'wind'."

Hmm, she'd had to grasp there for a moment, but she was satisfied that she'd made her point. Normally, she wouldn't have made such a lecture out of such a small mistake, but she just _hated _that particular mistranslation misconception . . . almost as much as the Beret.

Lex stared at her for another moment before shaking his head quickly, ". . . I'll take your word for it. However, language lessons aside, I think that I _can_ turn this negative into a positive."

Mousse scratched his head, looking vaguely confused, "How on Earth could you possibly salvage that? Saotome's always been an insufferable show-off, but he's really outdone himself this time, and _that's _from someone that's known him for years."

The powerful business mogul confidently clasped his hands behind his back and turned a knowing smile Mousse's way.

"Well, Mr. Mu Tzu, your pigtailed friend has just made a celebrity of himself. And, if _we_ are watching this, one doesn't need to make a great jump in logic to imagine just what _other _organizations would also be watching. Groups, perhaps, with a vested interest in such outstanding young individuals."

Mr. Luthor then turned his attention back to the television, staring intently at the group of young martial artists that populated the screen.

"And so many other talented youths stumbling onto the stage in such short order as well . . ."

The man rested his chin on and upturned fist, quickly losing himself in thought.

"It makes you wonder how many other such impressive children are hiding right under our noses . . ."

* * *

"_Achoo_!"

Jinx sniffled a bit, then grabbed the first hankie she could find. She was about to blow her nose for all she was worth . . . until she realized she had just unwittingly pulled said 'hankie' from her 'master's' personal sack of . . . valuables. With only a minor shudder of disgust, she quickly returned the flimsy piece of silk back to its home and settled on the vaguely less gross alternative of wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"You know, I'm starting to think I'm allergic to mentally unstable martial artists. I don't remember sneezing this much before I met Ryouga."

The disturbingly withered and shrunken figure that was known as Happosai turned his huge, shimmering eyes her way.

"But that doesn't make any sense, Dearie. You haven't seen Ryouga in weeks, so why would you still be sneezing all the time."

The rosy eyed sorceress leveled a devastatingly droll expression at the ancient dwarf. "I sincerely have _no _idea, _master_."

As usual, Happi just chuckled happily, either missing the buckets of sarcasm she was flinging his way, or just not acknowledging her attempts to nettle him. Both possibilities were equally annoying, though she preferred the former.

"You're probably just catching a cold. Maybe you need someone to warm you up?"

She sensed the imminent lunge for her rather modest bosom before the ancient lecher even began to tense up for the leap. It was an odd ability she had developed after spending more than ten minutes with the old man, and by far the most important technique she had developed on this entire insane, rambling excuse for a training trip. With practiced ease, she lifted her hand before her and made ready to snap her fingers, her eyes gaining a particularly vicious pink glow to them.

"My, my, it certainly is _windy _up on this rooftop, isn't it, _master_?"

Happosai's eyes instantly lost their target lock on her chest and in a flash, the old man was desperately clinging to his sack of . . . treasures. He stared up at her with huge, crocodile tears in his eyes.

"Y-y-you wouldn't do that to an _old, weak _man, would you? Deprive him of his last joy in this world?" Happi asked with an over-used quiver in his voice.

Jinx rolled her eyes. Did they really have to do this _every night_?

"Fine, Happi, you're right, I must be coming down with a cold."

Doubtlessly he would have some ridiculous and likely embarrassing cure pop into his deluded mind, but at least it would get him off of that _disgusting _sack so she could go back to ignoring its existence.

"Ha! There's no time for that, Disciple! You see, I've decided on the next stage of your training and we need to get started immediately!"

The pink haired witch grumbled audibly. "I swear, Happi, if _this _plan involves: getting back to nature, _au natural, _or any combination of the words 'commando' and 'going', I'm going to be forced to tie you up and throw you into another male prison laundry truck."

Her indelibly eager master shuddered at the not-nearly distant enough memory, but just as quickly shook it off.

"Don't be silly, girl. I've decided on the _perfect _city where we can continue your training."

"_Awwwwww, another _city?" she wailed petulantly, "Seriously, we've been through so many cities over the past few weeks, that I feel like my life has turned into a series of poorly placed cameos."

The shrunken master of the martial arts hit her with his dreaded 'puppy dog technique'. The old man's eyes grew even larger and crocodile tears shimmered unshed at their corners.

"But-but Jinx . . . how can you say that when you're rolling with the Big Dog, here?"

Note to self: Kill Bumble Bee for teaching Happosai slang.

She mentally amended her list of reasons for killing Bumble Bee, inserting this new reason just above 'Being a Traitorous Spy' and just below 'Having a Bigger Rack than Her'.

"Ugh, _fine_. We'll go to your _stupid _city and keep doing your _stupid _training. Where the heck do you want to go, anyway?"

Happosai smiled a nearly toothless smile, as if the answer was so obvious that she should be able to lift it directly from the wrinkled and perverted folds of his diseased brain.

"Why, we're going to Metropolis!"


	22. This Ain't A Scene Chapter 4

Dark Titans - Arc 3 - This Ain't A Scene!

Chapter 4

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

A hushed silence hung over the darkened interior of the massive office. The only light provided was the pale starlight which filtered in through the three layers of transparent aluminium which passed for windows. Even the air itself felt heavy, weighing down on the room's occupants.

Luthor leaned back into his chair, steepling his fingers before him expectantly.

"So, Miss Xian Pu, Mr. Mu Tzu, do you think that this is an assignment which you can accomplish?"

The man smiled as he watched the proud warriors actually begin to fidget nervously in their seats.

"Sha – _I_ am . . . not sure about this mission, Mr. Luthor. It seems . . ."

The canny businessman could already sense where she was going, and was quick to head her off. After all, she was the only he had to convince. If the young woman agreed, then Mousse would follow along with all of the loyalty of a faithful puppy.

"I understand your hesitation, my dear, I do. This is a _very _dangerous assignment which I am proposing. It would require tremendous skill and ingenuity . . . perhaps you feel you aren't yet prepared . . .?"

He let the bait hang in the air. It only took a moment for an indignant expression to bloom on Shampoo's aesthetic features. He nearly chuckled, but refrained with the ease of long practice.

Predictably, the deceptively delicate looking girl leapt to her feet and slammed an open palm down on his desk. What appeared to be a minor emotional outburst actually landed home with enough force to shift the entire mass of his desk an inch towards him. He carefully schooled his expression as the Amazon's violet eyes bored into him.

"We can _handle _anything you can throw at us, _sir_! Just let me get my weapons and I'll go right now!"

Ahh, to be young and gullible. The sad thing was that the young woman knew _exactly _what he was doing, but her pride refused to let her avoid such an obvious ploy.

Containing his smile, Luthor nodded and gestured for Shampoo to take her seat. "I appreciate your zeal, Executive Officer Xian Pu, and I know that you are more than up to the task. However, there are still many preparations to be made. I just wanted to make sure that the two of you were on board before I set the wheels in motion."

With a little more force than was strictly necessary, Shampoo plopped back into her seat. Already, she had shifted completely from reluctant uncertainty to dogged determination. Yes, he definitely liked the young woman; she was just the kind of employee that he preferred to work with.

"I hate to admit it," added Mousse, "But there is a part of me that is intrigued by the challenge you're presenting. However, even with the little bit of knowledge that I gleaned from the Academy, I can already think of one thing that could stop this whole plan before it even begins. I mean . . . what about the M-"

Luthor raised his hand to forestall the young man's concerns. The boy was just as good a find as the young Shampoo. Though a bit of a spineless lapdog when it came to his love, the longhaired Amazon male was every bit as vindictive and ruthless when it suited him. His time at the Hive Academy had obviously had had a very positive effect on the boy as well.

"Don't worry about that. I predicted that complication as well and have already taken steps to remedy it."

He slid open a drawer on the face of his desk and withdrew the pair of objects in mind. With casual ease, he tossed the two items to his guests, watching in amusement as the martial artists plucked them from the air without even looking.

However, as soon as the youths _did_ see what was now in their hands, their eyes widened in shock. Mousse held up the bulky looking wristwatch, "This is-"

"Just a little something that I acquired from a very recently established technologies firm." Lex smiled knowingly at the understanding that dawned on his companions' faces. "I was thinking of acquiring the company itself, as well; however, I think I'll wait and see what they can accomplish on their own first."

Mousse shook his head, while Shampoo just stared in wonder.

"You do know _who_-"

The unexpected beeping of his desk intercom cut off Shampoo's oblique question. It immediately put him in a foul mood, as he had explicitly orderedPatricia not to disturb him. Not feeling like making a scene in front of two of his most promising young employees, he quickly removed the earpiece from the intercom and pressed it into his ear.

He prepared to spin his mammoth chair around to face the window behind him, but, as an afterthought, turned back to Shampoo and Mousse, "Please excuse me for a moment, this won't take long."

He then spun around and activated the intercom.

"What is it, Patricia. I asked you not to disturb me." He made sure that his displeasure was palpable in his voice.

". . ."

". . . I . . . see. And you've confirmed those descriptions?"

". . ."

"When did they enter the city?"

". . ."

"And their current location?"

". . ."

"Excellent, you did the right thing, my dear."

With a silent beep, he ended the conversation. Spinning around quickly, he spared a brief glance to the couple before him, noting the burning curiosity on their faces. Rather than explain, he simply pressed another button on the intercom.

"Elder Khu Lon, could you please come to my office? There is a situation developing which might interest you."

He then removed the earpiece and returned it to its proper place. One thing he liked about the old woman was that she didn't waste words. She would arrive shortly and learn everything she needed, so why bother with frivolous questions over the intercom?

". . . Umm, if you don't mind me asking . . .," Mousse interjected uncertainly.

He was cut off abruptly by Shampoo, who leaned forward excitedly, "Who arrive in town that you need _Great Grandmother _to deal with?"

Lex chuckled to himself as he leaned back into his chair. "I'll explain it all when the Elder arrives. I do so hate to repeat myself. Now, while we wait: Mu Tzu, I just wanted to remind you of the item which you'll need to procure. When do you think you'll be able to take care of it?"

Mousse dismissed his concerns with a casual wave of the hand. "Feh, that's literally no problem . . ."

"I'll call Hibiki as soon as we're done here."

* * *

Jinx took in a long breath as she stared across the ocean of twinkling lights that stretched on forever before her. Her legs swayed absently, tapping her heels rhythmically against the ledge of the building they sat on. A gentle breeze ran its ethereal fingers through her hair, bringing a contented sigh to her lips.

Even her company didn't seem _quite _as repugnant as usual.

With a lazy tilt of her head, she turned to face the old man sitting on the ledge beside her. "Okay, Happi, I _admit _that Metropolis is a pleasant change of scenery after that week in Bludhaven, but would you _please _let me know why we're here?" She made sure to flutter her eyelashes and clasped her hands as she asked her question.

The old coot in question took a long draw from his pipe before glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, Disciple, your training has been coming along quite well. So well, in fact, that I thought I'd arrange a small test for you." Happi cackled gleefully before continuing, "And I figured Metropolis would be a great place to have some fun, not to mention to make a name for ourselves."

She was about to ask just what kind of insane test her erstwhile master could possibly arrange for them in Metropolis, but stopped suddenly when his last statement finally sunk in. Instantly, she fired a furious glare, complete with sizzling neon energy, in the pervert's direction.

"Make a _name _for ourselves? Are you _insane_? I'm still trying to live down the reputation that _you _got me back in Keystone City!"

In reply, the mighty midget began to wring his hands and leveled his most pathetic pout back at her. "B-b-but Jinx! That's the most _wonderful _name I've ever heard. I couldn't have thought of a better one myself, and believe me, I've tried!"

Jinx shot up to her feet, far too ticked off to revel in how much she towered over her part time trainer, part time tormentor.

"'The Lingerie Lesbian' is **not **the reputation I wanted!" she half screamed.

As usual, Happi failed to be intimidated by her temper. Instead, he just shrugged, "Well, you have to admit, you _do _kind of give off that impression. I mean, you were caught red handed stealing all of those poor women's unmentionables . . ."

"**WHAT**!"

This time, her shriek pierced eardrums across half the city, "You – you _perverted little troll_! **You** stole their damn underwear and dumped it on _me _just in time for _me _to get trampled by that mob!"

Happi waved his pipe around, looking quite unconcerned. "How could you possibly expect an old man like me to remember tiny details like that from so long ago?"

"It was a _week and a half ago_, you little monster!"

"Tut, tut, Jinx, getting all worked up over trivial matters won't help the situation. Besides, how can you be so certain of your sexuality? I mean, you dumped poor Ryouga like a hot rock, and you haven't been showing any interest in any men since then." The old man ran his fingers over his chest in a mockery of a sensual gesture, "Most notably this hot stud right here."

Fortunately, she was far too livid to get sick at the moment.

"**I am **_**not**_** a lesbian**!" Jinx stamped her foot furiously and pink sparks danced angrily from her fingertips.

In a strange case of coincidence, a nearby air-conditioning unit collapsed into a heap of scrap as all of the rivets and bolts holding the machine together chose that exact moment to pop or snap apart.

Of course, by this point, neither speaker paid the incidental property damage any mind. Instead, Jinx moved on to her next bone of contention, "And I _didn't _dump Ryouga." She then clasped her hands together over her heart and stared off into the night, "I nobly sacrificed my own love to let him find true happiness with Raven . . ."

The sappy sentiment was ruined, as a second later she dropped her hands to her side and a wave of disgust nearly dragged her chin all the way to her chest, "God, I hope she dies . . ."

It was her maudlin sentiment's turn to be ruined, as she stiffened suddenly; feeling a tiny hand unexpectedly caressing her thigh.

"Aww, don't fret Jinx. Let Uncle Happi help you forget all of those nasty, nasty memories."

A second later, the old goat had a single digit pointed directly between his eyes, a small jet of pink energy about the same intensity as a cutting torch projecting from its tip. The perverted midget's eyes crossed comedically as he focused on the furiously dancing spark of power.

"Happi," she started in a saccharine voice, "Unless you're trying to induce vomit therapy, I suggest you remove your hand before I start serving stewed monkey brains to everyone in this building."

Slowly, her _master's_ hand withdrew from her leg as the ancient warrior focused intently on the blindingly pink flame mere inches in front of his face . . . Until a wide smile suddenly split his face.

"Excellent intensity, Disciple! It looks like your focus is really improving." Then, without warning, the withered pervert licked his thumb and forefinger and proceeded to snuff out her finger like it was a guttering candle.

Jinx snatched the digit away, staring in incomprehension as one final tiny whiff of smoke flitted away from the tip of her finger. She honestly didn't know whether to be amazed by Happi's skill, or disgusted that she had troll drool on her finger.

"See, if you had just done that to the mob of women whose panties you stole, you wouldn't have gotten all bruised up," cackled the overly amused pervert.

A nearby satellite dish, in a completely unrelated manner, unexpectedly detached from the face of the building and plummeted to the streets below as Jinx yelled, "Whose panties **you **stole!"

The pink haired sorceress took a moment to calm herself, "Besides, even as evil as I am, I just didn't have the heart to beat up a bunch of women that just wanted their underwear back. Heck, it wasn't even the ladies that were curb stomping me that really bothered me, it was the ones that were . . . _interested_."

Happi shot her a shocked look, complete with gasp, "And what's wrong with _that_? I'd be quite flattered if such lovely young women showed such an interest in me."

Absently, she shrugged, "Well, of course it was flattering, but . . ."

Oh, that son of a –

"**Oh, shut up**! I'm **not **gay! Now will you please just _drop it _and get on with your damn test?"

Happi sighed, a hurt expression on his face. She would have _almost _felt bad about it, if he weren't such a notoriously terrible faker. As if to prove her point, his mood pulled a complete about face and he began to chuckle happily.

"I've prepared the _ultimate _test for you, Disciple. You see, you and I . . . are going to battle Superman!"

". . ."

Without even a word, Jinx hopped off the ledge and started making her way to the stairs.

A plaintiff wail came from behind her, "Jii-inx! Where are you going?"

She shot an incredulous look over her shoulder as she continued on her way to the exit, "I am _so _getting off this freak train. You have _totally _lost it! I'd play tonsil hockey with _Raven _before I actually, intentionally _picked a fight_ with _Superman_!"

At the line of drool that began to run down the old troll's chin, she spun around, fists clenched furiously at her sides, "_I'm __**not **__going to make out with Raven_!"

It took half a minute for Happi to come back from whatever glorious mental image that his diseased mind had constructed. Lucky for him, too, since she had been about a second away from blasting him off the damn roof!

"Don't be so quick to dismiss my idea, Disciple. I'm well aware that the two of us could never _defeat _the alien do-gooder . . . _humiliating _him on the other hand . . .," Happi trailed off leadingly.

At the word 'humiliating', Jinx found herself turning around against her better judgment. She might not be really active in the super villainy scene at the moment, and she wasn't even half deluded enough to imagine she could even _scratch_ the Man of Steel . . . but tweaking a hero's nose was _always _so much _fun!_

". . . I'm listening . . . granted, not too closely, but I'm still here anyway."

Happi cackled wickedly, obviously quite happy that he'd caught her interest. Then, in a rather unexpected move, the old man hopped on to his massive sack of delicates and began to root through it with a stubby arm. She watched the display for a moment, trying to figure out what the heck he was doing.

"What are you looking for? Do you have Luthor's Kryptonite Boxers in there or something?"

Happi stopped his hunt for a moment, looking up at her incredulously. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Jinx . . ."

"Really, as if I'd have _boxers_ in here."

Jinx rolled her eyes . . . what else could she do, really?

Happi immediately dove back into his rummaging, and after a moment, pulled out the item which he sought-

A manila folder?

A manila folder with a familiar red 'S' on the front!

Her eyes widened in shock, especially considering she could see several other similar folders now peeking out from the mouth of the sack: one bore a yellow oval with a bat in it, another was a white circle with a lightning bolt cutting through it . . . and those were just the ones she could see . . .

"Wha- whe . . ."

Her mentor cackled happily as he waved around his prize. "Not nearly as convenient as a good scroll, but they do have their charms."

"Where the hell did you get that?" she barked in disbelief.

Happi shrugged, "I may have _borrowed _it from the Headmaster before I . . . resigned. I had to choose quickly though, since Nabiki's drones were busy stealing all of the real good stuff at the time."

Well, that just figured; man, why hadn't she thought to swipe anything? Or, at the very least get her sketchbook from her room . . .

She let out a resigned sigh . . . she had really loved that sketchbook.

"And with this information, my Disciple, we can pick apart this so-called 'Man of Steel's' weaknesses and figure out how best to really get under his skin."

Jinx scoffed, and made sure to make it loud, "I can already tell you everything you need to know: super strong, super fast, invulnerable and, _oh_, let's not forget the _laser eyes_! Are you _nuts_? That guy could tear us in half with his _pinky _if he felt like it!"

Yet another annoying cackle filled the air. "Yes, yes, Jinx. On the surface it _seems_ like an impossible task, but what happens if we take a little closer look at the information?"

She graced him with a skeptical look.

"Bear with me." He quickly began to leaf through the folder, "Let's start with your first point: super strength. I've dealt with some strong children in my day, but this Superman character's strength is simply beyond any kind of description or comparison. Heck, he _could _tear us in half with is pinky, however, he never _would._ All of this research stuff tells us that he's never used more force than was strictly necessary."

Jinx actually found herself nodding in agreement.

"As amazing as we are, my dear, we're still just human. That eliminates the danger of his _heat vision_ as well. He might use it to frighten us, or to try and corral us, but he'd never actually use it to harm us."

Slowly, Jinx returned to her seat on the ledge and crossed her legs comfortably. It all made sense so far; in fact, it was villainy One Oh One. Superheroes were namby pampy wimps that always held back, Superman more so than anyone.

"Next is his super speed. It says here that his top speed is unknown. Probably something utterly ludicrous I bet, but the simple fact is, in _all _of the news reports I've ever seen on his battles, I have _never _seen him actually utilize any of his vaunted super speed in a fight. Certainly, he uses it to get around the battlefield, but as soon as he throws a punch, he fights at normal speed. Why is that? Who knows? Maybe some kind of mental block or something, _but _it works to our advantage."

Jinx continued to nod, resting her chin on an upraised palm as she considered what Happi was saying.

"In fact, it is our greatest asset, because, as far as fighters go, Superman is a talentless brawler."

He leafed through several more pages of the folder quickly, obviously checking a fact.

"It says here, that he is only a Class Three fighter. To give you a reference you would understand, the Batman's file states that _he _is a Class Twelve fighter."

"Hmm," Jinx hummed in consideration, "That's a pretty wide gap . . . I wonder where I fall in."

Happi smiled in reply, "Well, though I didn't strictly have _official _access to the records, I did happen to _accidentally _browse through them from time to time. Actually, you were the top fighter in the Academy, at Class Eight. Bumble Bee was a close second at Class Six."

Jinx 'Ahh'd' feeling strangely satisfied.

"Of course, that was before the beginning of our training trip, so I wouldn't put much stock in it."

She shrugged. The fact that she was _that _far ahead of Bumble Bee . . . and Superman, she guessed, was smugly gratifying to know. "So, what's that mean, anyway?"

Her master looked her dead in the eye, taking on a sagely appearance that she rarely got to see him use. It usually only happened when he was actually about to do or say something that was _actually _useful . . . so, yeah, pretty rare.

". . . Absolutely Nothing!"

Huh?

"Huh?"

"Such generic numbers are essentially meaningless in the world of martial arts. Power levels are useless garbage; anyone worth their salt knows that style is everything."

Again: huh?

"What do you mean? If Batman is level twelve, or whatever, isn't just that their way of saying he'd beat anyone of a lower level than him in a fight? Seems pretty cut and dried to me."

Happi rolled his eyes in annoyance. "There is one universal rule in the world of martial arts, Jinx. If you think your opponent can beat you, then you're right. You've already lost your first fight with Batman, and you've never even met him.

"Think on this, there is no _perfect _warrior, no _perfect _style. Every style has its own strengths and weaknesses. Compare Ranma and Ryouga; using the power scale that the Headmaster uses, both would likely be quite comparable in power, yet, Ranma can beat the Lost Boy nine times out of ten because his strengths capitalize on Ryouga's weaknesses, but not vice versa.

"And, for as much power as _either _boy possesses, _neither _of them would have even a chance of defeating one such as Raven. Ryouga is too direct, and Ranma's verbal attacks and taunts wouldn't work on her, in fact she'd likely turn them around on him with great ease. Yet, _Mousse_, who is undeniably weaker than either boy, drove Raven to the very brink of defeat because of the _style _with which he fought."

. . . Wow . . . that actually made a weird kind of sense. It was hard to reconcile this Happi with the one that traveled with her the other ninety percent of the time. Well, she supposed there _had _to be _some _reason that he had actually survived to become an ancient master.

Happi took a moment to tap out his spent pipe, then pulled out a small pouch and began to refill it.

"Now, moving on. As for your last point: Invulnerability; it's pretty common knowledge that Superman has two major weaknesses. And they are . . .?"

"Phhfft, that's easy," she boasted, "Superman is stupidly weak against Kryptonite . . . but we don't exactly have any of that on us, now do we?"

Happi simply stared at her..

"I said _two _weaknesses: Kryptonite _annnd_ . . ."

Crap . . . what was the other one?

"Umm . . ."

"Kryptonite _annnd_ . . .:"

"Ahhh . . . is it . . ."

"Kryptonite _annnd_ . . ."

She shot him a dirty scowl, his reply to which was –

"Kryptonite _annnd_ . . ."

"Shut up! Just tell me already!"

Her master sighed in disappointment, not that she actually cared.

"And _magic_, my young Disciple."

_That _brought the young sorceress up short.

"Magic? . . . Hey! I'm all _about _the magic!" A disturbingly hilarious line of thought began to unfold in her mind. "Oh – _oh man_! We could totally open a bag of _freak _on Supes!"

The ancient master nodded, smiling proudly. "Exactly right! Between my skills, and your powers, just imagine it."

Jinx began to giggle uncontrollably, "You're still crazy, b-but if we pulled this off, we'd be _legends_! I mean, just imagine if we could get a picture of Supes with a pair of _panties _on his head-"

A pause.

"Oh God, I didn't just think that, did I?"

She grimaced as Happi let out a choked sob and proceeded to wipe away the first genuine tear she had ever seen from the corner of his eye. "Oh, Jinx! I've never been so proud of a student of mine as I am this moment. Why-"

She held out a dainty hand to stop him in his tracks.

"Shut it, Old Man. Look, here's the deal: you _never __**ever**_mention what I just said, and I'll go along with this completely insane plan of yours. Sound good?"

"Wellll . . ."

Happi lingered far too long for comfort, but finally, "Alright. Deal. Now, all we have to do is get the Big Man's attention. And, as luck would have it, I already have the _perfect _plan!"

Jinx felt her shoulders slump; things were about to get stupid again, she could feel it in her bones.

"After all, how do you catch a _Super _Man?"

The pink haired sorceress groaned in disgust, she could already see where this was going . . .

"With a _Super _Panty Raid!" They spoke in perfect unison, though one of the voices was _far _less proud of the . . . ingenious plan than the other.

Jinx slapped a palm to her forehead. And it had all sounded so plausible, too! Why did she let herself dare to hope-

An involuntary scream was torn from her throat as she suddenly felt tiny, yet unbelievably strong arms wrap around her waist. The terrifying thought that Happi was going to force himself on her whipped through her mind with numbing ferocity-

But then she felt herself being lifted into the air! She was about to scream again . . . except she inadvertently got a look at the section of roof that they had just vacated only a fraction of a second earlier.

Or what was left of it.

The entire ledge had been demolished by what looked to be a half a dozen . . . halberds? The hafts of the weapons quivered violently from where they protruded from the shattered concrete of the roof.

Two was approaching two with freight train speed in her head, but a sudden and jarring landing sent her for a loop. It took her a few precious seconds to regain her bearings after Happi (reluctantly) released her. When she finally did, she realized quite quickly that they were no longer alone on the rooftop.

Perched rather casually on the eastern ledge of the building . . . was a tiny little woman. The shrunken figure had long white hair, wore a shapeless green robe and held a staff of ancient looking wood in her hand. _Something _about the woman tickled the back of Jinx's mind as being disturbingly familiar, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Before she could ask Happi what was going on, another person joined them on the roof. This figure alighted on the northern ledge and wore bright clothing with what appeared to be a leather breastplate (of all things) covering her rather sizeable chest. The young woman's hair was a very bright and unusual (at least outside of the circles that Jinx normally ran in) shade of lavender. Most notable, though, were the massive pair of equally colorful maces in her hands.

Now Jinx was pretty darn sure that she'd seen _this _girl before . . .

Oh, yeah! It was – was . . . Whatserface!

And, as soon as she figured out that little mystery, the final piece of the puzzle dropped into place. Quite literally, too, as the familiar, longhaired and bespectacled young man dropped down onto the southern ledge; effectively surrounding them, with the forest of pole arms at their backs now. As soon as he landed, Mousse buried his hands deeply into the voluminous sleeves of his jet black robes.

Once Mousse had joined them, the old crone tapped her staff to the ledge twice and smiled a withered and amused smile.

"Hello, Happosai . . ."

"A _word_, if you please?"

* * *

Cologne smiled grimly at the surprised look on Happosai's face; as unexpected as it was for him to be traveling though Metropolis, the fact that _she _was there was likely something that Happi hadn't even considered possible. Well, time to get down to business.

"It appears that-"

She was rudely interrupted by a piercing squeal which filled the air. The ancient matriarch was about to look for the Goddess-Forsaken animal that had just been skewered, when the source of the noise made itself obvious.

"_Mousse_!"

Cologne could only watch as, against all reason, the pink haired half of their quarry suddenly sprang forward, wrapped her arms around the weapon master's neck and planted an affectionate peck on his cheek!

"Mousse, I haven't seen you in _forever_!"

Mousse had the audacity to chuckle, considering the circumstances. He then actually wrapped an arm around the girl's waist and gave her a small squeeze in return.

"Tell me about it, I haven't seen you since your boyfriend blew up the Academy."

Errantly, the nearsighted martial artist began to run his hand through the hair at the back of his head, "Heh . . . um, and sorry about trying to kill you just now . . ."

Rather than be outraged, as most people would, Jinx giggled and playfully swatted Mousse's chest. "Whatever. That's how half the guys I know ask for a date. So, how have you been doing? You're looking really good." The pink haired girl squeezed Mousse's bicep appraisingly, "Someone been working out?"

For the first time in a long, long time, Cologne wasn't exactly sure what to do. She had a strong urge to clout _both _children over the head, but Happi _was _standing only a few yards away. Any misstep could trigger a premature battle . . . besides, it _was_ quite amusing.

"Me? _Never_. But, things are going pretty good. I'm even working for Luthor now," Mousse stated proudly.

Jinx let out an excited gasp, "Aww, _no way_! That's awesome! Half the people at the Academy were hoping to get a placement with Lexcorp! Ma-an, now I'm _jealous_!"

Mousse chuckled lightly, "Well, it does have its perks, I won't lie about that. Still, enough about me, how have _you _been lately? This is the last place I expected to run into you, let alone with _him_."

The young sorceress' eyes rolled mightily, "God, I don't _even _want to _talk _about the stuff he's put me through. You honestly have no idea how relieved I am to talk to a _normal _guy again."

The weapon master pointed to himself in amused befuddlement, "Who, me?"

"Who, him?" Shampoo echoed his sentiment, though with a lot less amusement and a lot more befuddlement.

Jinx stuck her tongue out at Shampoo before turning back to Mousse, "Well, consider my current company." She then gestured meaningfully to the withered, yet grinning, form of Happosai.

Happi gave a jaunty wave of his fingers.

"_Oh_! Well, that makes sense!"

"Even Shampoo have to concede _that point."_

Even Cologne found herself nodding, but caught herself doing it and stopped immediately. Really, that was just about enough of that foolishness. With that, the ancient Matriarch cleared her throat . . .

Loudly.

"_Excuse_ me, but if the two of you are done fondling one another, we _were_ in the middle of something."

Immediately the faces of both children in question flushed red and they jumped apart hastily.

"Um, sorry 'bout that."

"Terribly sorry, won't happen again."

Jinx then proceeded to return to Happi's side via a series of one-handed backwards handstands. My, but wasn't that girl frisky today?

Once Jinx finished her routine, Happosai pointing his still smoking pipe at her accusingly.

"What's this all about, Cologne?"

Cologne stared at the man.

". . . I was just about to tell you before your protégé so rudely interrupted me."

The sorceress in question dug a toe into the gravel of the roof, looking quite abashed.

". . . Sorry, my bad."

The matriarch rolled her eyes.

"_Regardless_, I'm here to make you an offer, Happosai. As the blind fool already revealed-" She shot a dark glare in the boy's direction, "-we are currently working on an important project with Lex Luthor. As such, it is integral that we not draw _any _attention to Metropolis for the foreseeable future."

The Grandmaster of Anything Goes shrugged, wearing an infuriatingly innocent expression on his face. "That's all well and good for you, but what does that have to do with little old me and little young Jinx?"

Despite her reserved nature, Cologne let out a weak groan.

"Please. We _all _know the kind of mischief you can get yourself into. And when I heard you were traveling with _Jinx_ of all people, well, the potential for disaster was simply too large to ignore."

"Aww, shucks, now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside," tittered the amused witch. This elicited a small chuckle from Mousse, which in turn elicited a withering glare from Shampoo.

"So, the offer is this," she resumed, ignoring _everyone's_ foolish antics, "Join our ranks and behave yourselves, or spend the next several weeks in a containment cell so that we may keep an eye on you."

The odd couple that was Jinx and Happosai took a moment to glance at each other.

"Well, _master, _it sounds like your pretty standard 'Join us, or Die' ultimatum."

Off to the side, her Great Granddaughter nodded viciously, "Shampoo highly recommend latter."

Cologne shook her head wearily. "Well, Happosai, Jinx, what is your answer. Will you join us willingly?"

Again, the witch and the warrior shared a sidelong glance, as if attempting some form of telepathic communication . . . Then, in an eerie feat of synchronization that made her wonder if they actually succeeded-

"Mmmmm – _Naaaaaaw_!"

The immature smiles that spread across their faces were enough to make even a seasoned Amazon warrior grimace. Really, how predictable could these two get?

"Are you _sure_?" purred a wickedly smiling Shampoo, "After all, 'Obstacles are for Killing', you know?"

An incensed Jinx spun to face Shampoo, hands defiantly on her hips.

"Ha! Yeah right. You and what army, Beach Balls?"

It was finally Cologne's turn to smile. Using the prearranged signal, she raised her hand into the air. She then stated proudl-

"No offense, Mousse," Jinx cut her off, out of the blue.

Mousse waved nonchalantly in return, "None taken."

At which point, in response to her hand signal, three sleek, black Lexcorp helicopter rose soundlessly over the ledge of the roof, each of them lifting up dramatically behind each of the Amazons, setting their hair to blowing dramatically.

In retrospect, though, three helicopters and three longhaired Amazons could only lead to spending the entire next day in front of a mirror with a sturdy comb or two . . .

The flying machines, absolutely cutting edge technology, hovered silently for several moments before the sides of each vehicle opened to allow six heavily armed security agents to rappel down to the roof on ropes.

Happi and Jinx didn't seem particularly perturbed by this new development. In fact, they just continued to stare at her expectantly . . .

"What?" she snapped irritably.

Jinx tilted her head to the side, "Well, aren't you going to say it?"

She glared back at the youth, "Not after you've ruined the timing, no."

"Awww, come on, Cologne, you gotta say it!" pleaded Happi in a most undignified manner.

"Really," Mousse chimed in, "How often do you get to use that line?"

Scattered around the roof, the soldiers began to mill about, staring at each other uneasily. Not that she could blame them, the entire situation was grating on Cologne's nerves as well. Still, she had to admit that the blind fool did have a point . . .

"Fine, fine . . ." She gestured dramatically to the heavily armed and armored security agents.

"_This_ one."

The sound of palm meeting forehead drew everyone's attention to an irate Shampoo.

"_Great Grandmother_! Stop embarrassing me in from of the Fourth, Seventh and Ninth Internal Security Divisions!"

Cologne rolled her eyes, but, surprisingly, it was Happi that was first to reply.

"There, there, Shampoo Dear. We've had our fun now." The ancient master then dropped into a low combat stance, a serious look on his face. Jinx followed suit, adopting a disturbingly similar stance . . . No, surely he hadn't . . . "Now, in the time honored traditions held in the most sacred regard betwixst the true masters of the Art . . . _Catch us if ya can, Suckers_!"

With a deceptive twirl of his fingers, Happi produced a small sphere from his sleeve and slammed it into the ground at his feet. The smoke bomb lived up to its namesake, exploding into a massive, choking cloud that obscured everyone's vision.

Of course, with _three_ helicopters directly overhead, the cloud's death was even quicker than its birth. However, it had already accomplished its job, the smoke dispersed to reveal the rapidly diminishing forms of Happosai and Jinx already two rooftops away.

The ancient Amazon let out another weary sigh. Well, things were going more or less as predicted, which sadly didn't speak very highly for the sanity of the people she was predicting.

Mousse occupied himself with a small bout of chuckling as he watched the rapidly retreating duo with amusement in his eyes.

Which left it to Shampoo to actually _do _something about it.

"Everyone, back into the helicopters! Force them away from the center of the city!"

Cologne nodded at the order, it was a wise precaution to take. It took the soldiers only a few seconds to retreat to their crafts; the same devices that lowered them pulling them right back up.

By the time they were ready to go, the chase was already on.

* * *

Happosai and Jinx cleared another alleyway and landed running on the next roof. A quick glimpse over his shoulder revealed that the pursuit was already on. The three helicopters were closing the distance quickly and would likely be ahead of them in a matter of seconds. Not that the three pieces of military hardware were really his greatest concern . . .

Not that he was really all that concerned at all, for that matter.

"Alright, Disciple, you handle Cologne and Mousse. _I'll_ deal with Shampoo," he cackled evilly to himself as he began to envision the battle to co-

Jinx swatted him upside the head.

"What are you, _stupid_?"

Hmph, that wasn't a very nice thing to say, or do, to her venerable master. Why did he put up with this kind of disrespect from his students?

"Alright, alright. But seriously, do you think you can handle Mousse and Shampoo together?"

For just a moment, he could see a faint trace of worry flash through the talented sorceress's eyes, but it was buried beneath a wave of bravado before it even had a chance to take root. Jinx then graced him with one of her patented Cheshire grins and nodded cockily.

"Don't worry about me. I know just how to deal with those two. The question is, can _you _handle the hopping handbag back there? If power and midgetness are actually related, then she's at least as tough as you."

Midgetness! . . . was that even a word? Hmph! Whatever.

"Don't you worry. Cologne and I go _way _back. This won't be the first time we've danced this dance. Very well then, once you've ditched your friends back there, meet me at that Motel Six we stayed at last night before we came into town."

Jinx's nose crinkled up cutely, "Ewww, _gross_! I'm never setting foot in that place again! Hey! I know! Let's meet up at that strip mall that was just across the road. That one store had the cutest pair of pumps I wanted to pick up."

They were forced to make a sharp detour to the east as one of the helicopters suddenly dropped down before them, the rather daunting tri-barreled machinegun mounted under its cockpit looming in their direction.

"Whatever for, Disciple? There's no way that the store would be open at this time of night."

The pink haired sorceress stared at him queerly.

". . . What's your point?"

Oh, he was so proud!

* * *

Just as she had expected, their quarry split up and began to move off into the night. As soon as the two did, Shampoo turned to her Great Grandmother and nodded. Not even bothering to nod back, the ancient matriarch accelerated insanely and shot off in pursuit of the equally ancient lecher. Mousse continued to follow her; the male already knew what the plan was.

Such as there _was _a plan, considering the fifteen minutes they'd had to conceive it.

Shampoo tapped her earpiece mid-stride, "This FoxCat. Tao Squadron, you assist Steel Mallard and me. Te and Ching Squadrons assist Silver Dragon."

She smirked impishly as Mousse groaned aloud at his title, but it was just so fitting that she hadn't been able to resist. A moment later, two of the helicopters peeled off and began trailing after the ancient Amazon. The remaining machine moved off ahead of them to keep a visual on the fleeing form of the pink haired villain.

Once all of that official nonsense was out of the way, Shampoo accelerated as well, Mousse following suit immediately. True, their quarry was fast and nimble, but not nearly fast enough to outpace the two of them.

As the rooftops blurred beneath them, she found herself struck by an odd sense of nostalgia for the distant Nerima. Perhaps for the millionth time since they'd come to Metropolis, Shampoo found her thoughts drifting to her loving husband . . .

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mousse's rather inane question ruined her pleasant train of thought, so she shot him a dark glare.

"What are you talking about? We already discussed all of this. We get the _easy_ job, all we have to deal with is one weak little Outsider."

Mousse increased his speed, coming up to run beside her, his hands still buried in his sleeves.

"I wouldn't underestimate her. I'm not worried about how strong she is, I'm more dubious about the fact that we have two Jusenkyo cursed people chasing after the Queen of Bad luck."

Shampoo scoffed derisively at her companion's cowardice. "Please, we're both master martial artists . . ."

"Do you think we would actually fall for that witch's little tric-"

* * *

Mousse quickly leapt back, interposing a convenient umbrella between himself and the burst of water that had so unexpected engulfed Shampoo. He sighed loudly; one would think that anyone from Nerima would know better than to go tempting the fates like that. How else could you explain the seemingly new water pipe that his beloved had landed on (ironically, one of the very same pipes that Jinx had alighted on during her flight) shattering like glass to reveal at least a decades worth of rust inside? A deft swing of his arm launched a chained mace from his sleeve to slam into the spouting mouth of the pipe, knocking the erstwhile fountain away from them to rain water down on the street below.

The removal of the geyser revealed a violently struggling set of clothing lying on the roof, or, at least that's what it looked like. With practiced ease, he quickly knelt down and extricated the feline he knew to be there from her silky prison.

He couldn't help himself as he looked down on the absolutely drenched pink cat as it shook itself furiously to get some of the water out of its fur.

"You were saying?" he asked, vainly struggling to hide his amusement.

A mewling hiss was his reply.

"Of course. I'm sure that was totally unrelated."

Shampoo bared her fangs and spat at him, taking an annoyed swipe with her claws.

"No! . . . no, I'm not laughing _at _you_ . . . _I'm laughing _with_ you . . ."

This time the cat's back arched up and Shampoo let out a series of howls and hisses that would have peeled the paint from a sailor's bedroom, which she punctuated with a paw pointed furiously in the direction their quarry had gone. He raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture.

"Alright, Shampoo, you can kill me later. And, yes, I'll go make sure Jinx doesn't get away.

Struggling mightily to hide his smile, he turned and headed after the fleeing sorceress. As he did, he tapped the mic in his ear.

"Tao Squadron, this is Steel Mallard. FoxCat needs a hot shower. I'm continuing pursuit of Black Cat . . . over?"

Well, at the very least, it promised to be an entertaining night.

* * *

Yet again, Happosai was forced to change his course as a helicopter dropped down to block his path. Still, nothing for him to worry about yet. A quick peek over his shoulder, though, showed that Cologne had capitalized on his hesitation yet again, closing the gap between them even more. The spry old lass was only two roofs behind now.

Well, between Cologne's determination and her mechanical toys spoiling his fun, it looked like a fight was all but inevitable. The thought caused him to cackle happily.

Oh, this would be fun!

After all, if Cologne wanted to dance so badly, it would be ungentlemanly of him to decline. That in mind, he spun midair and landed facing the rapidly gaining Amazon. Taking a fraction of a second to concentrate, he began to form his battle aura; he could feel the crimson flames of his life envelope his entire body before beginning to swell-

The sharp clack of wood on wood shattered his concentration and dispelled his burgeoning aura. The ancient master actually felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead as he saw the tip of Cologne's staff resting only an inch from his throat, only his trusty pipe holding it at bay (carefully turned so she didn't hit any breaking points.).

Good pipes were expensive after all.

"Tut, tut, Happi. What part of _low profile_ do you fail to grasp?" the old woman asked. There was a wry smile on her lips and she was breathing a bit heavily, likely from the burst of speed she had to have used to close the last of the distance so quickly.

With a chi enhanced push of his pipe, he sent the wily Amazon skidding across the roof.

"That stings. I've always been the very model of discretion," he replied.

Cologne riposted with a derisive bark of laughter before launching herself forward. The old crone's staff led the way, before seemingly splitting into six separate staves! A fraction of a second later she closed the distance and Happi found himself on the defensive, frantically dodging the furious assault.

"Not bad, not bad. Splitting Cat Hairs and Chestnut Fist?" he asked with great interest.

His dance partner nodded, still smiling wryly, "Indeed, perhaps you'd like a _closer_ look?"

Suddenly, Cologne's empty hand exploded into motion, also splitting into six striking limbs! Even as the six phantom staves strove to puncture organs and break bone, her deft fingers sought pressure points and nerve clusters with a master's skill.

'Ha!' Now this was getting interesting. He'd gotten so used to fighting children lately that he'd almost forgotten just how _good _Cologne was. He continued to defend himself, dodging what he could and blocking what he couldn't, however, the assault was pushing him back steadily, not to mention shredding the roof in the process. The air pressure of the rapid-fire strikes was bad enough, let alone the attacks he actually deflected into the roof itself.

Cologne wasn't the only ancient master present, though.

It took fifteen full seconds and literally hundreds of strikes, but he spotted her mistake instantly and countered deftly. The second that the old woman unintentionally repeated an earlier sequence of attacks, he pierced through the pattern with his pipe and caught its tip in the folds of her robes.

"Hotcha!"

And then Cologne was airborne, yet another victim of his classic pipe toss. He couldn't resist a parting shot, though.

"I'd love to stay and play, but I've got a date with a pretty little thing and I'd hate to keep her waiting!"

Happi didn't even bother to watch her land. Instead, he turned and leapt suicidally from the ledge of the roof . . . right onto the nearby power lines that ran down the street. He cackled evilly as he started sprinting down the thick cable.

He only made it a dozen feet before his instincts screamed at him to get the heck out of Dodge. Moving as quick as he ever had, he dropped down to the wire running a scant three feet beneath the one he had been perched upon, just as Cologne landed on the cable just where he'd been standing. The heavy cable vibrated madly and wailed that strange, warbling sound that only high-tension wire seemed to make, but thankfully it held.

Cologne peered down at him from her slightly elevated perch, an amused smile still playing across her wrinkled lips.

"Oh, don't worry, Happi. You'll rejoin your student sooner than you think, just not where you expected."

The momentary lull ended as his adversary lashed out again. He wasn't really in the mood to dillydally, though, so he knocked her strike to the side with his pipe and took off in the other direction. Of course, Cologne was on his tail in a fraction of a second, keeping up her constant string of attacks.

The scurrying battle ran for three entire city blocks. People on the street below watched with blasé interest as the two diminutive fighters ran, hopped and swung around the hydro wires with reckless abandon. Sure, it was strange, but nothing they hadn't seen before . . . though, it _would _lead to an eventual ban on the genetic modification of squirrels.

Another wide, descending slash of Cologne's staff forced Happosai to swing down under the cable, only to slingshot himself back up, right past the startled Amazon, and onto the adjacent roof. Doubtlessly, the annoying old bat would be on his heels in a second, so he started sprinting for the far ledge of the roof without even thinking about it.

Unfortunately, he only made it about halfway when one of the helicopters suddenly lowered down right in front of him. The diminutive master pulled up short, more than a little worried about being sucked into the madly whirring rotors if he tried to simply jump over, which left him a veritable sitting Mousse.

A second later, the massive door on the side of the machine slid open to reveal a literal firing squad training glowing energy rifles on him-

Which they then proceeded to fire.

* * *

Jinx rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the pair of taloned feet that seemed pretty intent on shredding her back into so much hamburger. Without much effort, she used her momentum to roll forward and flip right back onto her feet, then spun around to face the ebon clad hidden weapon master.

"Hey again, Mousse." She looked around innocently, "Oh, my, where's Shampoo?"

Mousse smirked, pulling a straight bladed tai chi sword from his sleeve. "That was a nice trick, setting up that pipe like that."

The slit-eyed sorceress shrugged, unconcerned and began to slowly circle to the side. "Well, I figured one of you was bound to land on _one _of my booby traps. Guess I just got lucky, eh?" She added a teasing wink.

The male Amazon replied with a rather lazy swing of his sword, which she simply leaned back to avoid. "That depends on your point of view. Let's just say that it might be better to let me capture you before she catches up."

His lazy slash was followed by three rapid thrusts which she evaded without much trouble, twisting her torso just enough to let the gleaming steel slide past. Another of the perks of being an A-cup, she supposed.

She gave the bespectacled boy a Cheshire grin, "You're more than welcome to try, I know how used to disappointment you are."

Her friend/enemy broke into a smile as he picked up the pace of his attacks.

"Ouch, Jinx, that's just – Ouch! And I was just about to tell you how stunning you looked with your hair down."

Jinx hopped over a low slash, leaned to the side to avoid the rising diagonal reverse slash then flipped backward out of the range of another thrust.

"Awww! That's so sweet of you to almost say!"

The weapon master's lackadaisical assault continued, with Jinx continuing to evade said attacks in a manner that Ranma would find infuriatingly familiar. Despite his failure to maim her, though, Mousse never lost his smile.

"I don't know about the fashion accessory, though," he added. He then pointed to the piece of yellow and black cloth which she had braided through her hair with the tip of his sword.

At those words, Jinx's smile quickly melted into a depressed frown. Apparently noticing that he'd hit a sore spot, her supposed-to-be-captor slowed his attacks to a much less hectic pace.

"Mousse," she began tentatively, forcing herself to dodge a slow slash to her temple.

"How's Ryouga doing lately?"

* * *

"The world is a dark and lonely place."

The morose mumble garnered the ear of the rather generously proportioned proprietor's as he made his nightly rounds around his establishment. Not for the fact that such a despondent deliberation was unheard of within the walls of an enterprise such as his own, however, it _was _'Two Drink Tuesday' so generally the less cheerful patrons tended to be slurring too badly to be understood by this point.

It didn't take him too long to determine the source of the dreary declaration. In fact, judging by just how _young _the young man appeared to be, the entrepreneur was surprised that the youth had actually gained entrance into his wayward watering hole. Obviously this little mystery demanded closer scrutiny.

With a forceful gait (that few had been foolish enough to compare to a 'waddle' and even fewer had survived to laugh about.) he made his way behind the long main bar to stand before the ill-dressed young man. Really, he'd have to talk to Bruno later, the Iceberg Lounge had a strict dress code, yet this boy was sitting there in a dusty T-Shirt of all things, and ties were supposed to be worn around the neck, not wrapped around one's forehead . . .

Except for the New Year's party, anyway.

"So, it appears we have a lost little duckling in our midst," he started rather amiably.

The young man, who had been avidly been staring into his caramel colored beverage, started suddenly, apparently taking a moment to register than the comment had been directed his way. In a rather lacking display of mental acuity, the perhaps too-young patron looked up and met his gaze, looking more than a tad confused.

"Huh? Wha . . . No, he's back in Japan already."

To quote the great Socrates: 'I drank _what_?' Just how inebriated was this young vagabond?

"So, my fine young friend, just how much have you had to drink tonight?"

He might as well tally the damages. As if his establishment didn't have enough problems with the various arms of the legal profession, official and vigilante alike. The last thing he needed were accusations of underage drinking going on.

The young man, obviously Japanese (though he spoke flawless English), glanced down at the drink before him, then back up.

"Um, well, I guess this is my third one. I guess I should slow down, though, this Dr. Pepper stuff always goes to my head."

Hmm, only drinking soda pop? Well, now that he had gotten a better look at the youth, he looked lucid enough, just a little on the slow side.

"Fair enough, fair enough. Now, if you don't mind me asking, little Warbler, did you happen to talk to a man before you entered by fine establishment?" He raised a hand far above his own head, indicating the height of his bouncer, "Roughly this height, clean shaven and with a sloping, Neanderthal brow?"

The young man stared into his drink in contemplation, then snapped his fingers, "Oh, yeah, the bouncer. Umm, heheh . . . well, you see, we came to a slight impasse. He didn't seem to comprehend how badly I needed to get off the street before the storm broke, so we had to have a little . . . tête à tête."

The proprietor stared at the youth a little uncertainly. The meaning was quite apparent as to how the young man had acquired entrance. But this teenager, though looking a bit on the solid side, would be lucky to top five ten and one hundred and sixty pounds. The idea that he could 'converse' with Bruno, especially considering Bruno's intimidatingly thick brow, made the legitimate business man seriously consider if this youth was one of _them_.

The young man then let out a long sigh. "Look, I know what this is about. I know I'm too young to be in here, and I don't want to cause any trouble. But, I _really _don't want to get caught out in that storm. Can I _please _at least stay until the rain passes?"

Hmmm, well, the hatchling _wasn't _actually drinking any alcohol, so there wasn't technically a problem there. And, of course, this young man had already laid out the lounge's bouncer, if that was what the boy had been insinuating, so it wasn't like _he _was about to eject the youngster himself. He'd say the worst case scenario was that he could get one of his waitresses to watch over the young man, just to make sure, but, then it appeared that Robin (one of his newer hires, and as pretty as a peacock) already appeared to have an eye or two glued on the boy.

"Bah! I suppose there's no harm, then. Though why more people don't just carry umbrellas with them, I don't know."

Unexpectedly, the young man suddenly threw up his arms in exasperation.

"I _know_! I mean, if that crazy old man hadn't wrecked mine, I wouldn't have this problem! And I even forgot to grab that technological terror that Cyborg made for me when I ran out a few days ago."

The proprietor adjusted his monocle and stared down his long, pointed nose, more than just a little shocked at the young man's exuberant agreement with his statement. Add to that: the name that his young patron had just dropped suddenly raised the youth from just interesting to truly fascinating; it was enough to make him decide to keep an eye on the young man personally. He leaned forward onto the bar, making himself comfortable.

"So, the nestling has a fondness for a good umbrella, does he? Why don't you tell me a little more about this 'technological terror' that you've been traipsing around with?"

The young man took a long drink from his glass before returning it to the bar. Then, his guest looked up, a look of childlike excitement spreading across his face.

"There's a _flame thrower _in my umbrella!'

* * *

Mousse lashed out with a flourish of fanciful strikes, not really overly intent on hurting the girl. Not that he needed to worry about that too much, she was pretty darn nimble.

"Well, he's alive, if that's what you mean."

His quarry froze up for a second, panic suddenly filling her eyes (which to his irritation had nothing to do with the fact he was attacking her). The sorceress began to giggle nervously, "Eheheh, um, yeah, cuz I wouldn't have any way to know he survived that tornado thingy . . . heh . . . heh . . . right?"

Well, that wasn't in any way suspicious. He would have thought she'd just have had Nabiki spy on Hibiki or something, but with a reaction like that . . . Well, whatever, it was hardly any concern of his.

"Um, sure, whatever you say, Jinx. As far as the Lost Boy goes, the last time I saw him, he was in good health. He even decided to stay on with the Titans. So, you know, he's still on the continent if someone was interested . . . a pretty rare occurrence where he's concerned."

Rather than look overjoyed at the news, Jinx rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh, "_That's _no surprise. I bet the jerk and that skank, Raven, have been all over each other this entire time."

Swing and a miss, swing and a miss . . .

"Well, if by 'all over each other' you mean, 'almost on speaking terms' then, yes, I guess you're right."

"_**What**_?"

Jinx stopped so abruptly with her shriek that he actually had to desperately redirect his sword to avoid impaling the girl's skull! If the apoplectic sorceress even noticed that she'd only lost a few strands of hair as opposed to an eye, she didn't give any sign. The panicked weapon master let out a weak sigh of relief . . .

"Th-that _frigid bitch_!" Jinx's follow-up outburst set him back a few steps; he didn't even notice his sword raise into a blocking position before him as the girl's arms began to flail furiously. "_I_ freakin' tear out my own heart so she can make Ryouga happy, and _she _can't even be bothered to even talk to the guy? Hell, I only did that because I _thought _she liked him!"

Mousse backed up several more nervous steps, not so much because of the girl's ranting, but moreso because of the pink energy that had started to dance from the tips of her fingers . . . especially after an errant spark of power reduced the nearby roof door to a pile of rust topped with a shiny new doorknob . . .

"W-well, in her defense, she told me that Saotome was the most insistent on her taking things very slowly . . . if at all . . ."

That brought the young witch up short, her angry pacing stopping abruptly. Then, about a second later, Jinx brought her tiny fists up to her chest in adorable fury, "Oh, oh – that _cheater_!"

'Huh?' what on earth had she meant by that? This just kept getting stranger and stranger . . . and girls were inscrutable enough at the best of times.

Then, in a nearly professional example of instantaneous mood swinging, Jinx suddenly switched from irate to thoughtful, "Hmm, still, that _was_ pretty sweet of him . . . Oooh, I don't know if I should kiss the jerk or kill him!"

Ahh, he knew the answer to _that_ one.

"I highly recommend the latter," he suggested helpfully.

She shrugged playfully, "Ok, but only because you've been so nice tonight. Of course, now I _really_ can't let you catch me."

Mousse casually looked up above Jinx's head; for a moment he found himself torn . . . but, finally –

"Well, you might want to take two steps to your left, then."

Jinx looked at him strangely for a fraction of a second, but complied immediately . . . a faint trace of pink flickering from her toe as she did-

"Aiyah!"

Just in time to avoid Shampoo's aerial bonbori smash! The lavender haired beauty landed from her rather impressive leaping attack – only to disappear just as quickly, as the roof inexplicably collapsed under her rather meager weight. Mousse winced as Shampoo's battle cry dissolved into a surprised scream as she fell into the apartment below . . . only to wince all the harder as that scream was abruptly cut off by the sound of someone landing in what sounded to be a very full bathtub . . .

'Oh man, _that_ was going to cost him . . .'

Both the pink haired sorceress and him stared at the jagged hole for a long moment before Jinx turned to stare at him, an honestly confused expression on her face.

"Ummm, not that I mind, but . . . why?"

Mousse shrugged, trying to appear more confident then he felt, "Well, she's going to kill me already, so what's one more accident? Besides, could you imagine what Hibiki would do if he found out we were the first ones to see you again, and that we actually hurt you?"

She smiled cutely, before a devilishly naughty look ambushed the cute smile and usurped its place.

"You know, Mousse, if you help me get away, I can _totally _make it worth your while."

He tugged at his collar, suddenly feeling a little hot under it. After all, it didn't look like _he _was the only one that had been working out lately. "Ahhh, heheh, well, you're nice and all, b-b-but I don't really . . . like you like that . . . heh . . ."

Her mischievous grin transformed into an annoyed glare. "Okay, first of all: unnecessary roughness on my feelings there, and second, I wasn't talking about _me,_ birdbrain!"

The Hidden Weapon Master rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Heh, umm, sorry about that. And, really, I'm sorry, but I just can't let you go like that. There's a difference between keeping you alive and betraying my duty, you know?"

"Fair enough-" Then, without warning, the slight girl made a sudden dive to the left, only to suddenly juke back to the right and start running for the edge of the building as he took a misstep in the wrong direction.

He recovered quickly and chuckled easily at the childish evasion. He then simply leapt up and over the young villainess. She was good, but still not in their league physically, yet. He landed directly before her and lashed out with a horizontal slash, more intent on disrupting her balance than harming her.

Rather then stumble, though, his surprising prey actually arched her back nearly level with the ground, letting the blade pass a mere inch from her nose. Then, without even using a hand to set herself, Jinx flowed with her momentum into a tight back flip; even lashing out with a kick to his sword hand as she did.

Mousse was impressed by the maneuver, but not overly shocked and easily moved his weapon out of the way. With a twist of his wrist, he twirled the sword around in a flashy display before lunging forward into an overhead slash.

Jinx landed perfectly from her back flip and pirouetted gracefully to the side, avoiding his sword by a hair's breadth. She even swung out a dainty, glowing backhand aimed at his wrist. Not to be outdone, he circled his wrist around hers, swirling his sword around in a broad circle to catch _her_ wrist.

Except, unburdened by three feet of steel, his agile opponent actually twisted _her _wrist back around _his _wrist, avoiding a nasty cut, and tapped a single finger to the cross guard of his sword-

With a loud 'ping' the screws holding the tang suddenly popped out and the entire blade slid out of the hilt, flying right over the edge of the roof!

The Hidden Weapons Master took a hasty hop back and stared at the wooden hilt in his hand in disbelief. He then looked up at the wickedly smiling female before him.

"Wow, you've really improved, Jinx."

Jinx tilted her head to the side, her smile flowing into a knowing smirk.

"And _you've _really been holding back."

"W-what? Who, me?"

The lovely sorceress rolled her pink tinted eyes.

"Oh, please. You've only been fighting with _one _sword. When was the last time you attacked _anyone _with just one weapon?"

Mousse chuckled in amusement, "My memory fails me. Still, don't sell yourself short. This is actually a more difficult fight than I was expecting."

She gazed back in confusion, "Difficult? What are you talking about? _Neither _of us is going anywhere even close to full out."

He shrugged, "It's not really a matter of what we're _not _doing, so much as what you _are_ doing; possibly without even knowing it. Even as we speak, you're releasing a large, yet steady . . . fog, I guess would be the word, of chi, just like we taught you to do to fight Raven. In effect, you're making yourself _so _obvious, that I can't actually follow or anticipate your movements with my chi senses, so I have to rely only on my eyes."

His companion's mouth formed a tiny 'o' as she comprehended what he was saying.

"Wow, no _wonder_ you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn the way you've been fighting."

Hey now! That hadn't been very nice, teasing him like that just because he was trying . . . to . . . capture her? Hmm . . . okay, maybe he could cut her a little slack. Besides, she actually _liked _Hibiki, so it was obvious that she was a few noodles short of a ramen bowl in the head.

"Hmph! Well, if _that's _how you feel, then maybe we should, how did that guy put it: Kick it up a notch?"

His mischievously inclined companion leaned back against a nearby antennae, smiling evilly, "If you insist, you _cute _little duckling, you."

Sheesh, the way she was acting, one would thing she'd been dating Saotome, not Hibiki. Well, he'd given her fair warning, it wasn't his fault she was so careless. With that, he sank his hands into his sleeves and slid them into his combat claws. With their shorter reach and lighter weight, he could better compensate for his opponent's unarmed speed advantage.

Then, with a grand flourish, he pulled the weapons from his sl-

Jinx snapped her fingers.

-eeves . . .

A second later, he nearly fell backwards as fifty feet of chains (Tangled hopelessly around _both _of his claws in a nightmarish Gordian knot.) was dragged from his sleeves along with his claws.

The rattle and clanking of chain falling around his feet was nearly deafening as the one hundred and fifty pounds of steel did its best to drag his hands to the gravel of the rooftop. Mousse looked down to the small mountain of impossibly tangled chains pooled around his ankles, then looked up to the pink haired sorceress that continued to lean before him.

"Oh – oh – you just _suck_!"

Jinx covered her obscene smile with a dainty hand.

"What are you talking about? It's not _my _fault that you don't know how to store your junk."

"Do you have any idea how lo-"

Mousse's rant was cut off when an ominous noise suddenly caught his attention. Below their feet, the sound of a door slamming with enough force to shatter snapped them out of their childish repartee. It was quickly followed by a series of thunderous footfalls traveling down the length of the building, only to suddenly grow in volume as they reached the nearby staircase that led down from the roof. Mousse gazed nervously at Jinx, who glanced nervously back at him as the sound of furiously stomping feet flowed up the staircase and past the rusted remains of the door . . .

And then the entire rooftop bunker exploded!

Jinx stared at the cloud of debris, then back at him, "T-that was _so_ unnecessary; there wasn't even a _door _there!"

Rather than waste his last breath replying, the male Amazon decided to spend it more productively: in Prayer.

Then the cloud of concrete and mortar dispersed, carried away on the gentle air currents that caressed the fair metropolis; only to reveal a furious Shampoo . . . At least, he _thought _it was Shampoo. True, the girl's hair was a familiar (and still steaming) lavender, but this girl was wearing a pair of ill fitting jeans and what looked to be a man's button up dress shirt . . . Oh, and she'd managed to acquire an oversized Chinese broadsword from somewhere.

The furious female pointed the gleaming weapon in their general direction-

"**You I kill**!"

Yep, it was Shampoo all right.

Jinx turned back to face him.

"Soooo, what do you think the odds are that she means me?"

Mousse let out a resigned sigh.

"Actually, I'd say they're about fifty-fifty . . ."


	23. This Ain't A Scene Chapter 5

Dark Titans - Arc 3 - This Ain't A Scene!

Chapter 5

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Cologne watched in resigned annoyance as Happosai didn't just duck under her swing, but actually swung under his Hydro line perch and used the heavy cable to launch himself up, and over the lip of the building right at their side. He'd really put a bit of mustard on that ascent, she had to admit. With a weary sigh, the ancient Amazon quickly followed suit.

She soared over the lip of the roof just in time to snag Agent Stevens out of the air with her staff before the fool male went flying over that very same ledge. With a twist of her weapon, she flopped the glorified mercenary back to the roof in an undignified, yet alive, heap. Unfortunately, in the time she wasted saving the useless fool's life, her quarry had made good on his escape.

She was treated to the rather frustrating sight of the last member of Ching Squadron being flung bodily from the helicopter before the machine started a recklessly fast and worryingly unstable ascent from the roof. Within seconds, the security chopper was flying off over the Metropolis skyline.

"Oh, by the Goddess," she swore to herself. She then tapped the mic in her ear, "You fools in that other mechanical monstrosity have twenty seconds to pick me up before I blow you out of the sky myself!"

Impressively, a mere seventeen seconds later, the matriarch was airborne and in pursuit of the aggravating lecher once more. She chalked the efficiency up to the fact that this craft's pilot was a woman.

It didn't take them long to catch up to Happosai's helicopter; it was obvious that his pilot wasn't cooperating any more than keeping them alive.

Cologne, now perched on the headrest of her pilot's seat, tapped the woman on the helmet. "I don't suppose you can shoot the fool down in a controlled manner?"

The pilot replied sharply, "Afraid not, Ma'am. Even if I could, we still have a man on that bird . . ."

The woman's words trailed off to nothing as they both watched in wide-eyed wonder as a figure was tossed out of the helicopter before them. Thankfully, the man's parachute deployed, but that was easily the last thing on the Amazon's mind.

In stunned silence, Cologne lowered her hand and the pilot wordlessly placed the helicopter radio into her hand.

". . . Happi, please tell me that you didn't just toss the pilot out of that helicopter . . ."

It took several long moments, moments filled with the light on the craft in the distance blinking on and off randomly, before the radio finally crackled to life.

"It was his own fault, Cologne! The man was flying all bad on purpose, just to let you catch up, I bet!"

Cologne stared at the small piece of plastic in her hand. ". . . are you _insane_? How are you supposed to fly without a pilot?"

"Bah! How hard could it be? I mean, you have a _woman _driving the one you're in."

The sharp click of the plastic safeties covering the weapon triggers was strangely in synch with her own thoughts at the moment.

"On second thought, Ma'am," the pilot looked up over her shoulder, "I believe that I _can _shoot him down."

Cologne swatted the woman's head, though she'd have to talk to Shampoo about getting the pilot a promotion later on, "Shush you." She then flicked the radio on again,

"Happosai, you colossal idiot! You don't even have a clue what any of those controls do!"

Silence reigned for a long minute, then-

"Hmmmm . . . that _could _explain why it looks like I'm about to crash into that billboard . . ."

The Matriarch slapped a hand to her forehead, even as she watched Happi's helicopter begin to list inexorably towards the aforementioned 'Dr. Pepper' advertisement. And then, a scant few seconds later, the armored personnel carrier slammed into the massive signage. First the rotor blades bent, deformed and snapped as they smashed into the steel beams that held up the billboard, even as the body of the craft tore through the oversized bottle of overly sugared beverage and proceeded to crash to the roof in a blaze of steel fragments and sparks . . .

Then, for no discernible reason, it exploded.

The pilot looked up in her direction, "Do you want me to shoot the wreckage, you know, just to make sure?"

The Elder Amazon just barely managed to contain the smile that threatened to spill out onto her face, "No need for that, Dearie. There is no way that the Fates would be so kind as to actually trap Happi in that conflagration." She took a moment to quickly scan the disaster area from their bird's eye view . . . "In fact, there's the old goat now."

She gestured with a gnarled finger to the tiny speck that was currently swinging down the building's fire escape with all the carefree abandon of a chimpanzee. Cologne quickly hopped off the pilot's seat and over the heads of the six agents to get to the side door.

"I'll take my leave of you now. Maintain this height and keep an eye on the old Lecher. The last thing we need is a repeat performance."

Then, with an incrementally widening smile . . .

She leapt from the helicopter.

* * *

Jinx back flipped up and over Mousse's entangled form, the blade of Shampoo's sword passing less than an inch before her eyes. She watched, pink eyes wide, as the tattered bandanna that had been braided into her hair split in half, then unravelled to float off into the night . . .

Even before she landed, her slitted eyes narrowed dangerously as she returned her gaze to the violet eyed Amazon.

"You _cut _my bandanna," she hissed through gritted teeth.

At that, Shampoo's furious demeanor suddenly shifted; the voluptuous young woman leaned back, now wearing a superior smirk on her smug face.

"Is good, it look stupid anyway. Next, S - _I_ help improve looks by removing hideous excuse for _face_."

"Ummm . . . ladies? . . . Need I remind you that this _isn't _a death match?" asked a very nervous sounding Mousse.

"_Shut up, Mousse_!"

"_Shut up, Mousse_!"

Jinx punctuated her shout with a burst of pink energy to Mousse's feet, which instantly caused the mountain of chains around the boy's ankles to explode up into the air and bury the unfortunate weapon master under an avalanche of cold, hard steel-

"_Ahhh-oof_!"

With that distraction dealt with, Jinx returned her attention to the bedraggled but still annoyingly good looking Shampoo.

"You wanna piece of me? Why don't you come and get it, you brain dead Bimbo?"

The Amazon snarled back, baring her teeth, "Only part I want of you is your _head_, and Amazon _always _take what she wants."

Shampoo then moved to prove her point, leaping straight over Mousse's prone form and lashing out with a two-handed slash of her oversized sword. Jinx's eyes widened in shock at the speed of the attack and she fell backwards into a desperate roll to avoid it.

A second later, she pushed with all of the strength in her narrow legs and launched herself from her crouch up into a soaring back flip as Shampoo's blade smashed into, and through, the roof. As soon as the young witch landed, she lashed out with a glowing backhand – only to retract the limb, now decorated with a long, shallow cut that ran from wrist to elbow!

'That bitch!' She let out a pained hiss and clutched the bleeding limb to her chest. Fighting Shampoo wasn't anything like fighting Mousse. The lavender haired Amazon was blindingly fast and appeared to be harboring a serious hate-on for her.

She didn't have much time to contemplate that, though, as Shampoo was on her in a flashing whirlwind of steel. Jinx was forced back yet again under the assault of the razor edged blade; she found herself resorting to every dodge and evasion that Happi had taught her over the past few weeks. Despite the size of her opponent's sword, the violent Amazon's insane strength let her swing it around like _she _would swing around a cedar switch, and despite Shampoo's bimbo-ish appearance, she was _damn _good!

What the hell was she going to do? The violet eyed Amazon had her beat in speed, strength and skill . . . The only thing that the sorceress really had on her side was luck . . .

Oh, _right_! That and her _incredible_ magical powers! Not to mention a mean streak a mile wide.

The cat eyed witch began to chuckle darkly to herself, even as her forearm continued to throb painfully. Happosai had been stressing his ME ME method of combat so much lately, that she kept on forgetting that she was genuinely powerful in her own right.

Jinx ducked under a horizontal swing, then spun to the side to avoid a sneaky snap kick without even bothering to stand up. As soon as she finished her spin, now tucked neatly by Shampoo's side, she threw herself into a forward roll, putting a few yards between herself and the psychotic Amazon.

She regained her feet fluidly and twirled around gracefully to face the furious warrior who was doing the same thing to face her. Jinx didn't bother with a jibe, she just stuck out her bleeding arm and waved Shampoo in with a single finger.

"Finger taunt, _Bitch_!"

. . . Okay, maybe just a _tiny _jibe . . .

The swordswoman was more than happy to oblige, surging forward into a rapid, low charge, gleaming sword trailing a shower of sparks in her wake.

The Amazon only made it four steps before the cockily smiling sorceress casually swung her good arm around, unleashing a livid wave of boiling pink energy!

The wave of pure, cotton candy doom shattered the roof, scattered gravel and bludgeoned structures to scrap as it scoured across the crown of the building. Everything vanished from her sight for a moment, though she heard Mousse letting out a shocked shout before the pile of chains was consumed by the wave of neon pink.

When the attack finally subsided, the witch smiled triumphantly at the look on her opponent's face. Shampoo had avoided the attack, narrowly. The Amazon was now perched on the very far ledge of the roof, precariously balanced on the crumbling ledge of the building and taking in harsh, ragged breaths. Though she wasn't injured in any way, the wide eyes and shocked expression told Jinx everything she needed to know.

Oh, yes, she had just rocked Shampoo's world.

* * *

Happosai dropped down to the third story's fire escape, bounced off the railing and launched himself off again. He errantly swatted away another piece of the flaming remains of the helicopter that was raining down after him, and then alighted on a windowsill of the adjacent building. With one final push, he launched himself out of the disturbingly tidy alleyway, caught his pipe on yet another power line and did one full revolution before sending himself soaring over the four lanes of hectic Metropolis traffic.

With nary a thump, the ancient master landed on the roof of a moving city bus and finally allowed himself to take in a long, revitalizing breath. Honestly, this chase was starting to grate on his nerves. Hopefully his close scrape upstairs would put that old bat off his trail long enough for him to catch his brea-

Why did he keep doing these things to himself?

With a resigned sigh, the progenitor of the School of Indiscriminate Grappling dove to the front of the bus, just as Cologne's plummeting form careened violently into the vehicle's roof right where he'd been standing. The steel of the bus warped and twisted under the ancient Amazon, collapsing into a crater nearly two feet deep and four feet wide; Cologne sat perched on her staff at the heart of the destruction, the point of her wooden implement impaled nearly another foot straight through the sheet metal of the bus's shell.

Wow . . . he sure hoped that this bus was out of service, or _someone _might be in severe need of an aspirin about now . . .

"Honestly, Happi, you didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

Happi tilted his head, smiling wryly.

"Ya know, for a second there, I kinda did."

Both grand masters chuckled for a minute, then Cologne hopped off her staff and tore the weapon from its rest to the sound of tearing sheet metal. Happosai quickly considered his options. A: He could actually get serious and turn this into a real battle. However, he had no idea how long a fight of that magnitude would last, or how much attention it would draw, _especially _in this city. Not to mention the fact that he still had to meet up with his Disciple later on. B: He distracted the _hell _out of Cologne and lost the old crone in the confusion. Unfortunately, that plan hadn't been working out too well so far, but he wasn't _really _too interested in finding out just _how far _Cologne was prepared to go to bring him in.

. . . So, fight or flight, the eternal question. Well, when all else fails: Play to your strengths.

"_Happo Daikarin_!"

He pulled out the small, spherical firecracker and flung it at his opponent with lightning speed. With his other hand, he pulled out a smoke bomb . . .

And dropped it at his own feet!

* * *

Cologne snatched the tiny explosive from the air and frantically pulled out the angrily sparking fuse out before it could explode in her face. As soon as the bomb was defused, literally, she tossed its remains over her shoulder and let out a relieved sigh.

That had been a close one . . .

It was about then that she registered the dispersing cloud of smoke at the front of the now immobile bus.

'What was with ninjas and smoke pellets?' she asked the skies above.

A single leap took her to the far end of the vehicle and a quick sweep of her staff dispersed the rest of the smoke. The parting cloud revealed a sight that made the old woman pinch her nose in disgust-

"Get me outta the city, and _step on it_!"

Happosai, perched on the roof of a yellow taxi, tossing a handful of bills in the window at the unsuspecting driver. A second later, the tires of the public transport squealed as if in pain and the taxi tore off down the street, swerving around other vehicles with the reckless abandon that only a cabbie was truly capable of.

She stared, wide eyed, for a moment. That must have been a good amount of money . . .

Well, two could play that game!

As with any city of this size, there were more taxis on the street than personal vehicles, so she took her pick of the litter and leapt onto the roof of one of the vehicles herself. She quickly swung down and tossed her LexCorp Platinum Card in the window and barked at the driver-

"Get me beside that taxi! Yes, the one with the dwarf on it!"

When the driver saw exactly what it was she threw to him, his eyes nearly popped from their sockets. In even _less_ than a second, she was forced to grab onto plastic taxi sign as the vehicle suddenly roared to life and flew forward like the hordes of hell itself were after it! It took her three whole seconds to regain her balance enough to stand up on the back of the wildly bucking beast beneath her as this taxi did a fine job of imitating the insanely negligent driving that Happi's cab was already committing.

Her noble steed swerved to the right, then to the left, flew over a shallow incline then blasted straight through a red light and four lanes of traffic. Cologne actually let out an excited hoot as her cab missed getting demolished by three different transport trucks in as many seconds! This was almost as fun as that Dukes of Hazzard show she liked to watch. Of course, she then realized what she had done, and quickly schooled her features. No need to look undignified just because she was taxi surfing down Main Street in Metropolis in pursuit of a rampaging pervert.

Unfortunately for Happi, it appeared that Plastic beat Paper in this city, especially when that Plastic had LexCorp's name printed on it.

It only took a few minutes before Cologne's taxi finally pulled up beside Happi's and she quickly scooted over to the edge of hers and took a swing at the old pervert. Her opponent parried her staff with his pipe and riposted expertly, only for her to deflect the attack in return.

Soon, the clacking of wood on wood at Amaguriken speeds nearly drowned out the sound of the roaring engines, beeping horns and the distant wailing of police sirens desperately trying to catch up.

"Would you-" Thrust-Parry-Slash, "Give it up-" Duck-Weave-Counter, "You insufferable _woman_!" Happosai cried out in frustration.

Their cabs smashed together violently, apparently their drivers were starting to take the fight personally as well, nearly causing both masters to go sailing into the air. Neither would give the other the satisfaction of getting mangled in a car accident at this point, though.

"Dead or Alive-" Jab-Feint-Lunge, "You're coming with me!"

"Damnit, Cologne! Stop quoting obscure movies!"

Happosai ducked back to the far side of his cab's roof, taking a quick glance over his shoulder as he nearly teetered over the edge. The ancient pervert then growled darkly, his eyes glowing with crimson power. In an unexpected move, Happosai suddenly threw his empty hand forward, a burst of pure ki exploding from his palm.

So! He wanted to up the ante, eh?

She nimbly twisted out of the way, the crimson bolt of life energy careening past her and demolishing a small lingerie store on a passing street corner. Then, just as Happi let out a cry of ultimate anguish, she spun back and unleashed her own bolt of silver-white ki straight back at him!

Except, at the very last second, Happosai smiled!

Unlike her, the pervert _didn't _dodge! In fact, he hopped up and back slightly, letting the attack strike him right in the chest and carry him clean off of the roof of the speeding cab and right towards the sidewalk that ran along the street . . .

Where the old goat's forward momentum arrowed him _perfectly_ down the sidewalk staircase that led to the subway system!

Even worse, Happi had the audacity to wave to her just before he vanished from view!

Cologne let out a string of expletives that would only be possible for a person with a hundred years of experience and the knowledge of nearly a dozen different languages to truly appreciate, as her taxi sailed past the subway's entrance, neither driver realizing that they were now one shrunken master short of a pair. Still, for pure simplicity, there were only two words that could properly sum up her feelings at that moment:

"**Goddess Damnit**!"

* * *

Happosai rode the Ki blast through the air, wincing internally, even as he smirked to Cologne. And then he flew down the stairwell, exactly as he'd planned. Oh, the look on the old woman's face as her cab flew down the street at those ridiculous speeds!

It was right about then that he discovered an inherent flaw in his otherwise perfect plan-

With a crack of thunder, the bolt of spiritual energy slammed him into the far wall of the staircase with enough force to shatter the concrete. His body pinballed from one wall to the other roughly seven times as he ricocheted down the corridor before shooting out into the subway proper and skidding to a painful stop about a dozen yards in . . .

". . . perfect . . . plan . . ."

All around him, people stared at his crumpled form, probably wondering if he'd already been dead for a few years before he came bouncing down those stairs. Luckily for the ancient master, a pretty young lady moved tentatively forward to see if he'd survived . . .

"Um . . . a-are you okay, Mister?"

Ahh, what a respectful young woman, he'd have to be especially pol-

"_Sweeto!_"

Ah, screw it! He didn't have time for niceties. In a matter of minutes, thanks to the blissfully crowded nature of the Metropolis subway systems, and the excellent quality of the city's Fitness Centers, Happosai was feeling like a million yen again.

He didn't have any trouble getting past the ticket booth, either. A quick leap sent him soaring over the ridiculous turnstiles and the angry mob of women, boyfriends and husbands kept the guards and attendants from chasing him.

A hop, a skip and a jump took him over to the nearest subway car. He got there just in time for a pleasant chime to sound, signaling that the doors were about to close.

Oh, how perfect his timing was!

With a friendly wave to his adoring public, he slipped between the sliding doors just as they closed off the train from the mob. A few angry pedestrians banged uselessly on the glass of the door, but, inexorably, the train began to pull out of the station.

Happosai cackled happily as the bland scenery of the subway station was replaced by the dark blur of the tunnel system. It sure had been nice of those girls to help out such an old man; admirable, really.

And such pretty souvenirs . . .

Absently, as he admired the fine workmanship of one of his latest acquisitions, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, that he wasn't nearly as crowded as he had been when he'd gotten on the train . . .

The sliding hiss of the inter-car doors closing on _both _ends of the car shed a bit of light on that little mystery. 'Oh, well', he thought to himself, 'More room for me!.' Well, him and the homeless guy sleeping under a newspaper at the other end of the subway car, but Happosai was a notoriously generous man.

Quite happy with his clever escape, he took a seat an let out a sigh of relief. The gentle rocking of the train was a relaxing change of pace from that damnable helicopter, what with all of the swaying and exploding and what such. Still, he did have places to go, and a Disciple to see . . .

Ahh, there was what he was looking for. Sitting above the door he had just hopped through was a map of the subway system.

"Now, let's see . . .," he muttered to himself.

He'd gotten on at Main and Bloor and was riding the East Bound train. Unfortunately, to meet up with Jinx, he needed to be on the West Bound. Well, no big problem, he'd just get off at the next station and switch trains.

While he was dwelling on the thought of his spunky student, he wondered how she was faring. The ancient master wasn't at all worried about Shampoo, but that Mousse boy could be a handful for someone with the witch's limited training. He had faith in her, though. A good villain could always make a good escape when they needed to . . .

Hmm, but Mousse and Shampoo were working with Luthor now, so did that make _them _villains too? And if so, were they bigger villains than him and Jinx?

Now _that _would be unacceptable!

The rocking of the train began to lessen as the train began to roll gently into the next station. Well, he'd find out soon enough. If worse came to worse, he'd just have to go rescue the lovely, though still a little underdeveloped, sorceress.

Couldn't leave his _favorite_ pupil _ever_ in the clutches of someone like Cologne-

God knows that the old crone might teach her _responsibility_, or something equally horrible!

He shuddered at the terrible thought. Yes, maybe checking up on his student wouldn't be such a bad idea. That in mind, he hopped out of his seat and moved to stand in front of the door, waiting for the train to come to a complete stop. Finally, with a polite chime and a quiet his, the doors slid apart –

Revealing the withered face of Cologne!

"_Inconceivable_!"

Cologne rolled her eyes.

"If you consider a fifty percent chance of being right to be _inconceivable. _The station you got on at only goes east and west, you old fool."

Happi slapped a hand to his forehead.

"_Damn_! B-but how could you possibly get ahead of me?"

"I gave the man a _platinum_ card, Happi. I arrived here with enough time to stop for a coffee."

The old woman then took three tiny steps forward onto the train, bringing her literally nose-to-nose with him. A moment later, the doors slid closed ominously behind her. He could practically feel her dry, hot breath on his whiskers.

"Now, _Happi,_ where were we?"

* * *

Jack Johnson, Certified Public Accountant, carefully checked his collar for the seventh time as he waited for the train. He couldn't _believe_ how badly he'd lost track of the time. His wife had been expecting him home for dinner _hours _ago. It was a guarantee that he was in for an earful when she finally got her claws into him, but if she found out exactly _why _he was late, well, it'd be a short trip to the divorce lawyer's office for him . . .

The distant squeal of steel on steel heralded the imminent arrival of his train.

"Finally," he muttered impatiently.

He waited, expectantly, as the light of the subway car came around the bend and the train began its final approach into the station . . .

Except, the train wasn't slowing down . . . and-

His thought was put on hold, as an explosion of flame and smoke burst out of the tunnel, nearly obscuring the entire train for a moment! The train then blasted through the cloud, still hurtling through the station at full speed.

. . . The _hell_?

The first three cars were packed in like sardines! But it was past eleven o'clock! And what had that explosion been?

Both mysteries were answered as the train continued to barrel through the station. The fourth car was completely dark, the power shorted out and the windows all shattered; the fifth car . . .

The fifth car was barely even there!

The entire car was a wreck of twisted steel, like the entire section had tried to bloom open into a magnificent flower, except it forgot it was being dragged through a narrow tunnel.

The final two cars looked to be fine from his position. The only strange thing being that the last car wasn't abandoned like all of the cars between. It had what looked to be a normal number of people, but _none _of them were _moving_! Most notably the conductor!

And then the train was gone, only a billowing cloud of black smoke left as evidence of its passing . . .

Jack Johnson, Certified Public Accountant, stared at the cloud of smoke that trailed off after the train, then looked down to his watch.

". . . Screw it, I'm taking a cab . . ."

* * *

Cologne coughed out a lungful of smoke, only to unexpectedly suck in a revitalizing gasp of clear air as the train suddenly emerged from the underground tunnel to begin traveling over an elevated track. On the far end of the subway car that was now their battlefield, Happosai was doing the same. She chuckled wryly, the foolish old man looked patently ridiculous, all covered with soot as he was.

The fight hadn't gone as expected, though, with Happi fighting much more seriously than anticipated. In fact, he'd nearly caught her with that idiotic 'Happo-Mold Burst' of his. Unfortunately, he _had _caught everyone in the last car –

"_Happo Daikarin – Rapid Fire_!"

Cologne's eyes widened as the diminutive pervert suddenly pulled a small mountain of his trademarked fusebombs from behind his back and began to hurl them at her at ridiculous speeds!

Had she had the time, she would have boggled at the sheer amount of ki required to perform such an attack . . .

Instead, she brought her staff up before her and began to spin the implement as quickly as her Amagurinken trained reflexes would allow. A second later, the bombs rained down on her. With a clacking sound so rapid it reminded her of that damnable card that Shampoo had stuck in the tire of her bicycle, she wildly deflected the steady stream of tiny explosives, knocking them off in completely random and uncontrolled directions.

A moment later, the night sky lit up around them as the bombs began to explode in a dense series of colorful explosions. Billboards were torched, buildings were scorched, and any people that happened to be wandering the streets at that moment were treated to quite a show!

The bombardment continued for a good three city blocks before her opponent finally had to let up. As soon as the whiskered pervert did, now wheezing for oxygen, Cologne quickly capitalized on the super heated air around her, combining it with the powerful spiral that her staff had already created with her harried defence. Just one tiny burst of cold ki and-

"_Horizontal Hiryu Shoten Ha_!"

Though weaker than normal, the cyclone still possessed the power to rend the steel surface of the flimsy subway car as it tore hungrily towards its prey. Glass shattered, steel fragments flew and people screamed, but it was all drowned out by the howl of the crawling dragon!

And then, right before Happosai could be consumed by the dragon's wrath-

The train took a not so gentle turn to the left!

Even as the train veered off to the side, carrying a relatively unscathed Happosai safely out of the path of her attack . . . the cyclone itself continued straight ahead. Within moments, the ki infused tornado tore into a passing building, devouring directly to its heart before the winds finally lost cohesion.

". . . Oops?"

Her morbid staring at the rapidly receeding chasm she'd carved into the building was rudely interrupted.

"Bwahahahaha!"

Cologne turned to glare at the mirthful pervert.

"Nice shot, Cologne! I didn't know you were so serious about interior decoration!"

Well, she _was_, but that was aside from the point.

"You'll regret those words, H-"

"_Obstacles are for killing_!"

This time, Cologne's eyes nearly popped from their sockets from shock as the radio in her ear suddenly screamed to life. Without even thinking, she spun around in the direction she imagined her Great Granddaughter might be.

By the Goddess! What was that fool girl _doing_?

"Shampoo. Call off your attack and return to base, _immediately_."

For a dangerously long moment, silence was her only answer, then-

". . . Yes, _Great Grandmother_."

Cologne boggled further at the sheer insolence in Shampoo's voice. It was almost beyond belief. Oh, there would be _words_ when she returned to base, that much was certain.

It was right about that moment that the ancient Amazon realized that she had actually turned her back on Happosai . . .

With a resigned sigh, she turned back to face to old pervert, and, very much as she imagined: Happi was gone.

Oh, yes . . . _someone _was going to die for all of the embarrassment she'd suffered that night. The way things had been going, she was beginning to hope it would be _her_. Cologne sent a pleading look to the heavens.

"Goddess, why do you hate me so?"

It was at that precise moment, as if in sharp rebuttal to her heresy, that a blur of motion from the back of the train caught her attention. 'Oh, ho!' Apparently Happi hadn't gotten as far as she'd feared. She managed to catch a glimpse of him just as he leapt madly from the back of the train into the concealing darkness of a construction site which the train was just now passing.

She looked up to the sky quickly-

"I humbly apologize!"

Then leapt from the train in pursuit.

* * *

Jinx smiled malevolently at the hunter that had just become the hunted. A rooftop littered with destruction now separated the two seething females, and unfortunately for the building's owner, meta-human brawls weren't covered by their insurance.

"I'm afraid I've got more important things to do then play with you, Shampoo, so I'm gonna have to end this the quick and painful way, if you don't mind."

With that, the sorceress swung her good arm up in a sharp arc, unleashing a razor thin crescent of neon energy burning through the air in the Amazon's direction. To her annoyance, Shampoo casually stepped around the sizzling blade of energy, letting it slash through the ledge beneath her and soar off into the night. So Jinx threw another, spinning around and swinging her arm across in a wide arc.

"You think Shampoo scared of _you_?" asked the increasingly confident Amazon as she easily ducked under the horizontal blade of pink.

"You second stringer, you beaten by Titans, you beaten by Raven . . . you _beaten _by _pig boy_," Shampoo hissed the last part as if it was the worst insult, "You _loser_, and Shampoo _never_ be scared of weak coward like _you_!"

Jinx felt her eyes begin to blaze with power as a strangled scream tore itself from her lips. Every syllable pounded against her skull, the hint of truth in each accusation giving them more power than the young witch would have imagined possible.

"S-_shut up_!"

She launched her fist straight forward, a burst of energy exploding from her clenched fingers in a destructive burst of power. A scar four feet wide and a dozen long was torn into the building as the roof collapsed beneath her rage given form . . .

Shampoo looked down at the makeshift chasm from her place several feet safely out of the way. The violet eyed Amazon then shifted her attention back to Jinx, tilting her head as if in deep contemplation.

"Make sense, when you think about it. Explain why Witch Girl like Pig Boy. Second place girl settle for second place man. But you no even have _guts_ to fight for him, you run away like little boy and . . . well, at least you do right thing and let better woman have prize . . . even if prize is worthless junk . . ."

"_You Bitch_!"

Screaming in fury, Jinx gave up all pretence of skill and just dove for the Amazon. Each of her fingers lit up with a jet of neon plasma an inch long as she recklessly charged Shampoo's smugly smiling face.

The night _screamed _as her sizzling claws ionized the very air around them. The furious sorceress lashed out again and again, attacking Shampoo like a wild animal. If her victim looked at all concerned about the damage that those tiny pink cutting torches could do, she didn't show it at all. In fact, it was Shampoo that evaded the attacks effortlessly now. The lavender haired warrior didn't even have the common decency to look like she was trying, her long sword resting casually across her shoulder . . .

Unfortunately, Jinx realized her mistake too late, pretty much the exact moment that her head was rocked to the side by a contemptuous backhand from Shampoo. The strike landed with enough force to actually send Jinx spinning around to a clumsy, skidding stop several feet away.

Jinx danced dizzily along the edge of the crevice that she, herself, had created, but quickly spun to face Shampoo . . .

Just in time to see the wicked blade descending straight for her face!

Instinct flared to life, far faster than mere conscious thought could hope to. Luckily, before her mind could realize what a stupid idea it was, her hands flew forward, intent on catching the blade between her palms. Of course, under normal circumstances, this would have been suicide, since Jinx wasn't anywhere near strong enough to actually stop a strike from Shampoo . . .

However, with the equivalent of ten cutting torches now burning merrily from the tips of her fingers . . .

Jinx watched, amazed, as her poorly timed attempt to capture Shampoo's sword reduced the center of the blade to so much molten steel. The glowing metal spattered everywhere, causing the Amazon to leap back in shock, while several of the burning embers landed on the witch's clothing and began to hiss painfully.

Then there was the matter of the eighteen inches of blade that was now flying free of the sword's hilt. The sharpened piece of oversized shrapnel, still traveling with all of the force of Shampoo's swing, flew right past Jinx's face, scoring shallow gash in her shoulder before fading into a glittering star as it vanished over the ledge of the building . . .

All Jinx could do was stand there, panting heavily and thanking the gods for the numbness granted by shock. She'd never come so close to dying before –

The miracle of her continued breathing was very rudely interrupted by an insanely powerful fist to her gut, blasting said breath from her lungs. Jinx realized she'd been standing there like an idiot for an unforgivable number of seconds, and Shampoo wasn't keen on playing the considerate type.

The Amazon then grabbed her arm and jerked on it painfully, pulling Jinx forward and levering her over Shampoo's hip to send the wheezing witch into a tumbling freefall through the air. It took every last neuron she had to bring her body back under control enough to actually stop herself from landing on her head and snapping her neck. Instead, she twisted around enough at the last minute to land on her hands and toes, so true to her cat-like eyes, sliding several feet to a trembling stop.

She wanted to cry after scraping her palms several feet across a gravel roof, but she was too busy being scared out of her mind and pissed off beyond all belief! And she thought that _she _was the one with a mean streak. Shampoo had played her so easily it was embarrassing! And that only pissed her off even _more_! How dare that hussy insult . . . her . . . man . . .

Agonizingly, Jinx pushed herself up to her feet and glared at Shampoo's leering face.

"So, you don't like Ryouga, is that it? He's nothing compared to your perfect, strong _Ranma_, is that right? Heheh, I don't think that's it at all . . . I think I know why you _really _hate me so much . . ."

Shampoo cocked her head, idly tossing the ruined remnants of her sword down into the apartments below them. "Stupid girl, Shampoo no hate you, Shampoo _nothing_ you. You not even _worth _hating."

Jinx laughed bitterly, coughing up a little blood as she did. "Oh, _really_? Is that why you've been trying to kill me every second of this freakin _capture _mission of yours? Doesn't seem like something that someone that _nothings_ me would do!"

Her enemy's brow crinkled in confusion, "You talking stupid, Stupid Girl! Kill is just as good as capture, why should Shampoo care if you live or not?"

Slowly, Jinx straightened up, gingerly resting her hands on her hips. "Good question, but I know the answer. You hate me because you're _jealous_, it's as simple as that. Even if it was only for awhile, Ryouga and me had something special, something that you've been trying to get with your _precious _Ranma for _years_. Heh, and you call _me _a loser? A tramp like you can't even get a guy to act half way civil to you in over two years, but little, weak me lands a great guy like Ryouga like that." Jinx snapped her fingers for emphasis.

Shampoo sneered vilely, "You sick in head, Stupid Girl. Shampoo know you only get Ryouga to like you by brainwashing. You no can even get man to like you without Headmaster to help!"

"Ha!" Jinx barked snidely, "And that just _burns _you up, doesn't it? That _you _failed again and again with _every _stupid scheme you tried. You couldn't even get Ranma to like you _with magic_! And yet all it took for me was a little memory tweak and it all worked out like a fairy tale. But that isn't even the worst of it, is it?"

The livid Amazon looked torn between screaming and simply beating her to a bloody smear on the roof, but something Jinx couldn't figure was holding the larger girl in check . . . for the moment. It was time to show this bimbo why _Jinx _was the villain here.

"You say that Ryouga is weak and stupid and anything else you can imagine to make him less than Ranma, but you're wrong. There's one way that Ryouga's so far beyond Ranma that it's disgusting and you _know _it! You _know _that no matter what you do, no matter what trick you try, what magic mushrooms you feed him, no matter if you even get Ranma _to fall head over heels in love with you_ . . . that Ranma will _never __**ever**_, love you as much as _Ryouga _loves _me_!"

Her Cheshire grin split into a truly malevolent smile as she saw the stricken expression flash across Shampoo's face.

"Ranma will _never_ respect you as a warrior, his pride won't allow it. He'll _never _see you as an equal, you'll always be a weak girl that needs to be protected or fought over. He'll _never _bare his heart to you, share everything that he is with you; his father's screwed him up too much to ever do that."

Jinx took a deep breath, her chest heaving from the exhilaration of destroying Shampoo's hopes and dreams.

"No matter how much of his brain you destroy with your drugs and your potions, Ranma will _never _do _any _of the things that _Ryouga _does freely and without reservation. Heheheh, I may have gotten the second place _fighter_, but even if you _do _win Ranma somehow, you _know _you'll never be as happy as I intend to be with Ryouga . . ." she let her words trail off. She could see the Amazon girl literally trembling with rage . . . and were those . . . were those _tears_ forming at the corners of her eyes?

"_**LIAR**__!_"

Jinx laughed out loud. She'd turned the tables now! Shampoo surged forward in a mad, scrambling charge, death in her eyes. Now it was the witch's turn to take advantage of the emotional wrec-

Shampoo's kick slammed into her solar plexus, knocking her completely off her feet and into the air!

'W-what the hell!'

She slammed to the hard ground, just avoiding cracking her head open on the unforgiving roof. Wh . . . what the hell was going on? _She _was supposed to be the one kicking the crap out of Shampoo!

Jinx rolled to the side as an axe kick caved in the roof where her head had been. She used the precious seconds it took Shampoo to extricate her foot from the hole to get back to her feet. The lavender haired Amazon slowly, grimly, turned to face her.

"You I kill." It was a simple statement this time, not a threat, not a warning, just a cold hard fact.

Her breath was coming in pained gasps now; her opponent sure knew how to work the torso that was for certain. What the hell did she have to do to stop this woman: blow up the entire rooftop?

A sudden flash of black in the distance caught her attention . . .

No, no, she was going about this entirely the wrong way. She'd been trying to overpower Shampoo, just like she always tried to do with Raven, and always failed. She'd forgotten everything that Happi had taught her in the past few minutes, and she couldn't even imagine how disappointed the old man would be in her if he found out what had happened up here . . .

Not that she cared . . .

No, there was an _easy _way to do this. There was an easy way to do everything, you just had to know how to find it. ME ME, as Happi had told her, Minimum Effort, Maximum Effect. Why use all of your power to do something directly, when you can use a fraction of it to do the same thing _indirectly_. All you had to do was think outside the box a little bit . . .

Alright, she knew what her goal was; now all she had to do was figure out how to achieve it . . .

A flash of insight, quite literally, struck her. Oh, oh, this would be good.

Jinx painfully kicked up her legs and rolled backwards up to her feet. She desperately wanted to clutch her stomach, her arm, her shoulder . . . damn she was hurting, but refused to give the Amazon the satisfaction.

Shampoo gazed down at her as if she were an insect.

"Time for talk over, Dead Girl."

The young witch snorted, "You just _bring _it."

And the Amazon obliged, exploding into a furious charge-

Jinx snapped her fingers . . .

-only to have her shirt inexplicably burst apart at the seams! The tattered rags of cloth literally flew apart, revealing Shampoo in all of her topless glory for the entire world to see!

'Ha! Let's see her fight like th-'

Shampoo's fist slammed into Jinx's face hard enough to cause her entire world to flash into a blur of pretty colors, even as it sent her crashing back down on to her butt. The young sorceress clutched her aching face, not sure if her cheek was actually broken or not.

She glared up at the Amazon proudly standing over her.

"W-would you _stop doing that_!" Goddess! Every time – _every time_ she thought she had Shampoo beat, she'd ended up clobbered mid gloat!

Shampoo scoffed loudly, "Ha! Look like bad luck is _yours _this time. You think you actually embarrass Shampoo with naked attack? Shampoo proud Amazon Warrior, fight naked all time back in village."

Jinx gingerly rubbed her cheek again, discreetly looking over her executioner's shoulder, "So, being a shameless hussy runs in the family? Still, you're forgetting the most basic law of luck, Shampoo: One person's bad luck is another person's good."

The lavender haired Amazon slowly raised her hand and curled her seemingly delicate digits into a steel hard fist.

"Your luck run out."

The mischievous witch giggled wickedly, "Oh, I never said it was _my _good luck."

Shampoo stared at her in confusion.

"Wha-"

"**Shampoooooo**!"

Annnd . . . contact!

Shampoo let out a strangled scream as Mousse seemed to literally melt out of the darkness and glomp on to her with all of the romantic overtones of an octopus.

"Mousse, what hell you-"

"Shampoo, my love-"

"Let **go**!"

"Come into my arms!"

**"Get off**!"

Jinx didn't waste her opportunity this time. She nimbly flipped back up to her feet and started sprinting the _hell _out of there while Shampoo tried desperately to untangle herself from the adoring weapon master.

Just before she leapt from the ledge of the building, though, she stopped for a second and turned back, somehow managing to catch Mousse's eye as she did. Without knowing why, she mouthed a quick 'Thank you' to the doomed young man . . .

Only to stare wide-eyed as Mousse winked back at her, right before continuing his affectionate struggle.

The smile that split her face caused her head to throb painfully, so she swore, turned and leapt into the night . . .

'I owe ya one, Mousse . . .'

* * *

Finally, Shampoo extricated herself from Mousse's clutches enough to drop a savage elbow to the back of the blind idiot's skull. The soon-to-be-deceased collapsed to the ground in a heap, though she made sure to kick him once more for good measure.

She then proceeded to unleash a string of profanities that would have gotten her excommunicated from the village had she been back home. She violently tore the mic from her ear and squeezed it almost hard enough to shatter the durable plastic shell as she shouted all of her rage into it-

"_Obstacles are for killing_!"

Instantly, Mousse was on his feet again, desperately grasping at the earpiece.

"Shampoo, _no!_"

She brutally drove her elbow into his face, dropping him back to the ground. A moment later, the radio crackled to life-

"Affirmative, FoxCat. Use of lethal force is authorized. Moving to engage target."

Mousse looked up at her in horror, "Shampoo, what have you done?"

Shampoo was about to tell him _explicitly _what she had done, when the radio sounded again-

"Shampoo. Call off your attack and return to base, _immediately_."

. . . Cologne's voice . . . And the Matriarch did not sound pleased . . .

She stared at the earpiece long and hard, her gaze hardening to steel.

". . . Yes, _Great Grandmother_," she replied coolly.

Then, very accidentally, the tiny mic slipped from her fingers, only to be crushed under her heel. She glanced at Mousse, wearing an obscenely innocent smile on her face.

"Oops, Shampoo is too, too unlucky tonight. Well, you hear Great Grandmother, is time to go."

Mousse just stared at her back as she turned and started to make her way to the stairs. Finally, as she reached the exit, she heard the male let out a long sigh and begin to follow . . . "Of course, Shampoo . . ."

Feh, she wondered what his problem was? _She _was the one that had been _humiliated _by that pink haired witch! Still . . .

The breeze did feel pretty nice.

* * *

Jinx landed from her leap, skidding wildly on the treacherous roof gravel and nearly wiping out completely. The same gymnastics she had been performing effortlessly, like, twenty minutes ago were pushing her to the limit now. Panic and pain were totally throwing off her concentration, and it was starting to feel like were legs were gonna just fall off. She couldn't stop running, though. She didn't have any idea how long Mousse could hold Shampoo, and she honestly wasn't sure she'd survive a second round.

Damn, she sure hoped that Happi was faring better than herself. It'd be a pretty sad day if she actually had to rescue that old goat.

She stopped her mindless ruminations as she nearly bought it leaping over another alleyway. Again, she barely recovered to continue her flight . . .

Man! What the hell was she still doing on these roofs anyway? She should be in a cab, or something, _actually _getting out of town!

Revolutionary thought in mind (whose stupid idea was it that super-types could _only _get around via rooftops or invisible jets, anyway?) Jinx altered her run, angling away from the far ledge of the building and towards the roof bulkhead instead. A nice, easy elevator ride sounded absolutely _lovely _right now-

Then her footing gave out on her. The gravel skidded maliciously out from under her feet and dropped her painfully to her bottom _again_! She was about to scream, or cry . . . or something – except a bright flash of crimson light suddenly distracted her.

. . . That . . . was odd. Burned into the ground, just halfway between her and the door, was a small, quarter sized hole. The edges of the hole were still glowing red and little wafts of smoke rose up from it.

"Oh, son of _a Bit-"_

The gymnastic sorceress kicked up into a one handed cartwheel and flipped behind an air-conditioning unit seconds before the roof abruptly lit up with laser fire.

'What the hell?' Those weren't any kind of stun weapon! Those bastards were trying to _kill _her!

Jinx quickly peeked out from behind her bulky barrier. Just as she expected, the helicopter that had been following her fight was hovering just above the roof, disgorging its entire compliment of armed troopers out to hunt her down. The six agents slowly began to spread out across the roof, doubtlessly trying to get her in a good crossfire.

If it weren't for that fact that she'd never been so angry/scared/furious in her life, she would have giggled to herself. _Only _six Normals against _her_? She was beating those kinds of odds even before she started training with Happi. Now, even in the shape she was in, she was pretty sure she could handle the likes of them.

Once the agents were sufficiently spread out, the helicopter ascended out of range once more, whatever technology Luthor had installed in it making the ascent nearly soundless, even from such a short distance. All the better for her, just one less distraction.

Jinx took a long, calming breath, squeezing her slitted eyes shut as she concentrated on what she was about to do. It was a pretty crazy idea, but then, she was kinda crazy anyway, so there wasn't much helping it. Once her ribs stopped aching so badly, she opened her eyes and slowly shook out her stiffening arms.

These boys were about to have an unfortunate series of events befall them.

"Target spotted!" The voice sounded off to her far left. Apparently one of the soldiers had gotten a line of fire on her.

Well, time to show them just how unfortunate they were.

Before the first shot could even be fired, Jinx leapt straight up, landing lightly on the very air conditioner that she'd been hiding behind. Instantly, all six troopers spun around to face her, training their deadly weapons her way. She grinned her Cheshire grin and waved to the handsome young men.

"You boys picked the _wrong _Bitch to screw with tonight," she sing-songed.

Unfortunate: because they had managed to corner a wounded animal (a sexy, sexy wounded animal, but the principle still applied).

Her executioners opened fire as one, trying to paint the town red with her superheated insides. Not too keen on baring her heart for all the world to see, the mischievous witch cart wheeled to the side and dropped off of her pedestal. She then dove forward into a front roll, avoiding another round of fire.

Unfortunate: because she wasn't the nicest of girls in the first place, let alone after the night she'd had.

She came up in a run, then leapt right over one of the agent's heads, landing nimbly on the corner of the rooftop bulkhead. Immediately, she pushed off as hard as she could, launching herself almost straight up into the air. Beneath her feet, the concrete structure covering the staircase was reduced to ashen rubble. As she soared through the air, she performed a single flip, before coming down in a perfect landing . . .

Right in the center of all six soldiers.

She came up from her crouch and spun around with a flourish, a wave of pink energy spilling from her fingers and washing over all of the agents. The black clad mercenaries stared at each other in confusion for a moment, especially considering her attack didn't have any effect whatsoever, but like true professionals, quickly recovered from their surprise and trained their weapons on her once more.

One of the nice men was actually kind enough to speak before shooting.

"This is your last chance. Surrender. Now!"

She just leered at the man.

"Why don't you kiss my tight, toned as-"

"_Open fire_!"

Oh, and most of all: unfortunate because, as a straight A student of the HIVE Academy and notorious ne'er-do-well, she was _intimately _familiar with the specifications for pretty much every weapon used by pretty much every security force out there.

As one, each of the six weapons let out an angry whine as the power cells all simultaneously suffered from a fluke power-feedback loop. It was a pretty rare malfunction in the laser rifles used by the LexCorp security forces, caused only by very certain circumstances . . . but it looked like tonight just wasn't their lucky night.

Jinx leapt straight up, her lithe frame pushed even higher by the ring of explosions that suddenly bloomed around her. Pretty, pretty lights and a nice warm waft of air pushing her ever higher. She enjoyed it for a moment, before gravity finally reasserted itself on her and pulled her back to the ground.

Six, moaning, barely conscious figures were scattered around the roof when she landed. Kind of funny, the difference that a single second could make. Thank goodness for body armor, anyway. Feeling strangely satisfied with herself, the pink haired witch giggled happily and started to make her way back to the staircase. Happosai was _so _right: if you couldn't find a good way to do something, find an evil way to do it!

She easily cleared the six agents and made it pretty much the entire way to the staircase unmolested before she remembered one very important detail that had somehow slipped her mind . . .

The dull 'budda-budda-budda' of a helicopter mounted chain gun roaring to life behind her sounded as far away as the moon. The barrage only lasted for a second, just enough to reduce the entire stairwell to rubble and destroy any chance of her escaping.

Almost absently, she felt something warm and wet on her face. With glacial curiosity, she slowly looked down to her side. Every inch of her body was blissfully numb, but the angry red liquid oozing from the sizeable gouge in her arm was pretty hard to miss. Some distant, distant voice in the back of her head was dropping to its knees in thanks to whatever forsaken Goddess was watching over her that _that _was the worst that happened, considering the alternative . . .

She ignored that voice.

Jinx spun around, her eyes glowing with such molten pink fury that it began to spill out into the air around her face. The entirety of the rooftop (or what was left of it) began to glow with the ghostly, cotton candy hue of her rage. She focused the entire brunt of her will onto the helicopter hovering in the air above the street.

She didn't even care as the three smoking barrels of the automatic cannon began to spin ominously once more.

The sorceress continued to narrow her focus, narrow it down to a single thought.

Minimum Effort, Maximum Effect. Why use all of your power to do something directly, when you can use a fraction of it to do the same thing _indirectly_? Well, what happened when you used _all _of your power instead of just a fraction?

Her eyes widened as far as possible as she unleashed the full extent of her power on the machine before her, the power flaring from her eyes nearly blinding even herself. It wasn't a blast of pure force she unleashed, though, or even a cutting blade, or anything so tangible. In fact, the pilots likely didn't even see anything happen at all . . .

She bet they _sure _as_ hell _noticed it when the entire damn rotor assembly literally tore itself from the top of the helicopter!

The sleek, multi-million dollar war machine dropped like a stone, even as the madly spinning rotor, merrily dragging its mast and a good chunk of the engine, rose up into the night, quickly vanishing against the black, starry sky. The front of the helicopter, baring the heavy machine gun, slammed heavily into the ledge of the roof, smashing the weapon to so much scrap before the machine slid backwards off the roof and proceeded to fall, now upside down, out of sight.

A moment later, a massive explosion rocked the entire roof beneath her feet.

Jinx took a moment to glance around her, from the six unconscious people at her feet, to the merrily glowing lights reflecting on the buildings across the street from her, then up to the invisible, but no longer silent helicopter rotor as it whirled off heedlessly into the city . . .

She then shrugged and proceeded to make her way to the next closest building.

Hmmm, now, about that taxi ride . . .


	24. This Ain't A Scene Epilogue

Dark Titans - Arc 3 - This Ain't A Scene!

Chapter Epilogue

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Happosai revelled in the sensation of the winds whipping past his wrinkled cheeks. He soared through the air with hardly a care, leaving the speeding (one might say _careening)_ train, and the troublesome Amazon to slip off into the night. Before him, the skeletal frame of the building he'd leapt towards loomed quickly into his field of vision, threatening to smash his frail old bones to pieces with reinforced steel stubbornness.

Not being one to ever let something as simple as leaping from an out of control train and into a dangerous construction site slow him down, he caught his smoking pipe on a conveniently protruding piece of steel pipe (hopefully) securely welded to the skeletal building frame, spinning around it at least a dozen times to kill his momentum from leaping from the runaway train. A little dizzy, but not too much worse for wear, he finally landed on the nice, solid, non-moving earth. He considered kissing the hard packed dirt, but then decided that his affections would be better lavished on one of his recent acquisitions.

With a weary sigh, he sat himself down on a nearby pile of I-beams and pulled out one of his silky darlings.

It was odd, though, seeing Cologne getting so distracted. He'd almost been tempted to stick around to find out the cause; whatever it had been must have been a real doozy. Well, no real loss; it had been a little easier to escape than he'd expected, but . . .

Happi grimaced and smacked himself on the forehead.

Why did he _keep jinxing _himself?

He sensed her approach a second before she landed. The ancient Amazon wasn't nearly at her best: her hair was a complete mess, her clothes were in disarray and she looked perfectly ridiculous all covered in soot as she was. The old crone was breathing hard, as well, nearly as hard as himself, actually.

"So, what happened to keeping a low profile?" he asked wearily from his seat.

Cologne looked at him oddly for a moment . . . then shrugged and shuffled over to sit down beside him. The two of them gazed up at the blackened sky together, dry, rustling breaths filling the silent void.

"Honestly? I suppose I allowed myself to get caught up in all of the excitement. I can scarcely even remember the last time I'd had a night like this one." She pierced him with a sharp glance, "After all, you never take me anywhere anymore, Happi."

The ancient warrior shook his head and chuckled wryly, "Ahh, I'm sorry, Cologne, Dear. You know how I can get with my work."

Cologne returned his chuckle, rolling her eyes. "Speaking of your _work_: Jinx? Really? I feel obligated to ask why you would take one such as her to be your student."

Happosai let out a derisive snort, "I could ask you the same concerning that degenerate half-breed you took under your wing."

"_Ha_! Raven is the perfect pupil. Intelligent, talented, focused, and powerful beyond belief. Not at all like that wastrel trailing along with you."

"Bah, you always _did _take the easy route with training students. Only picking the best and the brightest pupils, only those practically overflowing with talent."

"Oh, as opposed to choosing any talentless youth desperate enough to stoop to your methods?"

He let out another bark of laughter, "Perhaps you'd like to arrange a battle between your Shampoo and my Genma? Nodoka is remarkably open-minded about manliness, I'm sure she wouldn't mind him having such a young mistress."

Cologne raised a finger to refute his claim . . . only to drop it back down a moment later.

". . . Point taken. Even rooting through the dregs, one is bound to find a diamond eventually. . . . So, you really think that your Jinx is a match for my Raven, then?"

He pondered her question for a moment, "Not . . . yet, no, but in time. True, Raven is more powerful, but even though she hides it well, she possesses the conceit of power as well. She is direct, forceful and used to dealing with situations from a position of strength. However, when you shake that position, introduce something unexpected, she is easily flustered. Though Jinx will sadly never be as powerful as her rival, in time, she will become so unpredictable that not even Raven's demonic power will be a match."

The skeptical look on his companion's face spoke volumes. However, he didn't feel like pressing the issue. Time would show Cologne the error of her ways . . . or him his, but that was where the fun was!

"The real question, Cologne, is what on earth are you doing working with Lex Luthor? That man is a villain on an entirely different level than that Headmaster fool."

The ancient Amazon seemed to digest his words for a moment. ". . . Yes, I have gathered that much myself. It wasn't terribly difficult to divine his true nature. The only thing that I haven't been able to determine yet, is exactly what his game is in all of this."

He peered at her, a little shocked. "You _know _the kind of man he is, and yet you stay? Are you sure that's wise? I mean, I don't know much about Luthor, just what the students and the Headmaster's files were able to tell me, but even in the dark underworld of villainy, that man is pretty notorious for stabbing his companions in the back when it suits him."

Cologne nodded, agreeing completely. "True enough, the risk is quite apparent to me. However, you know me, Happi: I can't just up and leave without solving this mystery. The fact that he's made it so ridiculously easy to take advantage of the situation for the moment is simply a pleasant perk. Even if I walked away right this moment, the village as a whole will still have prospered immeasurably."

Well, that made sense at least. He could only imagine how much loot the Amazons were getting out of this _deal _with Cologne at the wheel.

"Just as long as you don't sell out your entire village for a few shiny beads, then."

His companion rolled her eyes. "Please, the board may be larger than I'm used to, but this is a game I've played countless times before. . . . Still, you should reconsider your decision to join us, Happi. Though he hasn't revealed his plan yet, Luthor has been acting supremely confident. I'm certain that he at the very least _believes _he possesses some grand secret or token that will ultimately win us over to his way of thinking."

Now, that he'd had time to rest, he considered her words more seriously.

"Maybe . . . maybe later. I just got out of an evil relationship, after all. Besides, my disciple is still wavering . . . unsure of herself. I want her to make her own decision on how to lead her life, not drag her into a mess even more convoluted than the one she just escaped from."

Cologne nodded slowly, before letting out a weary sigh. The old woman then lifted her staff up before her-

He lifted a quick hand to cut her off.

"Alright, alright, you win, Cologne. It's obvious how important all of this is to you, and more fighting won't really help anything. I'll leave your little city and stay out of your business, fair enough? Besides, I have a feeling that there might be somewhere, or someone out there that Jinx might want to visit soon, anyway."

Cologne turned to stare at him warily, gazing at him with those huge, owlish eyes of hers. The seconds ticked by, mocking the irregular beat of his own aged heart. Then, finally-

"Very well, Happosai. Collect your disciple and be on your way. I won't hinder you any further. However, if you could, please keep this under you hat for the time being?"

He shrugged easily. "Sure, why not, it's not like it's any of my concern anyway."

A single leap took him from his cold, uncomfortable seat, to the security fence surrounding the construction site. "Well, I'll be off to collect Jinx, then. Hopefully she didn't hurt your precious Great Granddaughter _too _badly, heheheh!"

And then he leapt off into the night . . .

Totally missing the sly grin that spread across the withered Matriarch's lips.

* * *

Jinx winced as Happi liberally sprinkled the livid wound on her arm with a rather pungent smelling whisky, only to wince again as he tied a bandage tightly over it.

"Jeez," she hissed between clenched teeth, "Where'd you learn first aid, Vlad the Impaler?"

The old geezer chuckled weakly, "Oh, don't be such a baby. It's not all that bad, now is it?"

She shrunk in on herself, feeling a bit petulant . . . then gazed down to her feet, suddenly feeling a little bit better.

". . . Well . . . the new shoes _do _help a _little_ bit . . ."

The pink haired witch clicked her heels together, simply adoring the light shade of purple her brand new shoes were. They were just _so _cute . . .

Her _master _just stared at her, shaking his head in wonder.

"Well, now that you're no longer in danger of _dying. _What on _earth _did you do to get that girl so riled up? I honestly figured it would be Mousse that would give you trouble, not that he'd end up saving you from _Shampoo_!"

Jinx rolled her eyes, giggling mischievously.

"Oh, come on, Happi, it wasn't too hard to figure out how to tick her off. After all, I went to school with Ryouga, Mousse, Kunou and _Nabiki_! I know more bad stuff about Ranma than even actually _exists_. Honestly, I just grasped at the first straw I could think of; who'd have thought that the violent bimbo actually cared if Ranma liked her back or not?"

Happosai cackled happily.

"Eheheh, attacked her in her most vulnerable place, eh? I would have thought that you of all people would know better than to antagonize a woman scorned."

She shrugged in reply. "Whatever. After what she did, I hope the thought of Ranma never loving her keeps her up in tears for the next _week_!"

". . . Although," she continued a bit hesitantly, "I _do _feel a little bad about talking so mean about Ranma. I mean, I'd never tell Ryouga this, but even though I barely had a chance to talk to the guy, I actually thought Ranma was kind of a sweet guy. And if what Mousse said was true, then I owe the pigtailed lunk a big one, too."

"Oh ho ho! Is that remorse I hear in your voice, Disciple?"

Jinx scoffed loudly at that ridiculous notion, "Ha! Yeah right. I'd do it again a million times if I got to see that look on Shampoo's face again! I'll just . . . I dunno . . . meh, you know what? Ranma will never know what I said, so it isn't like he'll care. Besides, I'm sure if anyone would understand, it would be that jerk."

Her mentor nodded, chuckling to himself. Indeed, if anyone knew about smack talking during a fight to mess with people's heads, it was Ranma. And she knew that piece of information was reliable, considering it was pretty much the _only _thing that Ryouga, Mousse and Kunou _all_ agreed on.

The pink haired sorceress moved her arm gingerly, only to grimace as the pain flared up all over again. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been in this banged up. It definitely put her off of the idea of even thinking about training for at least a week. Which, very conveniently left her with a very open schedule.

"Happi . . . I – I want to see him . . . do you think we can go to see him?"

Talking with Mousse reminded her, vividly, just how much she missed all of her friends, most especially the Lost Boy. She hadn't worked alone in a long, long time, not since she had joined the Academy years ago. People had almost always surrounded her since then, her classmates, her teachers, and, of course, her ever-present teammates.

Not that she'd technically been alone for the past month or more, but Happosai was hardly ideal company. It wasn't too unusual for the old pervert to vanish for hours and hours at a time, either, leaving her truly alone for unbearable stretches of time. No, meeting up with Mousse again had rekindled in her a strong desire to enjoy the subtle joys of human companionship . . . and if she had her choice of any human to be companionable with, well . . .

"Weeellll . . . I suppose a _short _break wouldn't hurt your training too much, my girl. Of course, it would probably be a good idea to go see Nabiki before we did, though. At the very least she could give us an idea of what's going on with Hibiki and his playmates."

Jinx considered that . . . it wasn't a bad plan, though Happi probably just wanted another shot at the girl's underwear drawer or something equally depraved. However, there was one thing that she knew for certain.

"Can we _please_ take a plane?" she whined petulantly, "I'm so sick of _hitchhiking _and walking everywhere!"

From out of seemingly nowhere, Happosai suddenly donned a sheepish expression on his withered face.

"Ummm . . . about that . . . You see, I . . . kind of blew all of the cash we stole from that BlockBuster guy on cab a ride . . . kind of . . ."

"_You __**what**_?"

"Now, now, Jinx, throwing a hissy fit won't change anything. Hey, I bet if we gave Nabiki a call, she'd wire us the money to go visit her."

They stared at each other for a moment.

"**BWHAHAHAHAHAHA**!"

"Oh-oh man." Jinx wiped a tear from her eye, "Man, I needed a good laugh like that after tonight. Well, I guess that mean's we're walking again, right?"

Happi's face lit up at the prospect, and he began to cackle madly. A moment later, he produced a set of familiar manila folders from . . . somewhere. Jinx didn't bother thinking about it too much after all this time; it helped her to avoid unnecessary migraines.

"You know, if we're going to be traveling the conventional way, maybe we can make a few more stops on the way. I'm sure there's _someone _else we can play with along the way," Happosai chattered excitedly. The old man then quickly lost himself reading through the folder with the green ring on the cover.

So, the two of them sat, side by side on the roof of the Motel Six, right across the road from the strip mall that was now minus one pair of cute pumps. Jinx had to admit, despite her injuries, she actually wasn't feeling nearly as bad as she imagined she would be. Between Happi's ministrations and the few pressure points he'd hit to dull the pain, she felt like she might even be able to sleep that very night, instead of writhing around in pain for the next few hours.

Feeling a strange emotion welling up from some unfamiliar region within her chest, she turned to peek at the old man beside her out of the corner of her eye. He really did look perfectly ridiculous, all covered in soot as he was. Beyond that, though, she could hear the slow, wheezing of his breath; could see the dark bags hanging under his eyes. It was obvious that the old man was utterly exhausted, but hiding it. She wasn't sure why, either. It wasn't like he couldn't just run off and cop a few feels and be back at the top of his game. So why wasn't he?

He wasn't sticking around to make sure _she _was okay, was he? It seemed like an odd thing for him to do, and she couldn't imagine doing it herself if their situations were reversed, but it was . . . in a strange way, kind of sweet . . .

Damn.

Taking a long, deliberate breath, Jinx steeled herself. Then, with swift, yet controlled motions, she deftly reached out and caught one of Happosai's tiny hands in her own . . .

And placed it gently on her thigh.

Not too high, mind you, but not too low, either. Instantly, Happi turned to stare at her, true confusion in his eyes for the first time that she'd seen. She met his confused stare with a sharp glance of her own.

"Don't get any funny ideas, Gramps. I'm only doing this because I know it's how you get your power back. But you make any sudden moves, or I feel so much as a _squeeze_, and I won't be the only one wrapped in bandages, got it?"

Happi continued to stare at her for several long moments, a myriad of emotions flying across his face. She couldn't imagine what must be going through the old man's mind at that moment, nor did she really care to . . . but, to her amazement, he actually behaved himself.

And so they resumed their silent reverie, Master and Apprentice, groper and gropee, and . . . and it actually wasn't totally horrible.

"Still, it _is_ too bad we didn't get to fight Superman." Jinx let out a wistful sigh, "It would have been nice to be a legend."

With his right hand still resting perfectly still on her thigh, Happi waved off her comment with his free hand, "Nonsense, Disciple. Compared to the fights we just had,"

"I bet fighting Superman would have been a complete let down."

* * *

The figure stared down at the merrily burning wreckage of the unmarked helicopter. While there was nothing unusual about this, since there were quite a lot of people staring at the shattered remains, the fact that this figure was levitating over one hundred yards above the ground was quite unusual indeed . . .

Unless you happened to live in Metropolis, that is.

The red boots, red cape and the expansive red 'S' that was stretched across the figure's expansive chest were as familiar to the residents of this particular city as the red, white and blue of their country's own flag . . .

The hip hugging blue mini-skirt, white tank top and long blonde hair were a different matter; though, none of the males down below seemed to be complaining.

Supergirl absently lifted her right hand, using the massive helicopter rotor assembly to scratch her head in confusion.

"_Maaaan_! Can't a girl even go to the bathroom for _five minutes _in this crazy city?"

One minute – one minute everything was just peachy, the next, everything's going to heck in a handbasket! First a massive car pileup because some roof pipe decided to play fountain in the center of a busy intersection, and _that_ was the most normal thing! By the time she'd been able to get into her costume, she'd been running back and forth across the city so fast, that she was starting to feel dizzy.

Car wrecks, noise complaints, _helicopter _crashes, roof explosions, car chases, runaway trains and then _more _helicopter crashes! And to top it all off, a flippin _helicopter rotor_ flying across the city like the worlds deadliest Frisbee. By the time she'd chased it down, and stopped the train, and put out the first crashed helicopter, and pulled all of those people out of that multiple car accident . . . well, she hadn't actually had time to find out _what the heck _actually _caused _it all.

Her cousin had asked her to look after his city for him for one month – _one month_, while a bunch of the Leaguers went off to some other galaxy, or something like that, and look what happened, like, three days into her watch?

"Yep –" A resigned groan escaped her crimson lips.

"Clark is _sooo_ gonna kill me . . .".

* * *

Cologne let out a tired wheeze as she made the seemingly endless trek down the hallway to her erstwhile _partner's _office. The hour was later than she preferred, though at least she'd had the opportunity to clean herself up, somewhat. Still, no shower in all of the world could revitalize her after the night she'd just had. And so it was, that she was walking, not hopping, down the long corridor, the tapping of her staff playing counter point to her labored breathing.

As expected, the doors opened soundlessly before her, granting her access to Luthor's dimly lit office. She would have much preferred to be in her own room already, sleeping like the dead, but, unfortunately, some things just could not wait.

Her already dismal mood decayed even further when she noticed that Luthor was not alone in his office. Lady Shiva was there as well, trying to simultaneously wear the disparate expressions of anger and smugness.

"So, the _great _Elder Khu Lon finally returns from battle, fresh from her _glorious_ defeat, I see," sniped the younger woman.

Before Cologne had the chance to remove the snide fool's head from her shoulders, and she had done much worse for much less insolence in her day, Luthor raised his hand.

"Lady Shiva, that's enough." He then turned his attention her way, "Now, Elder, would you please give me your report?"

The aged Matriarch let out an exhausted sigh before nodding. "Very well, Mr. Luthor. However, I am quite tired, as you might imagine, so let me sum things up quickly. Though we met with unexpected resistance and there were some . . . _minor _slips in judgment on our part, on the whole, the plan succeeded within acceptable tolerances."

Lady Shiva took a heavy step forward, shock written on her face.

"_Succeeded_? Are you _joking_? You lost _two _helicopters, tore up half of the city and still, despite all of your _vaunted _skills, not one, but _both _targets escaped, in no small part _because _of your bungling! The only person that _wasn't _acting the complete incompetent was your Great Granddaughter!"

Cologne shot the impudent whelp a dark look, causing the would-be-warrior to back off several steps immediately. Lady Shiva recovered quickly, though, and spun back to face Luthor.

"I _told _you that you should have let us accompany them on this mission, Mr. Luthor. Perhaps then this operation wouldn't have been such a spectacular disaster!"

Luthor looked from Lady Shiva, then back to Cologne, a perfectly neutral expression on his features.

". . . Perhaps she is correct, Elder Khu Lon? Both of your targets did escape, and didn't your Great Granddaughter suggest that Cheshire be included in the hunt for Happosai, as well?"

The Amazon rolled her eyes. She knew _exactly _why Shampoo had wanted Cheshire to join the hunt for Happosai, and there had been _no _altruistic intent in her offer at all.

"Mr. Luthor, I do not like to explain myself," she shot a dark look to Lady Shiva, "Especially to witless pups that don't know their place, but, in this one case, I shall indulge you. There was a simple reason I did not include Lady Shiva and her ilk on this hunt."

With slightly more trouble than usual, Cologne hopped up into one of the nice chairs, letting the soft leather sooth her aching muscles.

"The answer is that we did _not _go to battle with Happosai and Jinx, we went to _play _with them. Had your murderous toadies joined us, with their guns and their bloodlust, and their intent to kill . . . Well, let me put it this way. For the most part, Happosai is a harmless, if annoying, pest, however, when actually angered, he is truly a force to be reckoned with.

"You have no idea what that male is capable of when he fights seriously. Your so-called martial artists would have tried to terminate him, or heaven forbid, terminate his _Disciple_, and they would have unleashed a wrath that would have consumed them all."

Luthor stared at her, still wearing his impassive mask.

"You don't think you could defeat him in that state?"

". . . Perhaps, it is hard to say for certain. I _can _tell you, though, that instead of the minor disturbances that we created, the battle that resulted from _that_ scenario would have brought the attention of your beloved Superman, if not his entire League of heroes down on this city. It would have been a monumentally foolish decision to do things as your minions wished, especially . . ."

She trailed off, smiling smugly at Lady Shiva.

"Especially since our goal was _never _to actually capture or convert Happosai."

"What?" asked a confused Lady Shiva.

One of Lex's eyebrows rose in curiosity.

"Honestly, I would rather claw my own eyes out than intentionally work with that insufferable man. However, if I actually _told _him that, well . . . As depraved and unpredictable as Happosai, and even Jinx can be, they are both, sadly, quite simple creatures."

She raised one hand to her side.

"If we tell them that we want them to leave, they would automatically desire to stay. If we told them that we didn't desire to work with them, they would instantly demand to join us. However, by telling them that we _did _want them to join us, and in fact, _telling _them that they could not leave, well, the result was sadly predictable."

Luthor leaned back, finally cracking a small smile.

"So, all of the fighting, the chasing, the property destruction . . ."

"Was just make them believe we were serious. If we told them that we were going to capture them, then just let them walk free, unmolested, it would become quite apparent, even to them, that something wasn't right."

A light chuckle.

"So, from the start, you just wanted to get Happosai out of the city so that he couldn't interfere with our work. Quite devious, I must say. However . . . why did Xian Pu take things so seriously, then? She even authorized the use of lethal force in her target's pursuit."

Cologne glowered at that. "Yes, and I will _speak _to her on her lack of judgment. Unfortunately, I couldn't risk telling Shampoo and Mousse about the true nature of the plan, lest they unintentionally betray it to Happosai. The old fool isn't as blind as he appears to be. Honestly, I anticipated Mousse's reluctance to harm his old classmate, and believed that he would precipitate her escape. What I _didn't _anticipate was Shampoo's loss of control. True, Jinx did intentionally antagonize her several times, but such a loss of focus over something as trivial as words is an unforgivable mistake for a true warrior to make."

"Well, then," Luthor finally replied, "It seems that everything is in order then. The mission was a success in that your goal was satisfied, and honestly, the amount of destruction caused amounted to a slow day for our resident Man of Steel, so I highly doubt anyone will look into it too deeply."

The man turned to face Lady Shiva, "You are dismissed, Miss Wu San."

"But, Mr. Lut-"

"You are _dismissed._"

Without another word, the assassin strode stiffly to the door and then out of the office completely. Luthor then turned back to face the Matriarch.

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

Cologne considered this . . . then. "Actually, yes – yes there is. I believe that it is well past time that you elucidated meon this grand plan of yours."

Luthor leaned further back into his chair, steepling his fingers before him. That same smirk still adorned his lips.

". . . Very well, then, Elder Khu Lon. I believe you've more than demonstrated your dedication to our cause tonight. However, before I get to the heart of my design, let me tell you about the latest addition to the plan. It was quite inspired, if I do say so myself."

She just stared at him, prompting him to continue.

"Tell me, Elder, have you ever heard the saying: 'Know your enemy as you know yourself, and your victory will be assured'?"

A harsh bark of laughter was his response.

"You presume to misquote Chinese military Dogma to _me_, boy?"

"Heh, I apologize. I just wanted to help you understand my decision. But, I won't beat around the bush anymore. You see, I have asked your Great Granddaughter, and her companion Mu Tzu . . . to infiltrate the Justice League."

". . . What?"

The man's insufferable smile only widened. "The situation is _perfect_, Elder. With your son-in-law's explosive entrance on to the world stage just days ago, a better setup could not have been manufactured by myself personally. I have _no _doubts that the Justice League was watching that battle just as closely as we were. Your _Ranma_ has just made himself a celebrity, and a hero, in the eyes of the world. Add to that, his ties to the Titans, improving that further."

Lex chuckled in amusement at his own thoughts.

"Now, if Saotome is seen in such a grand light, does it not follow that his _friends _might be viewed in much the same light? After all, no one of consequence knows that we are working together, so, with several good references and a glowing testimonial or two from Saotome and the Titans, do you think anyone would question two highly skilled warriors desiring to join such a prestigious organization?"

Cologne considered his words, long and hard, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. It did make sense, perfect sense. Not one, but _three_ of Ranma's friends had already joined with the Titans, setting a precedence for 'meta-martial artists' to be predisposed to upholding justice. From what she had heard through her sources, Ranma himself had gone on to join the Tokyo Police Force, further proving the point. The Justice League would have no _reason _to question two more of Ranma's friends seeking to join them. The darkest conclusion they could logically come to would be that Shampoo and Mousse wanted to 'one-up' their various friends by joining such a vaunted gathering of heroes.

. . . It was deliciously devious; she was almost disappointed that she hadn't thought of it herself, except that she had no real desire to spy on the aforementioned gathering of heroes. Still, as wonderfully clever as the plan was . . .

"I am not certain that I can consent to such a plan, Lex. I have nothing but respect for those that would endanger their own lives to save the lives of others. Not to mention the fact that several of the Titans are my students and I have grown quite fond of them. I do not like the idea of trying to subvert such noble people, and can't imagine anything you could say that could convince me otherwise."

Lex never lost his smile, obviously he had foreseen the conversation going in this direction. The fact that he was so good at the Game already, at such a young age, irked her slightly.

"Actually, the Titans stand to benefit from this operation as much as I do . . . and as much as your entire village does. However, before I go further with that, I believe it is only fair for me to reveal to you the next stage of my plan, so that you may make all of your objections first."

She glared at him, but her damnable curiosity wouldn't allow her to walk away. She knew that he was not a man of noble purpose, in any sense of the word, and that it appeared his goal was to simply take advantage of the Amazon people in his well documented grudge against that Superman fellow, but he was just too damn _cocky_. She had to know what his secret was.

"You see, Elder, you and the young Mr. Mu Tzu were correct, to a point. I am after the secrets of what we've come to term 'meta-martial artists.' However, it is not exactly what you think. I have, regrettably, done several things to foster this . . . misunderstanding. Hiring on Lady Shiva, David Cain and those other martial artists was just window dressing, really."

His smile widened once more.

"I _do _wish to possess an army of meta-martial artists, Elder. That much is true. However, why go to the considerable trouble and expense of training, or heaven forbid, cloning one army . . ."

Lex let his interrogative linger in the air dramatically.

"When there are at least _five_ armies of powerful and skilled warriors _already_ in existence?

Cologne stared, her eyes going wide.

"You – you can't possibly be _serious._ _How _could you possibly even know . . ."

That same, damn smile.

"Don't look so shocked, Elder. After all, Mu Tzu was in quite a sorry state when he trained under Mr. Cain. He did little else but speak of his precious Xian Pu, of their many adventures, of their ancestral village . . . of the village's allies and enemies . . ."

She shook her head, still lost in disbelief.

"Now I _know _that you are insane! If undermining an institution which has done nothing but help and protect this planet wasn't horrendous enough, there is nothing – _nothing_ which you could say that could _ever_ even make me _consider_ joining forces with the likes of those . . . of those . . ."

Words failed her, and she actually degenerated into indignant sputtering for a moment. She leapt from the chair and began to make her way for the door-

"_Nothing_?"

_Damnit_! The tone in his voice just _screamed_ that he believed that he knew something that very well _would _convince her otherwise. Against all of her better judgment . . . the ancient Amazon turned to glance at the man over her shoulder.

"Nothing . . . _conceivable_ . . ."

Luthor smiled all the wider, then gestured for her to retake her seat. As she did, he idly flipped up a computer screen from his desk and began to type something lazily onto the keyboard imbedded into the wooden surface.

"Tell me, Elder Khu Lon-"

He then put a hand on top of the ridiculously thin monitor and spun it around to face her. Cologne's eyes narrowed as she stared at the six familiar . . . yet not familiar figures that it depicted.

"What do you know . . ."

"About the Justice Lords?"

* * *

"And so, it is with great honor," began the caped crusader.

He gestured to the young individuals standing beside him. The black expanse of the starry sky made the two figures stand out all the more as they stood before the massive bay window of the space station.

The first was a young woman with lavender hair. She wore colorful silk clothing, with a traditional Chinese breastplate of hard leather over her chest and a small black mask over her eyes.

The second figure was a young man with long black hair. He wore a long, white robe bearing an odd design embroidered on the chest. He also wore eye coverings, though his were a pair of highly advanced glasses made of white titanium and gleaming blue composite materials.

Both warriors were heavily armed, the young woman with a pair of heavy looking, yet very colorful maces. The man wore an assortment of weaponry all across his body. Three pole arms strapped to his back, two swords on his hips, lengths of chain wrapped around his arms and a pair of wicked looking claws strapped to his hands.

"That we formally induct our newest members, Nujiézú and Weapon Master, into the Justice League of America."

And lo, the heroes did cheer.


	25. Titan Rising! Prologue

Dark Titans - Arc 4 - Titan Rising

Prologue

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Ranma twisted over on to his side, then wriggled his elbows under him in a vain attempt to find a comfortable position to lie down in. Finally satisfied that he was good for another few minutes, he returned his attention to the familiar yellow communicator sitting, propped up, on the floor beside his futon. It took him another few seconds to tune out the sounds of heavy construction coming from the Dojo again, but then he'd had a few days to get used to that since their new guest had arrived.

". . . been _three_ days since anyone has seen him. I'm beginning to get worried," stated a concerned looking Raven from a continent away.

Ranma let out a weak sigh.

"Look, Raven, ya really gotta get over this. I mean, I've known the guy for _years _and he's been pulling this stuff the entire time."

One of Raven's eyebrows arched up cutely, "Well, then what do you usually do when he gets misplaced?"

He considered his words carefully . . .

"Rejoice?"

"_Saotome Ranma_!"

The pigtailed warrior chuckled at the absolutely priceless look on the lovely young woman's face.

"Heh, heh, sorry-sorry. Honestly, though, and this is me speaking as Ryouga's best-"

"Friend?" she interjected sneakily.

"_Rival_! Sheesh, yer worse than Kasumi!"

Raven actually scoffed at that notion. "There is _no _way that I am _anything _like her."

Ranma stared at her oddly for a moment, before shrugging off the odd response. "Whatever. What I'm sayin is: Ryouga gets lost. It's what he does, so you better get used to it. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if P-Chan was wanderin around my backyard this minute."

His companion's intoxicatingly deep violet eyes rolled in annoyance. "Be serious, Ranma. He's only been missing for three days. He's likely still in the city, we just have no way to locate him."

Ranma stared at the Titan incredulously. "_Oh_, it's _only _been three days. Right, what was I thinking? He's probably only made it to _Greece_ by now." He tilted his head to the side in contemplation. "Which is probably for the best. I don't think Ryouga would wanna be here considering the mood Akane has been in the past few days."

Raven's eyebrow quirked up again. "Really? Whatever for? I thought she was quite happy having Natsume and Kurumi living there."

"Ha!" he barked, "You should know! After all, it's your fault."

A mixture of shock, confusion and worry suddenly spilled out onto Raven's face.

"What? _My _fault? Was it something I did?"

Ranma nodded seriously. "It sure was! Ya remember that 'Walking on Eggshells' technique you were telling me about?"

And, just like that, all of the anxiety drained from her face. It revealed an annoyed glare which just screamed, 'What did you do?'

"It is _not _a technique, it is an _expression_," she stated flatly.

He waved her off. "Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, I finally got some free time, so I decided to give it a try!"

Raven let out a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Somehow, I can see where this is going."

Ranma nodded excitedly, "And _how_! Man, when she saw the mess I'd made in the Dojo, she uppercutted me halfway to Shinjuku! . . . I actually got a lot of extra paperwork done thanks to her . . ."

Raven let out a groan of disgust, but then started suddenly. "Wait a moment. She actually _hit _you over something as trivial as that?"

Uh-oh! He didn't like the tone in her voice, or the look on her face . . .

Proceed backpedaling procedures!

"Um, yeah, but, ya know, it ain't no big deal. I mean, she didn't even use her mallet or nuthin!"

His frantic backpedaling didn't garner the results he'd hoped for.

"Are you saying it's not unusual for her to hit you with a _mallet_?" The scandalized tone in Raven's voice made him think that she found the idea to be quite serious, and couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why!

He waved his hands frantically in a warding gesture. "It ain't like that! I mean, I kinda egged her on a bit . . ."

For some reason, Raven grimaced, looking very much like she was in pain. . . . Did she stub her toe? Maybe she was having cramps? Should he ask her if it was that time of the month? Yeah, that'd be a good way to change the subject-

"What could you have _possibly _done to warrant such abuse?"

Damn! She was too quick for him!

He resorted to shrugging sheepishly. "Well, I kinda . . . might have . . . told her that I'd saved her the trouble of making breakfast, since the eggs I'd stepped all over couldn't taste any worse than anything else she'd ever cooked . . ."

Raven just _stared _at him. As the lull stretched on, he considered asking her about her cramps again, when-

". . . You are _unbelievable_ . . . Still, it isn't right for her to resort to such brutal violence to communicate her displeasure with you."

He shot an incredulous look right back at her.

"B-but, Raven! _Everyone_ in Nerima is an emotionally crippled martial artist. If we didn't have _violence_, then how the heck would we communicate?"

Again, her eyebrow quirked up, it was so endearing, as she looked at him, apparently trying to discern if he was actually being serious or not.

"Have you ever tried _talking_?

"Well . . .yeah, but it usually just results in more violence."

She stared at him uncertainly, "I have a hard time believing that, I mean, Ryouga-"

"Is the _worst offender_ I know!" he interrupted sharply, "If he didn't get lost all over the place, I'm pretty sure the only language he'd know is 'PunchRanmaintheface-ese'."

His companion shook her head slowly, her violet locks swaying like a curtain of silk from the gentle movement. Unfortunately, it didn't look like she was getting ready to drop the subject.

"Ranma," she began, starting to sound very much like his Guidance Councilor, "Violence is not the answer to everything. I can't imagine actually forming a healthy relationship based on such a destructive cycle of abu. . ."

Ranma let out a sigh, dropping down flat onto his futon as Raven launched into her lecture. It sounded like he was going to be there for quite a while, too. Man, for a girl that so steadfastly refused to talk about her own, numerous, problems, she sure didn't have any trouble talking about _his _problems . . . at great length . . .

He'd still listen to every word, though.

It was pretty doubtful that he'd be able to convince her that inducing bodily harm was just the status quo, though. If there was anything he was sure of, it was that his wit wasn't up to the task of winning any kind of debate with the quick-witted female. Heck, he'd sent his own dad into orbit a few times, him and Ryouga fought at the drop of a hat (literally, that one time. How the heck was he supposed to know that it had been a souvenir for Akane?) and Shampoo constantly landed her bike on his head as a sign of affection . . . All pretty normal stuff in his book.

As Raven moved on from lecturing to making insane suggestions, like, possibly, couples therapy (him and Akane were _so _not a couple!), he kinda started to tune her out. Sheesh, him and Akane actually talking about their problems in front of a complete stranger? He doubted he'd survive that.

'Man,' he thought to himself glumly . . .

'There's no _way_ that Ryouga is worse off than me right now . . .'

* * *

All across the verdant, green countryside, the joyous preparations for the coming celebration were underway. The frantic, yet excited expressions on the faces of her people brought a smile to her own face as well.

Yes, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, loved the Festival of the Five.

The statuesque ruler turned to the raven haired beauty at her side. The younger woman looked half ready to run off into the frenzy herself, but was kind enough to spare a few minutes of time with her.

"I am glad that you were able to join us on this festive night, Diana."

Her daughter tore her eyes from her many sisters and returned her gaze.

"It's the Festival of the Five, Mother. I wouldn't miss it for all the world. My only regret is that so many of my comrades were called out into deep space. With so few of us remaining in the Watch Tower, I'm afraid I'll have to return first thing in the morning."

Hippolyta nodded, hiding her disappointment. It wasn't too hard to do; even with her daughter's imminent departure, it was still a wonderful gathering and seeing so many Amazons so happy filled her heart with joy.

"It seems that Donna is quite excited to be organizing the Hunt." She pointed to the distant girl conversing with a group of toga-clad and spear wielding warriors.

Diana chuckled lightly, then pointed to another equally young, though very different young woman.

"Far more excited than young Cassandra. I fear she doesn't appreciate how important the Harvest is in honoring Demeter."

Even from the distance, their keen eyes could make out the grimace on the face of the golden haired girl. Armed with only a sickle, a basket, and several dozen of her sisters, the young Amazon hunched back down into the ocean of wheat and continued to reap what she had sown.

Hippolyta laughed happily at the sight.

"Well, if she possessed even a shred of talent for cooking, she could have assisted in preparing the Feast. Instead, that honor falls to you, daughter; a sacred honor, on this most sacred of days."

Diana rolled her eyes, looking slightly petulant; quite an amusing sight to the Queen. "I still don't see why _I _didn't get to go on the hunt . . ."

"Now, now, you've already-"

"Uh-uh-um."

The polite cough interrupted their conversation quite unexpectedly. Both the Queen and her daughter turned to see who had such pressing business that they felt the need to interrupt their Queen in mid speech . . .

Only to stare in wide eyed shock at the young man that stood before them!

The boy, looking of Asian descent, wore faded and worn clothing, a spotted head bandage and had a sleek, black umbrella strapped to his back as most would wear a sword. Most prominent, though, was the large map in the boy's hands . . . of Afghanistan . . . printed in Russian . . . and upside down.

After a moment of their silent gaze, the boy lowered his map and let out a weak chuckle.

"Heh . . . um, please excuse me, but do either of you know how to get to the Tendo Dojo . . . or Jump City . . . ? Whichever is closer, really."

Still too stunned to speak, they only continued to stare at the intruder.

"No, eh?" The young man began to look all around, possibly looking for someone else to ask. Suddenly, a look of surprise lighted on his face and he turned back to them. "Wow, there sure are a lot of women here . . ."

"You guys aren't related to the Chinese Amazons, are you?"

* * *

Ryouga ran like he'd never run before. He ducked around trees, leapt boulders and soared over streams in his frantic flight. All around him, arrows and spears rained down; most of the projectiles landed harmlessly in the ground, but a few he was forced to deflect with his new umbrella.

The Lost Boy took a quick peek over his shoulder . . .

To see the entire Amazon Nation descending down upon him!

It was an odd sight, so see a literal army of such unbelievably gorgeous, not to mention jiggly, women swarming across the countryside in pursuit of him. His first thought was predictable:

'Man, this is _so _**awesome**!"

His second, and more rational thought was:

'Wait a second, this sucks! This must be how Ranma feels most of the time!'

For the first time ever, Hibiki Ryouga felt just a twinge of sympathy for his eternal rival.

Again, he turned around and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"I _said _I was sorry! I didn't even know I stepped on their Mascara!"

And, again, his pleas were ignored.

'That's it! I'm telling Happosai about this place the next time I see him!'

Unfortunately, it was right about then that he realized, thanks in no small part to his complete inability to pay attention to where he was going . . .

That he'd run straight off a cliff about three steps ago . . .

As the women vanished behind him and the ocean loomed hungrily below him, he let out a resigned sigh.

"No one's existence could possibly be worse tha-"

The rest of his profound statement was drowned out by a tremendous splash.

* * *

Darkness . . . everything was darkness, a soul numbing, mind rending blackness that buried its claws deep into one's heart . . . He sat, hunched over, clothed in naught but the silken darkness, could feel it clinging to his skin. Even the air itself lent itself to the illusion of complete nothingness; the temperature was so constant, it was like floating in a void, a purgatory. Even the damp stone beneath him was the same, uniform temperature, it might as well not even have been there . . .

Only the sounds reminded him that he was, in fact, not alone. Always the same sounds, a maddening hum at the back of his mind, now. Countless voices mumbling and droning on to themselves, the near silent whispers of feet slipping across the ground, the distant splashes of bodies leaving and entering the water . . .

All punctuated by the agonized screams of the dying.

Those foolish, weak, pathetic spawn that were too stupid to stay quiet, or just unfortunate enough for some larger prisoner to stumble over them. It was always the same, that same, hectic beat that played to all battles: A wild crescendo of screams . . . fading to nothing.

Nothing but the sounds of the victors enjoying their spoils. Those sounds usually lasted for quite some time, but were easier to tune out. It had all been going on for so long that the brutality had lost any real meaning. Now, now it was just existence . . .

A twitch.

Something . . . something had changed. He could feel it, so keenly after so much time of feeling nothing at all. It was small, infinitesimal, but he could feel it like the Gulf Stream flowing over his sensation deprived nerves.

He felt . . . warmth . . . and it was increasing.

He tried to determine the direction the strange sensory input was coming from, but it was revealed soon enough. In a sudden flurry of movement, a surge of activity which hadn't been seen for months, he could hear literally dozens of bodies flinging themselves from the water filled caves that led away from the cavern, throwing themselves onto the slick stone floor.

Moments later, his ears were treated to the impossible sound of boiling water! Millions of gallons of water, water which filled the bulk of the entire cavern system, except for the few air pockets which they now called home, was actually _boiling_!

Suddenly the entire cavern shook, a distant explosion roaring to life! A second after that, he howled in pain as scalding hot water was blasted out of the caves and up into the air pocket by the force of the blast. For several minutes, roars of rage and whimpers of pain filled the air, as beings which had known nothing, but the sweet embrace of nothingness and death for so long, suddenly were reintroduced to the startling concept of pain . . .

And then he smelt it . . . fresh water, not that saltless swill, but cool, oxygenated water. After months of slowly stagnating water, he could almost taste it in his gills, even from yards away! On instinct alone, he half staggered, half lopped towards the source and dove into the submerged cave that had once led to freedom.

He followed the cave, swam until his tired and atrophied muscles burned, but soon, frightfully soon, he knew he was there.

For the first time in months, he opened his eyes. Pale, white orbs opened, seeing light for the first time that his shattered mind could remember, true light, _sun light_. Behind him, another pair of eyes opened, and another, and another, and another . . .

Though they were all very different beings now, they all shared the exact same thought at that most beautiful of moments . . .

". . . _Perfect_. . ."


	26. Titan Rising! Chapter 1

Dark Titans - Arc 4 - Titan Rising

Chapter 1

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

**CYBLOG**

Ahh, Yeah! Welcome to the Silicon Jungle!

Home Again, Jiggety-Jig!

Annd . . . we're back!

Let me give a quick shout out to all my Bloggers and Blogettes out there! As you can probably guess (since you're reading this), my hiatus has finally ended. I know it's probably been a long – long week without Cyborg there to brighten your days, but I'm finally back from Japan and I have a special present for y'all at the end of today's post to make up for it.

Now, as you all know, I went over to Japan, T-Ship laden with enough gear to trick out Fort Knox herself, to help out our new buddy, RS . . . or is it SR . . . well, whatever, I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about. Anyway, for obvious reasons (i.e. Robin would kill me) I can't tell y'all about the insanely awesome security I installed for him (Oh, and it _is_!), but at least I can give you a quick rundown on the trip itself.

First, and most importantly, RS is absolutely _sick _with cuties! I know, I know, we got Star and Rae floating around here day in and day out, but (and remember the house rules: What's typed on Cyblog _stays_ on Cyblog!), I gotta say I'm pretty desensitized to both of them now; not to mention they're both kinda, sorta spoken for. AT, kT and especially NT, though, I mean, just wow! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't anywhere _near _as awesome as our unscheduled stay in China, but it sure wasn't bad.

Of course, it wouldn't be fair to my blogettes if I only mentioned the Eye Candy, so I'll give you a quick rundown of the Beefcake, too. First and foremost, **I **was there, so that's almost too much manliness to fit in this column as it is. However, I also got to chill with RS and his buddy RK (lotsa R names going on over there, don't know what's up with that), I'm sure anyone that saw this broadcast will know the guys that I'm talking about. So, there're three major studs to balance out the cutie count.

Now, back to the trip itself. I have to say it was pretty wild, even by my standards! Initially, everything was going pretty smoothly, I got a lot of good work done in those first couple days. I mean, sure, I had to drag all those poor, entertainment starved kids out on the town every night (Those crazy kung fu people could _dance _when they finally pulled their respective sticks out), but I considered that to be my humanitarian act for the month.

On the fourth day, though, this crazy _Flying Cow Monster_ suddenly blew into the city! Pretty messed up, huh? And that was _nothing _compared to the fireball throwing, lightning shooting, three faced, six armed girl it was fighting! Man, RS actually deputized me right on the spot (Weird, I know!) and we all dove in to break up the fight. It was pretty touch and go there, for a bit, but between the six of us we managed to pull out the Win in the end. I gotta say, that demon girl was as pleasant as could be when I offered to whip her up a fancy back brace, not at all like our snappy, moody Raven, that's for sure!

So, after risking life and limb in Japan to help out RS, I finally come home, and what do I find? That Insert hero's name here (I know, he _still _hasn't thought of one) has been _lost _for days! Star was beside herself, Raven was mega-mopey (not sure if that was actually related or not, though) and BB was practically having kittens! The only one that was actually taking it all in stride was KT (_Always _click here to view image!) When I got back, all she said was:

"Yes, he does that from time to time. Would you like some tea?"

Luckily for me, since I just _knew _they were going to stick me with the job, someone else found him for us! And you'll never guess who! It was the _Flash _himself! One of the Original Seven, Dawgs! Man, what a mind job that was, having Insert hero's name here dropped at our doorstep by the Fastest Man Alive!

Speaking of which, I better wrap things up. Robin was kind enough to give the guy the night to recoup, but I have a feeling they're going to give him a serious grilling this morning. Between BB's frustration and the girls' relief, I'd better go make sure he actually survives.

. . . Still, from Jump City to Central City in a week, _on foot_. I can only shake my head at that mystery.

Anyway, before I go, as promised, and by popular demand . . .

The Recipe for my world famous Three Meat Spaghetti Sauce!

- Cyborg out!

* * *

With a silent swish, the elevator door slid open to reveal the vast expanse that was the main room of Titan Tower. Against all of his expectations, the room was still immaculate; the purely entropic force that Beast Boy represented was as nothing in the face of the raw instrument of Order that was currently wrapped in a frilly apron and went by the name: Kasumi.

Cyborg stepped into the room, whistling a jaunty tune, just in time to catch the tail end of Starfire's formal Tamaranian greeting to their recently found Lost Boy.

"My heart _bursts _with joy at your fortuitous return. Please, never, ever misplace yourself in such a spectacular fashion again, dear friend Ryouga!"

Starfire then released her hug, letting Ryouga's wheezing form collapse back to the couch. Even as the guy sucked in a few desperate breaths, Cyborg had to give him credit. Most guys would have died from that hug (but what a way to go!) but Hibiki was only slightly crumpled around the edges.

"I – 'wheeze' – I'll see what . . . what I can do, Kori . . ."

The titanium Titan wasn't sure if the tiny droplets of moisture gathering at the corners of the guy's eyes were from Starfire's affection moving him, or Starfire's affection mauling him, but the adoring smile on the Redhead's face made him feel pretty certain that it was the former. He did quirk an eyebrow at Ryouga's use of Starfire's Tamaranian name, though. Not even Robin or Kasumi used it, and Kasumi had gotten into the odd habit of calling everyone she could by their real names.

Robin moved in before Cyborg could continue his ruminations.

"I'd like to know what you were doing in Central City. Are you sure you didn't sleepwalk onto a bus? I can't imagine how else you could have gotten that far otherwise."

Ryouga looked at Robin strangely for a moment . . . before a thoughtful look spread across his face. "Hmm, you know, that _would _explain a lot . . . Still, it's not like I meant to go there or anything. It all worked out, though, since I managed to stumble across that bank robbery and stop Private Boomerang."

Cyborg stifled a chuckle. Robin pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Actually, it's _Captain_ Boomerang."

"_Really_?" Ryouga let out a bark of laughter. "Wow! That's funny, because I only called him Private Boomerang on account of where I stuck his b-"

"_Be_ that as it may!" Raven cut in sharply. Her interruption earned her a dark look from Beast Boy, which she ignored completely (as usual) before continuing, "Why did you go running off like that? You know about your problem just as well as we do . . ."

Raven trailed off, absently sliding her hood up from her shoulders to shade her eyes. The young woman then turned her head to the side as she continued, "I- _we_ were all very worried about you. You really need to be more careful . . ."

Even someone as clueless as the Lost Boy was able to pick up on the body language that Raven was giving off. Tentatively, Ryouga reached out a hand, his voice choked with emotion as he began to speak,

"Raven . . . I . . . I – "

"Yeah, Dude! Seriously, what were you _thinking_, ditching Terra like that?"

Apparently _not _even someone as clueless as _BB_ was able to pick up on the tender moment that had been literally seconds away from unfolding. Instantly, Starfire and Raven both impaled the oblivious changeling with glares promising eternal torment, but the damage was already done. Star and Rae both turned back to Ryouga, hopeful and nervous glances respectively . . . Except all traces of tenderness were gone from his face. Now, Ryouga was just staring ahead in confusion.

"What was I thinking?" asked the Lost Boy. It was like he was sounding out the question, unable to fathom its true meaning.

"What _was_ I thinking?" His head tilted to the side, a thoughtful look replacing the confusion.

Everyone simply stared at the bandanna clad boy, waiting to see where his train of thought was going. Cyborg was about to offer a suggestion – when suddenly Ryouga's eyes shot wide open and he leapt to his feet!

"**What was I **_**thinking**_!"

Then, without warning, Ryouga spun wildly to face Raven again and grasped her hands (one might say intimately) in his own. The sheer excitement in Hibiki's eyes must have been blinding him, since the boy completely missed the livid blush that suddenly bloomed on Raven's pale cheeks at the unexpected contact.

"_Raven_! You have to go for breakfast with me!"

Cyborg nearly exploded into laughter at the shocked expression on Raven's face. The poor girl's head swung back and forth frantically, as she tried to figure out what the heck was going on. He hoped between his enthusiastic thumbs up and Starfire's energetic nodding, that she would come to the right conclusion.

"S-s-sure . . I suppose it couldn't hurt . . ."

"_Great_! That's great, let's get going!" Without another word, Ryouga bolted for the door (amazingly, the correct one; he must have been pretty excited) dragging a shell shocked Raven with him. Luckily the Lost Boy actually stopped and waited for the elevator doors to open, instead of just plowing straight through them. The minor stop actually allowed the cloaked Raven to gather her senses.

"Wait – _wait_ a moment."

Ryouga turned to face her, shooting the pretty girl an inquisitive glance.

"Ryouga . . ." she began leadingly, "Two things need to happen before we leave. First, I need to change."

The elevator doors opened before the duo and they stepped in. Ryouga nodded in response to Raven's statement as they did.

"Sure, getting changed should only take a minute or two."

Cyborg quickly slapped his hand over BB's mouth to stifle his buddy's potentially explosive outburst of laughter. That didn't stop him from rolling his own eyes, though.

"Second," Raven continued seriously, "You _absolutely_ need to take a shower-"

And then the door closed . . .

"_Bwhahahahahah!_"

"_Dudes_, that was _hilarious_!"

"They are _so adorable_!"

That had easily been one of the cutest/most awkward moments that the titanium Titan had ever seen. The fact that _Raven_ of all people had been involved, man, he just couldn't stop laughing. He turned to see how everyone else was doing.

At the side of the room, comfortably tucked behind the kitchenette's counter, Kasumi stood silently. Oddly, the lovely Japanese woman was staring at the elevator door with a potently neutral expression on her face. It was enough to kill Cyborg's laughter. He almost considered thinking about asking her what was up – when the eldest Tendo sister turned his way and graced him with a beautiful smile that had the odd effect of shutting down the human half of his brain completely. The talented woman then went back to work on breakfast again, as if nothing had happened.

. . . He shook his head a moment later . . . That had been weird, maybe he –

"I just cannot believe it," Robin interrupted his train of thought for the second time that morning. The masked Titan shook his head from side to side in befuddlement as he stared at the now closed elevator doors.

Cyborg turned an inquisitive stare in their intrepid leader's direction.

"What's wrong, Robbie? Not a fan of a little 'R&R'?"

Robin looked back at him, taken off guard. "What? No, it's nothing like that. I just can't believe Ryouga got so badly lost so quickly. If you think about it, we really dodged a bullet there. Ryouga could have caused a serious incident between us and the JLA if he stumbled into a different hero's territory."

"Pfft," interjected Beast Boy, "Get over yourself, Robin. Not _all of us _are like Batman. Heck, I'm pretty sure that your old boss is the _only _guy in the world that doesn't appreciate a little outsourcing."

Cyborg nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, man. The Flash was totally psyched that Ryo stepped in there."

* * *

The images on the screen blurred as time reversed itself at the whim of his mighty thumb. He held the rewind button for a few more seconds before finally releasing it.

The release of said button instigated the forward flowing of a series of events on the gleaming Forty-Eight inch flat screen television which caused him to laugh, guffaw, hoot, holler and, ultimately, to wince in sympathy at the ultimate suffering which pinpointed the apex and end of the fight-

"Oh, _man_! They're gonna have to call him _Private _Boomerang now!" cheered the Flash.

Hmm, he wondered if he could rent that kid out the next time that Mirror Master showed up in town . . .

Yet again, his finger floated towards the rewind button . . .

* * *

Robin ignored Cyborg's rather inane comment to glare daggers at Beast Boy.

"He wasn't my _boss_, he was my _partner_. Still, you do have a point. Unless he actually wandered through Gotham, I doubt anyone else would take too much issue with a little unauthorized assistance.

Robin cracked a smile as a wicked thought flitted through his mind.

"Still, it _would _be nice to be able to keep track of him more reliably. I don't suppose you have any tracking chips sitting around, do you, Cyborg?"

His titanium teammate laughed aloud. "Ha! Tracking chips? I got those things in cherry, grape, sub-dermal and suppository. Take your pick!"

"Dudes!" Beast Boy jumped between them, excitement on his face. "You gotta let me do it! I could go all Crocodile Hunter on Ryo!"

The emerald changeling suddenly crouched down and placed a hand over his eyes, charading a furtive search.

"_Croike_! Lookit the size of that _Hibiki_, he's _huge_! I gotta say, this is a real treat. You _never_ get to see a critter this big so far from its natural habitat," Beast Boy explained in a completely unidentifiable accent, "Now watch me wrassle him to the ground and implant this tracking chip right up his a-"

"You most certainly _will not_!"

The unexpected outburst drew the attention of Robin and the other two young men over to the resident Tamaranian. Starfire's arms were straight at her side, her fists clenched in righteous fury; the lovely girl's face was more than a little red as she glared at them.

The Boy Wonder scratched his head at the sight. "Ummm . . . Star? We were just joking . . ."

"Your joke was _not _funny!" fumed the alien girl.

Beast Boy scoffed loudly at that. "_What_? I beg to differ, Starfire!"

Rather than continue to argue, their flame haired friend crossed her arms under her chest and spun around in a huff.

"_Hmph_!"

At which point she flew out of one of the side doors before anyone else could say another word.

This time, it was Cyborg's turn to scratch his head. The squeal of steel on steel caused Robin and Beast Boy to wince, but Cyborg continued on as if nothing was wrong.

"Man, what was all _that _about?"

A deep frown etched itself onto Robin's features.

"I don't know, but I'd like to. I think I'll go talk to her-"

His determined declaration was cut off by a gentle hand on his shoulder. There were only a few people on the planet that would actually place a hand on his shoulder, and even fewer that would be so gentle about it . . . and considering one of those people had just floated out of the room, it didn't take much detective work to figure out who it could be.

"Perhaps you should give her some time, first, Robin," offered a beatifically smiling Kasumi.

He turned to face her fully.

"Do you know what upset her, Kasumi? Was our joke really that bad?"

Cyborg nudged Beast Boy and whispered harshly, "Dawg, I _told _you it was too soon for those Crocodile Hunter jokes!"

"_Dude, _you _so _did not!"

"I _totally _did!"

"Not _even_!"

Kasumi's warm, loving smile actually shrunk a fraction of an inch as she shot a look which was as close to disapproving as she was capable of towards the silently arguing boys. This had the immediate effect of shutting them both up and causing them to start fidgeting nervously.

"Well, your suppository joke _was _. . . somewhat graphic." Both guys were positively squirming now. "However, I don't think that is what upset her."

Robin shot her a quizzical look, which brought the Tendo Sister's smile back in full force.

"Starfire is a very sweet and loyal young woman, and she thinks very highly of Ryouga. Even though you were only joking around, what you call a tracking device, some might call a leash . . . and Starfire knows Ryouga well enough to know he's never done very well with leashes."

". . . Wow . . . I didn't even think of that," he muttered, "Umm . . . Kasumi? I don't suppose you could talk to her for me, you know, explain that we didn't mean it like that?"

Normally, the Boy Wonder hated delegating anything he could do himself to someone else. However, when it came to Starfire, all of the normal rules seemed to go out the window and he never seemed to know just what to do or say around the stunningly beautiful young woman. That, and it was Kasumi, _everyone _liked Kasumi.

If anything, Kasumi's smile only widened.

"I would love to."

* * *

The sight of the three young men enjoying her lovingly prepared meal brought a wide smile to the eldest Tendo sister's face. They were so boisterous and happy that she felt like she could just sit where she was and watch them for hours on end. The almost-alien notion that, if she so chose, she could actually join them and be acknowledged as more than just another place setting was still something she was working up to.

She giggled to herself quietly. And to think there had been a time when she had thought younger men were boring.

Still, as energetic and entertaining as her little men were, she was beginning to miss the simple pleasure of associating with other females. While her near daily conversations with her sister (soon to be _sisters_, so she heard!) were very important to her, they didn't seem to fill the void of going from living with two sisters to living with a small mob of boys. Of course, Raven was not an option, for a myriad of reasons, but there was a very promising and pleasant alternative available.

That in mind, Kasumi removed her apron, skillfully pulling her long ponytail through the apron strings with practiced ease. She then folded the piece of fabric twice and carefully laid it down on the counter next to the stack of pots and pans that Victor had sworn on his honor that he would clean. (Such a silly, yet sweet young man.)

Several minutes later, she found herself standing outside a stark, steel door. Starfire's name was printed across its metal surface in bold lettering, signifying clearly the room's occupant. It actually reminded her a bit of home, and of Akane's little door duckie.

With a little more hesitance than she would have liked, Kasumi knocked on the door. A response was quick in the coming.

". . . Who is there?" The inquiry was asked in a quiet voice.

"It's Kasumi. May I please come in?"

She had to wait a little longer this time.

". . . no." Starfire's reply was timid and sounded a bit embarrassed.

Kasumi tilted her head to the side.

"Why not? Are you upset with me?"

"_No_! . . . no, it is . . . just that I would not make good company at the moment."

Starfire's panicked response quirked Kasumi's lips up into a tiny smile. She gingerly pulled the scrunchy from the end of her loose ponytail and flipped her hair over her shoulder. It appeared that it was time for her to bring out the _big guns_.

"Really? Well, that's too bad. I was hoping you could braid my hair for me, but I guess I'll be on my w-"

She didn't even get to finish her sentence as the door suddenly flew open and Kasumi somehow found herself magically transported from standing in the hallway to sitting on Starfire's bed. The transition was so quick that, even though it had been her plan, it still took her a moment to reorient herself. By the time she did, her simply lovely young companion was already floating back from her vanity with a brush in hand.

The look on the young woman's face, which Kasumi could only call _joyous_, already made her sneaky little plan worthwhile. A second later the flame haired girl plopped down on the odd, circular mattress behind her and immediately began to run the comb through her hair. She winced initially, fearing a harsh and forceful ministration . . . but then sighed in relief. Despite her tremendous alien strength, Starfire was as gentle and careful as could be.

Oddly, it made her think of the time that Akane had told her about Ryouga's puppies. Even though she, personally, had never been afraid of Ryouga a day in her life, hearing about the sensitive, yet powerful youth rough housing with adorable, yet terribly fragile little puppies had actually caused her toes to curl in apprehension. Now, just as back then, she was heartened to know these dangerously strong children had such precise control over their power.

"Your hair is _most _luxurious, Miss Kasumi."

Kasumi smiled at the compliment.

"Why thank you, Starfire, and please, you can simply call me Kasumi, if you like."

Now that the Tamaranian was sitting behind her, she couldn't see the expression on the girl's face, but hopefully she hadn't offended her companion with her overly familiar gesture.

"I will endeavor to do so . . . Kasumi . . ."

Silence reigned for several minutes as Kasumi enjoyed the sensation of the brush running through her hair, of Starfire's strong, delicate fingers artfully arranging her flowing chestnut locks. It had been quite some time since either of her sisters had been so inclined to play with her hair, ever since they both had their own hair cut so short . . .

As Starfire continued to loop her hair around in a surprisingly skillful manner, the alien girl finally broke the silence.

". . . Kasumi, while I must admit to enjoying this greatly, I am most curious as to why you did not simply do this yourself. Your skills in the earthly techniques of 'femininity' are vastly superior to my own."

Kasumi turned slightly, just enough to face the exotically aesthetic young woman.

"Well, if I had, then I wouldn't have been able to trick you into letting me into your room," she replied impishly.

A shocked gasp.

"Y-you deceived me? But how could you have known that your ploy would be successful?"

Feeling unusually playful, the Tendo woman raised a finger before her and tried to scrunch up her face as much as possible.

"You're a decade too early to defeat _my _big sister skills, child," she stated in her best rendition of a certain, wizened Matriarch.

Starfire instantly exploded into a fit of giggles, clapping her hands ecstatically.

"_Marvelous_!"

Kasumi gingerly rubbed her cheeks before returning the bubbly young woman's smile. "That little trick used to get me into Akane's room every time." She let out a wistful sigh. "I do miss those days, playing with my sisters' hair and making them look so cute or silly . . ."

Suddenly, Starfire clasped her hands, staring her way with glistening, emerald eyes filled to the brim with sympathy. "You – you may braid _my _hair if you so desire. My own sister was never interested in such _meaningless endeavors_ . . . or in associating with me at all . . ."

"Ahh, there, there," the brunette cooed soothingly into the redhead's ear, pulling the tall girl into a quick hug. She then pushed Starfire back to arms length and stared her straight in those huge, green eyes. "_I _would love to braid your hair."

The gleam of tears barely restrained in the younger woman's eyes nearly started Kasumi crying too, but she managed to get a hold of herself. Even though her own hair still hung in a loose, half formed braid, the sisterly Tendo gently turned the alien girl around and began to run her fingers through Starfire's luscious crimson locks.

"You have the most beautiful hair that I've ever seen, Starfire. I have to admit to being a little envious. I wish that I could have such long, soft hair, and such an amazing color . . ."

Rather than reply, her companion simply released a blissfully contented sigh as Kasumi worked her wonders. It was like running her fingers through spun silk, as she wove the young hero's hair into an intricate braid. She couldn't even find a single split end.

"So, can you ever forgive me for my deception?" she started teasingly.

Though she couldn't see it, she could nearly feel the smile that formed on the Tamaranian's lips.

"Perhaps . . . if you were to promise to join me in the equipping of our follicles with your earthly hair ornaments."

It was Kasumi's turn to giggle. "I'd be delighted to. With hair as lovely as yours, I'm certain that we could find a style that would turn a few heads."

Starfire raised an inquisitive finger into the air . . . but lowered it a moment later, shrugging to herself. Well, whatever it had been mustn't have been that important. A moment later, the flame haired girl turned to face her, though not enough to pull her silken tresses from Kasumi's hands.

"I feel inclined to inquire. If engaging in braiding maneuvers upon each other's hair was not your true intent, then for what reason did you wish to speak with me?"

Kasumi absently began to twirl one of her finger's through Starfire's hair, feeling a bit embarrassed at being put on the spot so abruptly.

"Well, there were two reasons, really . . . You see, I was hoping that the two of us might be able to spend some time together. I feel terrible that I've spent so much time under your roof, and yet we've hardly spoken at all. You're a very sweet girl, and I was hoping we could be friends."

Starfire gazed at her with a look of sheer excitement.

"Of course! Your friendship would be _most _appreciated!"

The precious young woman's enthusiasm brought Kasumi's own smile back in full force. She tilted her head to the side as she smiled, continuing her work on her beautiful companion's beautiful hair.

"I'm very happy to hear that, Starfire. . . . As for the second reason . . . well, the second reason I wished to speak to you is Robin."

Starfire started slightly at the mention of their erstwhile leader, an indiscernible emotion flitting across her features. Unsure of what it could mean, Kasumi soldiered on.

"He was very worried that you may be upset with him because of their silly little joke. He wanted to ask you himself, but I asked him if I could instead, since it would finally give me an excuse to chat with you like this."

The Tamaranian smiled a weak, timid little smile. "H-he was worried for me?"

She nodded happily. "Very much so . . . So, are you?"

Starfire blinked. ". . . Am I what?"

"Are you upset with him because of their joke?"

The younger woman's smile shifted into a petulant, yet oddly adorable scowl and she let out a small sniff of annoyance. "I am not upset with Robin as a result of that most unhumorus attempt at humor. I am upset because he . . ."

The alien girl started suddenly, looking at Kasumi as if she'd just realized whom she had been talking to. Starfire then began to fidget nervously, tapping the ends of her fingers together.

". . . um . . . because . . . because heee . . . lacks trust in Ryouga . . . _yes_, for that reason and no other . . . heheheh . . ."

Kasumi looked at her queerly for a moment, but then shrugged. Starfire had absolutely no reason to lie to her, so there was likely some other reason for her odd behavior.

"Now, Starfire, you know that Robin respects Ryouga as much as anyone else . . . but, Ryouga _does _have . . . special needs in that certain respect."

Starfire nodded reluctantly.

"I know, but the idea of monitoring his movements so, it is most offensive. We are Ryouga's friends, not his K'Norfka."

Unfortunately, Kasumi had absolutely no idea what the girl was talking about, but she nodded in understanding anyway.

"But weren't you more upset than anyone when Ryouga was lost?"

The Tamaranian shifted on her seat. ". . . Yes, I missed him greatly in his absence. However, I do not believe that one's feelings alone give one the right to violate another sentient being in such a way, and without his knowledge."

The eldest Tendo sister prepared to counter Starfire's argument . . . but was having trouble doing so. She knew that, even though Robin had been joking, his plan did make some sense; Ryouga had responsibilities beyond himself now and couldn't afford to go missing for weeks or months at a time any longer. However, the fact was that she agreed with Starfire completely . . .

Instead, a now familiar sensation bubbled up from the back of her mind, making a terribly naughty suggestion. She would have banished the errant thought right away normally . . . but the conversation had been getting far too serious for her tastes, and it _did _seem like a good way to lighten the mood . . .

A somewhat sly smile slithered its way onto Kasumi's lips.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure if Garfield had things his way, then Ryouga would be _very_ aware of being 'chipped'."

The effect was instantaneous, as Starfire's entire face blushed the color of her hair.

"_Kasumi_!"

Kasumi held in the fit of giggles that felt like it was literally going to burst out of her chest. Rather, she winked conspiratorially at the Tamaranian. Leaning forward slightly, she continued in her best attempt at a sultry voice.

"You have to admit, the idea of those two strapping young men wrestling each other out of their clothing _does _have certain . . . merits."

Starfire began to sputter indignantly in protest to her words, but the seed had already been planted. Kasumi counted down in her head: Three, Two, One . . .

"_Ack! No_! By X'hal! I require the mind soap!"

The wicked brunette finally allowed her giggles to escape to sweet freedom. Beside her, Starfire swatted frantically around her head in a futile effort to dispel the mental images that Kasumi had just created.

After several hilarious minutes of watching the young woman sputter and choke as she flailed in disgust, Starfire finally regained enough of her faculties to turn on Kasumi. Starfire fired a halfhearted glare her way, though her cheeks were still burning so bright that her entire face seemed to melt into her flowing hair.

"_You _are _most _evil, Kasumi."

The aforementioned Tendo continued to giggle impishly.

"Oh, only half of the time."

* * *

Raven smiled shyly at the handsome young man that sat across from her. They had both changed (and thankfully showered . . . not together, though!). Despite the chill autumn weather, her companion was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of loose fitting black slacks which Raven liked quite a bit. Unfortunately he was still wearing his gaudy bandanna and had an umbrella strapped to his back on a cloudless day, but nobody was perfect.

She, on the other hand, had actually taken the weather into account and had dressed somewhat more appropriately. The sorceress was wearing a pair of snuggly fitting black jeans (Starfire had suggested them, though in bright pink . . .), a flattering mauve top and, of course, a stylish onyx jacket to keep out the cold.

She watched in amusement as Ryouga went about finishing off the massive omelettes he'd ordered, even as she continued to peck away at the Greek salad which she'd ordered for herself. Again, the pair of them were sitting on the sidewalk patio of the quaint little bistro they had come to frequent over the past several weeks. It was, she thought wistfully, sort of becoming their 'thing'.

Honestly, she wasn't sure what it was, perhaps because Ryouga had been missing for so long, but she was feeling almost giddy at the moment. Whether it was because of the young man's brashly forward invitation, or simply because, after a week's absence, that his powerfully broadcasting emotions were throwing her off of her balance once more, she really didn't care.

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

Ryouga's sudden outburst shook her from her reverie. The young man frantically dug a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a small black box. Raven nearly felt her heart stop when she saw the tiny object, but quickly scolded herself for being foolish. There was no way that there was one of 'those' inside that box; she couldn't even imagine what had made her think of something so idiotic.

"I got you a souvenir while I was lost . . . well, I got souvenirs for everyone, but yours is the most special."

Still not trusting herself to speak, she took the tiny wooden box and opened it up. She then took a look at the item contained within its confines . . .

A startled gasp escaped her lips!

It was a solid gold arrowhead! Ryouga had looped a golden chain around it, making it into a very expensive looking necklace, as well.

"Where did you get this?" She was unable to keep the shock out of her voice as she asked.

The boy shrugged nonchalantly. "From my back-"

Her eyes widened in shock and Ryouga's jaw snapped shut with an audible click-

"-_yard_! From my backyard! Yeah . . . that's it . . . heheh, boy, people sure lose the craziest things, eh?"

One of Raven's eyebrows arched in pure skepticism . . . but given the two alternatives, the less she knew about the former, the better in her estimate. As such, she decided to play along and let him think he'd actually fooled her with his adorably feeble deception.

"That's very sweet of you. It's absolutely beautiful, Ryouga."

More than just beautiful, she could actually feel a weak magical aura clinging to the arrowhead. Even though it was obviously the purest gold she had ever seen, she had no doubt that it was stronger and sharper than any piece of steel could ever hope to be. Where on Earth could he have come into possession of such an item? This was no ornament, it was a weapon, pure and simple . . . And as considerate as Ryouga's gift was, there was absolutely no way she would have that razor piece of shrapnel dangling between her breasts . . .

Not that she would ever tell him that, the poor boy would probably faint dead away at the mere mention of it.

Ryouga's fanged smile widened immeasurably at her appreciation. "Well, it was the least I could do for worrying you so much. I mean, no one's ever really been worried about me when I've gotten lost before, so it never occurred to me that anything was different this time around."

Feeling strangely sympathetic, Raven dropped a comforting hand on the fanged martial artist's and offered him a weak smile. She wasn't used to smiling, but this was the first time that anyone had ever given her jewelry before (however deadly), so she figured she could give it a try.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault and we can hardly expect you to change who you are just because it would be convenient for us. In fact . . ." she trailed of weakly, "I would be disappointed if you stopped being the fascinating young man whom I've come to know . . ."

Ryouga's cheeks reddened visibly at her words and the Lost Boy began running his free hand through the hair at the back of his head in that naively cute manner of his. He didn't remove his other hand from hers, though.

"Umm, heh . . . well, I don't plan on changing any time soon," he stammered nervously, "Ah, as a _person_, I mean! I'm still going to change clothes and stuff, I mean, that would get pretty bad if I never changed at all . . ."

Raven rolled her eyes as the fanged boy tripped over his own words for nearly half a minute, trying desperately not to embarrass himself, and failing more thoroughly with each word. The sorceress eventually decided to take pity on her companion.

"Ryouga," she cut him off gently, "Why don't you tell me the reason that you ran off like you did. I mean, it's not like you to forget your backpack or your umbrella behind . . ."

She paused thoughtfully.

". . . Speaking of which, where _did_ you get that new umbrella, anyway? She inquired about the sleek and very expensive looking ebony umbrella what was still strapped to the boy's back, even as they were sitting and eating.

Somehow, Ryouga managed to display three of his nervous traits simultaneously.

"Ummm . . . would you believe an eccentric collector gave it to me?"

She shot him a flat look.

"Not when you say it like that, no."

Ryouga's nervous laugh grew continually weaker in the face of her potently neutral expression. Finally, he broke it off altogether to cough politely into his fist-

"_Anyway_." The boy shifted topics with all of the subtlety of a bulldozer. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Raven."

She quirked an eyebrow.

"About your umbrella?" she deadpanned.

"No!" Ryouga's frustrated outburst curled the corner of Raven's lip up into a smirk. "I meant about me getting lost."

Immediately, all of the frustration, nervousness and embarrassment on the fanged boy's face vanished. It was replaced by an expression of excited pride that she was fairly certain she'd never seen on his face before.

"I _did_ it, Raven! I mean, I think I did it. It all makes sense now, what I saw, so I think I know how to do it!"

"Did what? What do you know how to do?" she asked, honestly confused at his sudden rambling.

"_Save Terra_!"

Raven's violet eyes shot open in shock. She could only stare at Ryouga for a moment, mouth agape.

"You . . . you know how to restore Terra?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

He nodded fervently. "_Yes_! I think I know why she turned to stone, and why she got stuck that way. So, now I know what I need to do to bring her back."

Bringing Terra back . . . how long had they been searching for an answer? It had been months since the girl had sacrificed herself to save their city . . . and now it was possible that her return was within grasp . . .

So why didn't she know what to say?

"T-that's amazing, Ryouga. I'm certain that everyone will be thrilled to hear your news . . ."

She trailed off warily.

". . . Ryouga . . . is there some reason you didn't tell everyone else about this revelation earlier?"

"Heheh . . . well, I know _what _I need to do . . . I'm just not exactly sure _how _I'm going to do it yet . . ."

She stared at him silently.

"Then the point of telling me is . . .?"

His determined expression returned twofold and Ryouga leaned forward excitedly.

"Because, of everyone I know, _you _are the one person that can help me! My knowledge might be more specific, but I doubt anyone short of Cologne knows more about energy manipulation than you."

Raven nodded slowly. It was true that she had a lot of experience in the field, and Cologne's training had only expounded on that.

"So, you believe that I'll be of some help to you . . .?" Her tiny smirk finally began to return of its own volition. "Does this mean that you'll finally allow me to join you in Terra's Cavern?"

Ryouga let out a bark of laughter.

"What? Of course!" He dropped his free hand over hers and matched her gaze with one of fiery intensity. "Raven, over the coming days, you will be the most important girl in the _world _to me."

". . ."

No words would come; Raven had literally been struck speechless. The way he had said her name, the way his eyes seemed to pierce her very soul, the warmth of his hands in hers . . . She wasn't too keen on the 'coming days' part, but this was the first time she'd ever received such a compliment, so she'd take it.

Today was proving to be quite the groundbreaking day, she noted absently.

Ryouga was acting so confident, so self-assured. It was something she rarely ever saw from the shy, nervous young man, at least outside of battle. Oddly, it made her think of Ranma; that boy was always brimming over with confidence, just shy of actual arrogance. Of course, _that _boy was every bit as childish and immature as Cyborg and Beast Boy. Ranma completely lacked Ryouga's smoldering intensity and maturity.

A small giggle escaped her lips at the thought, eliciting an interrogative from her companion.

"Is something funny?" he asked, looking at her oddly.

A little reluctantly, she withdrew her hands from his so she could tuck several errant strands of hair behind her ear. She responded to his perplexed stare with a wry smile.

"No-no, nothing like that. I was just thinking . . . do you know that you are one of the few boys I know that has never called me Rae?"

Ryouga smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I know how much you hate that . . . besides, I like the way your name sounds . . . Raven."

A wistful sigh escaped her lips; maybe she was enjoying this moment more than she probably should, but could hardly bring herself to care. Why couldn't the Fanged Warrior be this confident all of the time?

"You know," she drawled, lost in her own little world, "If someone combined you and Ranma, you would make the perfect man . . ."

_'Oooh, Brrrr_!'

Raven quickly pulled her jacket closed as it felt like an arctic gale was trying its best to lash her to the bone. That was one of the reasons that she detested autumn, she did _not _do cold. And that was before one even took her usual outfit into consideration!

Without warning, Ryouga rose to his feet. The look on his face was positively unreadable. It struck her as slightly odd, considering she could normally read him like Beast Boy read a comic book, but considering how many other unbelievable things had been happening over this seemingly simple breakfast, it hardly registered.

"Please excuse me. I have to use the washroom."

Raven nodded absently, still buttoning up her jacket to try to battle the sudden cold snap that had descended over them.

"Of course, Ryouga."

_'What a polite young man_.' No one else she knew would bother excusing themselves like that.

Hmm, that was predictable. Just as she finished doing up the last button of her jacket, the cold breeze suddenly decided to subside. She considered undoing the jacket again, but felt too lazy. Idly, she began to pick at her salad again, releasing another wistful sigh as she imagined what the next few days would entail, working side by side with Ryouga . . .

As she sat, patiently awaiting his return.

* * *

"-and by the time I realized what I had just allowed to happen, twenty minutes had already passed."

Beast Boy and the rest of the Tower's occupants (those present, anyway) listened to the tail end of Raven's droll, yet quite amusing story. The snazzily dressed girl seemed to be taking the whole ordeal pretty well . . . she obviously wasn't interpreting Ryouga's actions the same way that _he _was.

Before anyone else had the chance to say anything, the changeling stuck out his hand to forestall them.

"Wait-wait-_wait _just a minute!" he barked excitedly. He then pointed at Raven. "Are _you_ telling _us _that Ryo asked you out, only so he could pull the old 'Dine and Dash' and stick you with the bill?"

The perfectly calm expression adorning Raven's pale face cracked slightly at his needling. She folded her arms under her chest and leveled a warning look in his direction.

"I prefer the way which _I _explained it, thank you."

The shape shifter knew it was probably insensitive, but he just couldn't help himself.

"_Hahahahaha! _Dudes, that is the most _awesome _prank _ever_!" He turned and slapped Cyborg on the shoulder. "Man, talk about sacrificing your life for the sake of the art."

He went for a high five with his best friend . . . only to be left _hanging_. The much larger teen stared down at him in disappointment.

"No. Just, _no_, Man; worlds and worlds of _No_."

Beast Boy felt his jaw drop open in shock. Cyborg _didn't _think it was funny? The changeling looked around the room in a desperate search for support, but each glare he met was somehow harsher than the last . . . at least until he got to Kasumi. The one woman that he figured would be most disappointed in him was actually wearing a tiny, secretive little smile . . .

"Beast Boy's unbelievable insensitivity aside," Robin stated seriously. This move likely saved Beast Boy's life, however inadvertently, as it changed the subject. "Do you know where Ryouga is? I'd hate to think we've lost him within twelve hours of _finding _him."

Starfire nodded, looking a little more miffed than Beast Boy remembered seeing her in regards to the Lost Boy.

"Indeed! Did we not just have this self-same conversation this morning? I shall endeavor to give Ryouga a fragment of my cerebellum in regards to his rude behavior and carelessness."

Everyone just stared at the Tamaranian. Hesitantly, Cyborg raised an inquisitive finger, but Robin just shook his head from side to side and Cyborg lowered it once more. Thankfully, Raven was the first to recover.

"There is nothing to worry about in that regard. Ryouga still has his communicator. When I finally realized he wasn't coming back, it was the first thing I checked. He's currently in Terra's cave. Judging by how long it usually takes us to make that walk, one would think he had run the entire way."

"_Ooooh. . ."_

Again, the attention of everyone was drawn back to Starfire, just in time to catch the girl wincing at some imagined pain. She noticed their stares and began to giggle weakly.

"Eheheh . . . Well, it is just that . . . it has been my experience that the only occasions during which Ryouga is able to determine the proper route to any given location are during moments when he is either obliviously happy, or terribly upset . . . For him to have traversed such a distance unaided, he must have been _most _upset."

"Huh?" Beast Boy hopped back into the conversation. "What makes you say that? Didn't you say he could just as easily have been stupidly happy?"

The redheaded alien offered him an uncharacteristically flat look. "Trust in my veracity. Ryouga's proficiency for prolonging periods of negative emotional impacts is disproportionately large in comparison with his ability to enjoy periods of positive emotional support."

"Huh?"

Robin moved in and quickly nodded. "Of course we believe you, Star." The masked boy shot Beast Boy a look that just screamed 'I have no idea what she just said, but let's go with it'. "It's just . . . what possible reason could he have to be upset? I mean, he was out for breakfast with Raven."

Beast Boy peered at the Boy Wonder, wondering if he was completely sane.

"Um, dude? And you _can't _think of a reason that he'd be upset?"

Suddenly, the changeling felt a vice-like hand drop onto his shoulder and pull him well clear of Raven. Cyborg leaned down and whispered harshly into his ear, "For the love of God, BB, _shut up _before you get yourself killed!"

Seeing the logic in his learned companion's advice, Beast Boy decided to comply and quickly zipped his lips. Once all of the girls finished glaring at him (except for Kasumi, again), they went back to ignoring him. A thoughtful look then crept onto Raven's face.

"I can't think of anything . . . Though, now that you mention it, he was acting slightly odd when he excused himself. I don't know what could have caused it, though."

Robin rubbed his chin with a gloved finger, Beast Boy could almost see the Detective gears in his head start to turn. "Did something happen? Did you say something, did _he _say something? Anything at all that could explain what could have set him off? After all, he was _very _excited at the prospect of getting breakfast with you, so for him to do that, _something _must have happened."

The violet eyed Titan continued her ruminations. "Well, he had just given me the necklace, then we discussed why he had rushed out of Terra's cavern so rashly . . . Hmm, I remember what a pleasant change it was for Ryouga to be acting so assertive and confident . . ."

Raven tilted her head to the side and lifted a knuckle to her chin as she thought.

"Then I made a rather innocuous joke about combining Ryouga's maturity with Ranma's self confidence, but-"

"**Ohhhh**! A rookie mistake!" Cyborg's outburst cut off the sorceress and the titanium Titan began shaking his head sadly. "You hate to see that happen, you really do."

Beast Boy quickly slid to the side, vacating the space between Raven and Cyborg. He could actually see the tiny vein on Raven's forehead start to pulse dangerously as she glared at Cyborg.

"_What_ are you talking about? What mistake?"

Cyborg smirked knowingly. "Rae, Rae, Rae, you can't just go comparing guys with other guys. You might as well be saying 'That guy is better than you, because' . . ."

Raven looked more confused than anything by his response.

"Why ever not? I constantly tell you and Beast Boy that you could desperately use some of Robin's maturity and it's never bothered you."

Cyborg shrugged. "Well, that's because we're best buds."

"And, because it's true!" Beast Boy added helpfully.

"However," Robin interjected, "Ryouga's made it pretty clear that he only sees Ranma as a rival. Now, I don't know much about _their _relationship, but I do know a lot about rivalries. And trust me, Raven, if _anyone _even _insinuated _that Speedy was my superior in any way . . . well, I probably wouldn't have been as polite as Ryouga was."

Smirking wickedly, Cyborg nodded his agreement. "See, Rae? The male ego is a delicate creature, and, on your first quasi-date, you managed to kick Ryouga's right where it hurts."

Raven rolled her eyes dramatically.

"First of all, it was _not _a date of any kind. And secondly, I am supposed to believe that the three of _you _are experts on the inner workings of Ryouga's mind, and know exactly how he feels about Ranma, is that right?" she fired back sarcastically.

"Saotome Ranma is possessed of a disproportionate arrogance which magnifies his many other negative traits to truly unbearable levels. He incessantly remonstrates events which are trivial and exaggerates the negative aspects of his curse, if one can even call his affliction a curse, he is unappreciative and undeserving of the many and plentiful gifts which his life has been blessed with and . . . and he smells funny!"

Dead silence . . .

_Slowly _everyone turned to regard the heavily panting Starfire, who was still recovering from her unexpected rant. Under the weight of their combined scrutiny, the Tamaranian quickly blushed and began to giggle nervously.

Beast Boy was the first to break the silence. "First of all, that was _awesome, _Star! Secondly, where the heck did that come from? I didn't know you hated Ranma!"

Now tapping the tips of her fingers together in embarrassment, the alien girl endeavored to explain.

"I do not harbor dislike for him, in fact, his assistance against the Brother Blood was most appreciated. However, I felt it would be helpful if someone present were to speak on Ryouga's behalf . . . and Raven _did _wish for an accurate representation of his views on Ranma . . ."

The emerald changeling nodded in a sagely manner. "Um-hmm, um-hmmm, yes-yes, I see . . ." He then spun on Raven and dramatically pointed a finger right in her face. "_Ha_! In your _face_, Raven! We so nailed you on that!"

"Now stop that right now, all of you!"

The sound of Kasumi finally entering the conversation had exactly the effect the young woman desired. Everyone instantly shut their traps and spun to regard the slightly frowning Tendo. Kasumi took several steps forward, bringing her side by side with Raven. For a moment, the brunette looked like she was about to lay her hands on the violet haired girl's shoulders in support . . . but quickly reconsidered and clasped them together in front of her skirt.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves, picking on poor Raven like that. She didn't intend for any of this to happen."

Raven turned to stare at the apron-clad woman, looking quite surprised.

". . . Thank you . . . Kasumi."

If Kasumi even heard the young hero's gratitude, she gave no indication. Instead, she just kept right on speaking.

"After all, if Raven isn't able to appreciate Ryouga for who he is, then that is between the two of them."

Raven nodded in agreement. "Yes, exact-wait a minute! _What_?"

Kasumi didn't even miss a beat.

"Now, unless I'm mistaken, this is a team of super _heroes_, not a team of super _gossips_. So, I'm certain that you all have better things to do than stand around harassing poor Raven, here."

Everyone ruminated on that particular though, except for poor Raven, who was still looking shell shocked. Finally, Robin raised a hand.

"Not particu-"

Kasumi's eyes narrowed a fraction of a millimeter.

"-uuuo know, you're absolutely right! My crime files _really _need alphabetizing."

Robin flew the coop.

"I believe that it is my turn for which to patrol our fair city!"

Starfire achieved escape velocity.

"Ah . . . I think I left the nuclear pile sitting out again!"

Cyborg rolled out.

Damn! Unfortunately, Beast Boy didn't have an actual excuse like everyone else; he'd have to think on his feet . . . Wait a minute, that was it!

Donning his most freaked out expression, the shape shifter pointed dramatically behind Kasumi.

"_Look, a __**distraction**_!"

Kasumi stared at him, smiling politely . . .

He kept on pointing dramatically, waving his arm a little bit to emphasize the danger she was in.

The brunette continued to stare at him, her head tilting to the side as her smile grew wider.

'_Damn_!' It wasn't working, but he'd invested far too much effort into it now. The problem was, that she knew it was a distraction, so if he wanted it to work, he _really _needed to sell it. He continued his frantic pointing, combined it with a desperate lean forward, then did his very best to use his eyes to complete the deception.

After continuing to look at him for several more long seconds, the naïve young woman finally turned to look to where he was pointing. He was absolutely certain that it wasn't out of pity, either.

"Aha!" Vindicated, he took the opportunity to make his break for it.

Which, of course, left Kasumi and Raven standing side by side, the latter still staring at the former in incomprehension.

"Kasumi . . . what exactly did-"

"Oh my! Look at the time, I have to go do the shopping."

And then there was one . . .

And she was fairly certain there wasn't another person on the surface of the Earth in a worse mood.

* * *

"_Why can't you be more like Ranma? Why can't you be more like Ranma?_" The high pitched, nasally voice he was whining in probably wasn't making him look overly mature, but he could hardly be bothered by that now . . .

Not that Hibiki Ryouga _whined_. No, he was just . . . _seething_. Yes, that sounded way better; he was seething with rage, rage only barely contained!

"What was I _thinking_? That was so _stupid_!"

Unfortunately, most of said rage was aimed at himself this go-around.

"Asking her for _help_? She must think I'm a total _loser _now! _Ranma _would never ask for help," he sneered his rival's name with all of the venom he could muster.

He bet Raven thought _Ranma_ would have already figured out how to restore Terra by now. After all, Ranma was the best and the brightest, wasn't he? _Everyone _wanted Ranma, wanted him as a friend, or a student, or just plain wanted him. Why should Raven be any different? Heck, the only two girls that didn't were Starfire and Jinx . . . bless their narrow framed hearts.

That thought brought him up short. An only slightly bitter smile twisted the corner of his lip as he looked up into the eyes of his companion.

"You believe in me too, don't you, Terra?" he asked, ignoring the disturbing implications of talking to an inanimate statue.

As always, he took her silence as agreement. Jinx, Starfire and Terra . . . what was with him and skinny girls? The Lost Boy chuckled weakly. Sure, it was only three people in the whole world, but they believed in _him_ . . . or, at the very least were relying on _him_.

Yeah, he'd show Raven. He'd save Terra _without _her help, just like a real man would. Then she'd _have _to see that he was just as good as Ranma . . .

"No!" He shot to his feet, holding out his fist in fiery determination. Staring fiercely, he made a proclamation to his captive audience of one.

"I won't just save you, Terra. I'll take my mastery of the Bakusai Tenketsu to the next level and use it to defeat Ranma, _once and for all_! HahahahaHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!"

Ryouga stopped suddenly, peering all around himself nervously . . . This was usually the point when he realized he was completely surrounded by strangers and making a complete idiot of himself . . .

Except for Terra, the monolithic cavern was barren . . .

Hmm, what the heck?

"_BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Man that felt good. Hey, this cave had a pretty good echo, too . . .

"_Damn you, Ranma!"_

_"-a!"_

_"-a!"_

_"-a!"_

"Heh heh heh . . . nice."

Well, now that _that_ was out of his system, Ryouga pulled out his trusty hexagonal communicator and flipped it open.

"Cyborg, this is Ryouga. I need you to bring me some things . . ."

"I've got work to do."

* * *

Robin lashed out with a lightning quick jab, forcing his opponent to duck frantically to the side to avoid it. He'd anticipated that, though, and followed up with a rapid combination of a right hook, spinning into a flashing backhand, which flowed down into a flawless leg sweep. His opponent was so busy dodging out of the way of his higher strikes, that the circular, sweeping attack struck her ankles with enough force to knock her legs out from under her and drop her to the firm matting of the floor.

Kasumi winced slightly and gingerly rubbed her bottom, upon which she had landed. The innocuous gesture instantly brought a surge of red to Robin's cheeks and he frantically looked to the side, even as he simultaneously offered her a hand to help her back to her feet.

"Uhm," he cleared his throat quickly, "That was really good, Kasumi, you've really come a long way in your training."

The gi clad Tendo offered him a sunny smile and slid her graceful hand into his. With a quick tug, he had the lovely woman back on her feet.

"That's very nice of you to say, Robin, but it _does _seem like it's always me flat on my back when these matches are done," she replied, giggling with the crystal purity of a wind chime.

Robin chuckled lightly, then began to lead his student to the benches for a quick rest.

"Well, I _have _been doing this for a little longer. Not to mention the extra training I got from Cologne and Happosai . . . if you can call it that."

Kasumi tittered in amusement. "Oh, Grandfather always had so much fun training Ranma. My, the shenanigans those two would get into."

Once they reached the bench, Robin flopped down and started to wipe the sweat from his face with a conveniently placed towel. He still wasn't able to tell if she was being naively optimistic, or just teasing him mercilessly, so he just nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well," he shifted the topic away from perverted masters of the martial arts, "After Cyborg told me how fired up Ryouga was to 'redouble his efforts to restore Terra' yesterday, it really inspired me to get back to your training as well."

His companion smiled, though it looked somewhat weaker than usual. "Yes, and I appreciate your concern for my well being . . . but, do you know what would be even more fun than training all day long?"

Robin considered her question carefully.

"Running through the obstacle course?"

The eldest Tendo sister shot him a flat stare, though it only lasted a second.

". . . Yeeeess . . . there _is _that, but I had something a little less . . . harrowing in mind. Like, perhaps, you accompanying Starfire to that new movie that just opened in the theaters. She's been hinting to Raven and I that she would really like to go see it."

The Boy Wonder could only imagine what Starfire 'hinting' at something could possibly entail . . . though five foot neon signs did come to mind for some reason. He considered his options quickly.

"That new _romantic comedy_?" he drawled warily.

The brunette nodded excitedly, smile literally beaming.

. . . Riiight . . . Still, he'd have to be diplomatic about this. As much as the idea of spending two hours in a darkened theater with Starfire filled his chest with funny, not completely uncomfortable, feelings . . . the idea of watching _anything_ with Hugh Grant in it offended his strict sense of honor.

"You know that I would _love _to, Kasumi . . . however . . ." He floundered for a moment, but luckily for him, he had been trained by the best, and _no one_ made up last minute excuses like Bruce Wayne. ". . . However, my responsibilities as the team leader take precedence right now. I have to make sure that everyone on my team, especially you, is able to defend themselves properly. I mean, we lost nearly a week of your training searching for Ryouga, so now it's twice as important that we get back to work."

Hey, that actually hadn't been too bad . . .

Kasumi gave him an odd look, on anyone else he might have called it skeptical, but then the lovely woman gave out a long sigh and nodded.

"Alright, Robin, if only to put your mind at ease, we can continue. I just don't want you to forget your responsibilities as a friend on my account."

The vigilante nodded, hiding his grin over the rampant success of his plan.

"It should only take another week, two at the most, if we really push the envelope." By that time, Starfire's movie should be out of theaters and he could take her to an actual _good _movie. "At the rate you're improving, I'm confident you'll be able to defend yourself from anyone by then."

For a moment, an odd look flitted across Kasumi's face, but then she let out another weak sigh and bravely put on a wide smile for him.

"Well, I suppose another week or two couldn't hurt too much . . ."

* * *

Raven awoke with a start, her eyes shooting wide open and a strangled half-scream on her lips. She quickly sat up in her wide, gothic styled bed, her satin sheets falling down to her waist to reveal her nightgown clinging uncomfortably to her chest, a sheen of cold sweat gleaming across her now clammy skin. Still breathing raggedly from her unexpected awakening, the trembling woman did the first thing she could think of . . .

With desperate haste, she snatched her communicator from the nightstand and snapped it open. Entering a sequence of buttons by rote, the screen blinked to life . . . revealing a vaguely familiar redheaded girl, apparently sitting at a desk.

Looking off to the side for a moment, as if confirming something, Ranma quickly turned her attention back to Raven and a wide smirk split her face.

"Yo, Rae. Yer up pretty early, heck, I'm still workin' on my homework . . ."

. . . Except, now that Raven had Ranma on the line . . . she had absolutely no idea what to say.

". . ."

At her silence, Ranma pulled the communicator closer to her face, as if that would somehow improve her view of Raven . . . It must have worked to some degree, because she could clearly see the redhead's gaze slowly slide downwards, her cheeks beginning to match her hair as it did. It was about then that Raven remembered her nightgown was still plastered to her skin. Luckily, before she had the chance to wrap her mind around the idea of a young _woman _ogling her and getting offended, or worse, Ranma coughed guiltily and quickly shifted her eyes back up to match Raven's.

No longer . . . distracted, Ranma seemed to take a moment to take in her condition. A moment later, the redheads eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh, jeez, Rae, I'll be back in a sec . . ."

The tiny screen suffered from a blur of jarring motion as the picture shifted quickly to an uninspiring view of a ceiling. In the background, she could hear some various sounds of activity, punctuated by the sound of running sink, then, moments later, the familiar raven haired form of Ranma filled the screen once more. Several wisps of steam were still rising from the boy's hair.

"There we go, Raven. Now, how are you doing?"

Almost like magic, the soft baritone of her friend's familiar and comforting voice melted away the anxiety that had been holding her own tongue. She let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

"Thank you, Ranma . . . I'm feeling much better, now."

An uncharacteristically serious expression remained on the young man's face. He arched an eyebrow in an amusingly skeptical and familiar manner.

"You sure? You looked pretty shaken up there." He gazed at her suspiciously. ". . . Have you still not told anyone about this, yet? I mean, I know I'm great and all, but I can't exactly do too much for you from half a world away."

She rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. "There would be no point in telling anyone here. None of them could do anything for me, so all it would accomplish would be to worry them needlessly. Besides . . . hearing your voice helps more than anything else I've tried . . ."

Ranma snorted loudly. "Yeah, well . . . I guess . . . Still, you don't wanna worry anyone over there, but its fair game to worry me? Is that right?"

A weak smirk found its way onto her lips.

"I do believe that's the general point I was trying to make, yes. After all, it's not like a _man amongst men _such as yourself is even capable of being _worried _about someone, isn't that right?"

"_Argh_! Yer lucky I like ya so much, or else I don't think I'd be able to put up with your lip like I do. Seriously, though, I really think you should tell someone else over there . . . like R-"

"Ranma," she stated firmly, cutting him off, "Can we please just drop it? I-I really don't feel up to talking about this right now . . ."

The pigtailed boy looked to be gearing up to be his usual stubborn self for a moment . . . before letting out a long sigh, doing a credible imitation of a deflating balloon.

"Fine, fine. What _do_ ya wanna talk about, then?"

The violet haired female trailed a finger along her cheek as she considered her options. ". . . Well, it's been _two _nights and Ryouga still hasn-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ranma held up a hand on his end of the communication to stop her. "You remember what the deal is about you complaining to me about Bacon Bits."

She arched an eyebrow and shot him a dirty look.

"I _don't _complain."

Surprisingly, he matched her glare and crossed his arms over his chest.

"But-"

His glare only intensified.

"_'Sigh'_ – fine: Every time I _discuss _Ryouga with you, I have to help you with your homework . . . So, what do you have to do?"

Ranma's trademark smirk bloomed on his face, very much making her want to reach through the tiny screen and strangle him. She considered trying to Force choke him, regardless, but was worried there was actually a small chance it could actually work. Still, she was beginning to understand Akane a little better, now.

"Heh heh heh. Just got some Finite, a little Geography, and then a short story for my literature class."

She groaned out loud. "_What_? Do you stockpile your homework until I call you now?"

Ranma's smirk only widened. "I refuse to answer that question on the ground that I might incriminate myself."

The teen hero rolled her eyes in serious annoyance this time. Still, she didn't mind it nearly as much as she maintained. Helping the pigtailed boy with his school work was really quite entertaining, and she was actually learning as much by doing so as he was, since he was technically a year or two ahead of her in most subjects. It even forced her to work on certain things that she wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole if given the choice, Finite being one of those things.

"Alright, but we'll save the story for last, since that should be fun in comparison."

A wry chuckle was his reply.

"Okay, then, the usual routine, I'll point the communicator at the text book and you can talk about whatever ya want."

For the umpteenth time, Raven rolled her eyes at her companion's attitude. But, as was their usual routine, she quickly dug out the pad of paper and pencil hidden in the drawer of her nightstand and began to write out the complicated mathematical formula so that she could begin to decipher it.

"Now, as I was saying," she continued, "Ryouga hasn't shown his face since we parted ways at the Bistro . . . I don't think he's forgiven me for the comment I made yet."

The screen flashed again, once more filled by the incredulously staring face of Ranma.

"Well, _duh_, Rae! _I _still haven't forgiven you for that comment! I mean, sticking me and _P-Chan_ together? That's just so many levels of wrong that I _still _can't wrap my mind around it. As if there's _anything _about Ryouga that could improve on _me_!"

A wry smirk quirked her lips.

"Oh, I don't know, a small dose of humility would probably go a long way right about now."

"Oh, har-dee har har, _Rae_. Maybe we should give you a humor transplant from _Jinx_, I bet that'd be an improvement."

The half-demon's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Careful, Ran_ko_, that's not even remotely the same kind of situation."

"_Oh, reeeaaally_? Maybe you can elucidate me on how exactly it di-"

Before she could think to ask Ranma where on earth he had picked up the word 'elucidate', let alone use it correctly, the ring of knuckle on metal rang like a cymbal going off right inside Raven's skull. The sudden, and extremely unexpected ruckus nearly scared the poor sorceress spitless.

Judging by the tempo and deceptive force behind the strikes, it didn't take much to figure that it was Starfire at her door. Raven glanced quickly at her communicator, only to see Ranma laughing hysterically at the look of shock that must have filled the Titan's face. She growled at him threateningly.

"Not. A. Word. I'll get back to you in a moment."

She then slid out of bed and made her way to the door. The floor was cool, but the carpet kept it bearable to walk across. Thankfully, her quiet chat with Ranma had given her a chance to cool down, and her nightgown was again flowing normally . . . not that she really cared if Starfire saw her in such a way, but it was just more comfortable to walk in now.

Raven slid the door open roughly two inches to glare balefully at the fully clad Tamaranian floating hopefully in her hallway.

"Starfire, do you have any idea just what time it is?"

Starfire nodded obligingly. "In Galactic Standard Time it is Throng-Repnak-Ba'an."

Raven's stare was as flat as glass.

"In Earth time, Starfire."

The Tamaranian giggled helplessly. "Eheheh . . . I believe it is Five Thirty Seven in the A. M."

Raven let out a weary sigh.

"And you are knocking on my door at this ungodly hour because?"

"Ummm, well, I was returning to my room from a post midnight-midnight snacking endeavor . . . when I heard you speaking to someone as I passed your door. As such, since you are already awake, I desired to make a request of you."

Suddenly, Starfire held up her hand, revealing their contents for Raven to see . . .

A pair of crisp, new movie tickets.

Raven looked at the tickets rather drolly. She then looked back up to Starfire.

"At five-thirty seven in the morning, you are asking me to go to watch a romantic comedy with you?"

Starfire nodded enthusiastically.

"I had asked Robin yesterday, but he was quite adamant that his training of Kasumi took precedence over the watching of a movie in my company while devouring untold amounts of unhealthy, yet delicious foodstuffs."

Raven wavered for a moment, feeling a little sorry for the girl . . . still, she had an image to maintain.

"I'm sorry, Starfire. However, I prefer my romances to be of the tragic variety."

Starfire quickly muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "I had not noticed", but Raven hadn't quite caught it.

"What was that?"

"_Nothing, _nothing. Well, I must be on my way. Perhaps some other person will wish to accompany me on my adventure to the cinema of movie viewing."

With that, the Tamaranian began to float forlornly down the hallway. Unable to resist a final parting shot, Raven let out a mutter of her own.

"Yeah, good luck with that."

* * *

The soldier carefully made his way down the long, alien looking catwalk hanging between the massive trees which grew all around him. His S Variation/Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor didn't slow him in the slightest, fitting to his body just as flawlessly as it had been designed to. The HUD of his visor displayed, in great detail, the enormous alien structure that sprawled out before him, almost appearing to be growing out of the very trees themselves.

Even though the ancient Forerunner installation that they were searching through had been abandoned for thousands of years, judging by the insanely huge jungle that had grown up and around the structure, he _knew _that the massive complex had at least one inhabitant at the moment. He absently checked the ammo in both of his Spikers, not wanting to run out if a firefight suddenly broke out.

Still, despite the stakes, he just couldn't keep his eye on the prize. Fidgeting slightly, he turned back to his companion, a fellow Spartan wearing the Extra Vehicular Activity variation of the MJOLNIR armor, though his was colored in drastic contrast to his own. While his companion's was bright white, with pale blue highlights, he had colored his in alternating slashes of purple and green. Personally, he liked his odds better in this jungle terrain than his buddies, not that he'd mention that till it was too late.

"Man, Ryo has been down in that cave for _three _days, Cy. How much longer do ya think it's gonna take?"

His white and blue teammate shifted the massive Spartan Laser on his shoulder, but before he could reply, another Spartan cut in. This warrior was wearing the standard Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Armor, though his coloration was a very bold combination of yellow and black.

"Sheesh, Beast Boy, I'm sitting two seats down from you on the couch. I _can _hear you when you talk about me."

Spartan Beast Boy turned to glare at the black and yellow Spartan Ryouga.

"Yeah, and _I _told you that I wasn't acknowledging your existence until Terra was back to normal! Who let you out of your cave, anyway?"

Spartan Cyborg chuckled evilly.

"Oh, Kasumi told him, pleasantly as could be, that if he skipped one more meal to eat pizza down in that cave, then he could skip the _rest _of his meals _from now on_ to eat pizza down in that cave."

Had Spartan Beast Boy's helmet allowed, his jaw would have dropped open in shock.

"Whoa, dude, that's harsh."

Spartan Ryouga nodded sadly, absently switching between his Battle Rifle and his Plasma Sword . . . either that, or the guy was still figuring out which buttons did what.

"Tell me about it, I've grown to love pizza as much as the next guy, though if you tell Ukyou that, I'll deny it and kill you all, but I'm not giving up Kasumi's cooking for anything."

"Besides," another Spartan entered the conversation, this one wearing Close Quarters Battle Armor done in black and red and toting a long barreled alien sniper rifle. "As important as freeing Terra is, we can't keep Ryouga locked in her cave twenty four-seven, Beast Boy. He's our teammate, not our slave."

Spartan Ryouga turned to nod to Spartan Robin.

"_Thank you_."

"Okay, seriously, are you girls done chatting each other up yet?" grumbled Spartan Cyborg. They could all tell he was just itching to use the massively overpowered energy weapon balanced on his shoulder.

"Dinner is gonna be ready in a half an hour, so we have to take care of this ASAP. Now, it took some serious doing, but we managed to corral that Nujiézú jerk down into the central complex. If we approach this carefully, we can finally frag that bastard for all of the kills he's laced on our butts."

Spartan Robin snorted skeptically. "Seriously, Cyborg. It's just one guy, did you and Beast Boy _have _to drag me and Ryouga into your little feud too?"

Spartan Ryouga shrugged. "Meh, I don't mind."

Spartan Cyborg stared at the crimson and ebony Spartan disbelievingly.

"Just _one guy_? **Just one guy**! Dawg! You have _no _idea the hell we've seen! I mean, Nujiézú was bad before, but these past two weeks, the guy has been just plain _vindictive_, I'm talking 'out for blood' nasty!"

Spartan Beast Boy nodded emphatically. "Dudes, I've lost my head so many times I don't even know why I bother wearing a helmet anymore!"

Spartans Robin and Ryouga retained their skeptical looks (as much as such was possible when wearing polarized visors which completely hid one's face), but weren't about to back out now.

"Fine, what's the plan, then?" asked Spartan Robin.

Spartan Cyborg quickly led them to the entrance of the complex and then began to explain the game plan to them. First, the white and blue warrior pointed to himself and Beast Boy.

"Okay, the two of us have dealt with this guy tons of times, so we're gonna head in and spread out, you know, try to flush him out into the open. I've got a bubble shield, in case the guy gets the drop on me, and BB's got Spikers, so he should be able to fend the guy off, at least for a bit."

Next, Spartan Cyborg pointed to Spartan Robin. "Robbie, you got the mad sniping skills, so you go find a good position and set up camp."

Spartan Robin nodded in agreement.

"Ryo, since you've never played the game before, you're pretty much our cannon fodder, so try to make your certain death as meaningful as possible."

". . . I hate you guys so much . . ."

"Yeah, that's sweet, now, this is how I see things going dow-"

To Spartan Beast Boy's ears, the rest of his comrades carefully plotted . . . plot dissolved into a drone which sounded suspiciously like the speech of an adult from that old Charlie Brown cartoon. What was the point of all of this planning and thinking and junk, anyway? Everyone knew that no plan ever survived the first five seconds of the actual battle . . . and really, Spartan Cyborg _seriously _should have taken his ridiculously short attention span into account when formulating his increasingly complex battle scenario . . .

To heck with this! Spartan Beast Boy was gonna take down Nujiézú himself, if he had to! That thought in mind, while his friends were still chatting amongst themselves-

"Alright, Dudes, times up! Let's do this!"

Spartan Beast Boy charged once more unto the breach . . .

"_**LEEERRROOOOYY JENNNKIINS!"**_

* * *

-Five minutes Later-

. . . The four men, who looked very much like boys at the moment, could only stare at the screen, pupils, eyemasks and infrared sensors shrunken to pinpricks in shock. Haunted expressions hung on their faces, expressions usually reserved for those poor soldiers whom had been made privy to the very darkest horrors of war.

". . ."

The silence was shattered by the sound of Ryouga's controller slipping from nerveless fingers to clatter to the floor.

". . . Now I know what it would feel like if Gosunkugi challenged Herb to a duel."

With the eardrum piercing squeal of steel on steel, complete with a shower of burning sparks, Cyborg turned his head to _glare _at Beast Boy. The emerald changeling returned his friend's gaze with a nervous laugh and a tiny wave of his fingers.

"Heh . . . heh . . . ummm, at least I have tofu?"

"_**Beeaast Boooy**__-_"

"Oh _hell _no!" The highly unexpected epitaph derailed the cyborg's psychotic episode and drew everyone's attention to Robin . . .

Or, at least the red faced, simmering kettle with spiky hair that was wearing Robin's outfit, anyway. A second later, the Boy Wonder snapped down and grabbed Ryouga's controller, jamming it back into the larger boy's hand.

"Play, _now_."

"But I really don't-"

Robin's fiery gaze cut Ryouga off dead.

"I have _never_ been schooled like that before. Whoever this guy is, he is _going down_!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy shared an evil smile between themselves. It looked like Robin's competitive streak had finally kicked in. _Now _Nujiézú was in for it.

Unbeknownst to the quartet, a figure floated up stealthily behind the wide, circular couch. A figure possessing, ironically, a very lovely figure, a look of boundless optimism on her face . . .

And a pair of slightly crumpled tickets in her hand.

"_Friend Cyborg_! Perhaps you would desire to-"

"Not gonna happen, Star. I don't go to those movies unless I'm gonna get at _least _a goodnight kiss out of the deal."

A look of mild consternation flashed across the Tamaranian's face, but she quickly shook it off and turned slightly to the side. Despite the initial setback, she still bore a look of hopeful optimism.

"Beast Boy-"

The boy in question held up a hand, not even tearing his gaze from the flashing screen, to stop her.

"Um, what he said, 'cept you'd need to get a bottle of blonde hair dye and lose about eight inches, first."

This time, a look of actual annoyance crossed Starfire's normally cheery features.

"Eight inches from _where_, my _grebnaks_?" she muttered darkly under her breath.

Still, not to be deterred, she turned her attention back to her original target. Now only barely levitating an inch above the ground and tickets slightly more crumpled than when she had begun, Starfire mustered up some guarded optimism . . .

"Robin . . . perhaps if you have the time to enjoy the playing of the video games . . . then perhaps you also possess the time necessary to accompany me to-"

Robin, at least, had the decency to turn and acknowledge the determined young woman.

"Not right now, Starfire. This just got personal . . . maybe later, okay?"

Robin then returned all of his attention back to the game, totally missing the crestfallen expression that descended over Starfire's face. Very slowly, her toes dragging along the floor, the alien girl floated back towards her room.

As she left, Ryouga looked to the two guys on his right, then to the one guy on his left, a confused look on his face . . .

". . . What the heck was that all about?"

* * *

Jinx leaned back, taking another deep breath, her chest heaving from her exertions. She relished the sweet sensation of the chill breeze caressing her sweat drenched skin. She could scarcely remember the last time that she had exerted herself in such a . . . pleasurable manner, but she had definitely been past due for spoiling herself. Beneath her, the heavy, pounding beat of the techno music saturated her body and she swayed fluidly with the rhythm.

"That was the most awesome rave I have _ever _been to," she remarked dreamily.

Absently, she turned her attention to her partner in crime. The ancient master was perched beside her on the roof. Happosai stared off into nothing, his pupils dilated so far that his entire eyes looked to be made from glistening onyx . . .

"I . . . am a changed man . . ." he declared euphorically.

The witch's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded her _revered master_.

"Oh, and FYI, that's the last time I ever let you take E. You were _way _more handsy than any of those other . . . pill . . . heads . . ." she trailed off, suddenly coming to a very basic realization.

"You didn't _take _any E, _did _you, Happi?"

Happosai looked up at her in confusion. "I don't even have a clue what you're talking about, Jinx. Are you saying there was some kind of connection between this magical _E _that you're talking about and all of those lovely young ladies downstairs being so . . . _handsy _as you put it?"

"Well _doy_!" Jinx held up a tiny plastic bag filled with tinier pills and waved it around teasingly. "You think all of those _fine _ladies down there would have been all over you like that if it weren't for a little . . . chemical persuasion? They probably thought you were a teddy bear, or a leprechaun, or something."

Happi's eyes nearly doubled in size as he stared at the slowly swaying baggie dangling from her fingertips. The effect it seemed to have on him bordered on hypnotic . . .

"W-w-where did you get those from?"

Jinx rolled her cat like eyes in exasperation.

"Some loser was trying to get me to take them, probably hoping to cop a feel or some crap . . . so I took them. Seriously, I'm loopy enough upstairs without adding crazy stuff like this," she admitted, tilting her head to indicate the empty space where a tiny bag of pills had been dangling-

"Huh - Wha?"

She glowered at the diminutive pervert.

"Hapiiii, where did those pills go?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

He offered her his most innocent look in return, with a tiny shrug of helplessness to go with it.

"_Haappii_ . . . aw, screw it. You know, any chick dumb enough to take unmarked pills from a one foot tall dodecagenarian obviously isn't contributing anything but double D's to the gene pool anyway, so it's no big loss."

Her mentor smiled proudly.

"That's the spirit, Disciple! Concern for strangers is over rated."

Jinx considered that . . . considered it some more, then shrugged and nodded in agreement.

". . . Soooo, you wanna go back in?"

"_Oh __**Hellz**__ yeah_!"

Jinx let out a groan of disgust.

"_Happi_," she sing-songed in a sugary voice, "Could you please remind me to kill Bumble Bee the next time we see her . . . _painfully_?"

"Jinx, you keep taking me to these raves, and I'll do it for you!"

"Heh, heh, heh . . . nice."

* * *

Starfire gazed up at the lighted signage which hung above her head. The glowing display named each of the movies currently playing within the cinema before which she stood (unable to muster even the enthusiasm to float any longer), as well as the times at which each movie commenced. She then looked down forlornly to the pair of sad looking tickets that were wilting in her tightly curled hand.

It had been five days since their fortuitous relocation of Ryouga, and she had believed that things would have returned back to a state of relative normalcy within her home. Instead, all of her friends seemed to have become even more preoccupied with activities and people which seemed to preclude the inclusion of a certain Tamaranian.

Beast Boy and Cyborg had become obsessed with the 'fragging' of their virtual nemesis. Raven spoke often, and at great length, with Ranma, not to mention that her preferences in reading and viewing material differed enough from Starfire's that finding common ground was becoming increasingly difficult as of late.

And, of course, _Robin _and _Kasumi_ had become infatuated with the idea of physically accosting each other for extended periods of time as well . . . The worst part was that she was finding it almost impossible to actually blame her feelings of insecurity and envy on the lovely Tendo woman. Even as Robin's presence had become more and more sparse lately, Kasumi had somehow found more and more time to spend with Starfire. As much as she _wanted _to dislike Kasumi for what had been occurring, the disturbing fact was that she enjoyed the older woman's company . . . in fact, Kasumi had been the one to suggest that she invite Robin to the cinema in the first place.

The Tamaranian could almost hear the wails of agony from the poor, unfortunate tickets in her grasp. It was all she could do to keep them from bursting into flames . . . or drowning in her tears. After all, if it was not Kasumi's fault that Robin was avoiding her lately . . . that meant it could only be her own . . .

Starfire disliked the 'being alone', she disliked the 'being alone in the crowd' even worse. She was starting to acquire the sneaking suspicion that everyone on this entire planetary body was enjoying the social interactions with one another, except for herself . . . The steady influx and output of happy couples and loving families from the edifice of the theater only drove that depressing thought home with unnecessary brutality.

She let out a weak sniff . . . But then a strange thought flitted across her morose mindscape.

There was _one _other person whom she had not yet sought out for companionship. True, it was because, of all of her friends, he was possessing of the most valid reason for spending his time in solitude, but she was certain that he would not be adverse to a visit from her.

How odd, why had she not thought of that earlier?

Still . . . a female did have to remain true to her principles. She looked back to the tickets in her hand. It was too late for her to view the film on that night and tomorrow was the last night she would be able to exchange this pair of tickets before the movie ceased to be shown in this particular theater. So, she would give Robin one last chance to see the error of his was, and if not . . .

One way or the other, she _was _going to see that movie.

Oh, yes. Tomorrow would be a _joyous _day for _everyone_!


	27. Titan Rising! Chapter 2

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 2

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Beast Boy squinted his eyes painfully as the first detestable rays of the rising sun lanced in through the windows in a vindictive attempt to blind him. Unfortunately, he couldn't spare a hand to shield his sensitive, reddened eyes, on account that both appendages were clamped onto his Gamestation controller in a manner that had him a little worried that Rigor Mortis might have begun setting in on his extremities. So, instead, he just leaned to the side until the hated sun was strategically hidden behind the massive television screen.

That accomplished, he resumed his near zombie state of concentration, zoning out anything and everything that didn't involve massive CGI explosions, or anonymous players half a world away shouting out 'Tea Bag!' over his ear mic.

As such, he barely even registered the sound of one of the side doors sliding open. And even if he hadn't been so spaced out, he probably wouldn't have heard the graceful, whispered steps of the newest occupant gliding into the room.

The exasperated sigh from behind him grabbed his attention, though.

"_Garfield Logan_. Please tell me that you haven't been up _all _night playing that video game."

Beast Boy didn't even cringe at the use of his real name. It just didn't faze him when Kasumi, or even Kunou, used it. Maybe because they didn't realize the comic implications of his name in the western world, or just because they didn't choose to tease him about it, it was still nice.

The changeling then remembered that she had actually asked him a question. He quickly turned around, throwing his arm up to rest on the back of the couch, to face her. He matched her expectant gaze and wracked his brain for a suitable response. Well, he guessed he would have to go with the direct approach, it was way too early . . . late . . . whatever, to think so hard.

"Aww, I could never lie to you, Kasumi . . ."

He then flipped back around and returned his attention back to the flashing screen. An amused giggle from his lovely companion quirked the corner of his lip up into a smile; the fact that he'd made Kasumi giggle so early in the morning almost made up for the fact that his character had died a gruesome death while his back had been turned.

Well, that stank on ice. Deciding he needed a short break, at least long enough for him to load another map, he turned back to face the small kitchenette at the back of the massive main room. The lovely Tendo woman was already rooting through the cupboards in search of God knew what.

"You're up pretty early, aren't you, Kasumi? I mean, we don't usually have breakfast till 'round ten-ish on account of our whacked schedules."

Kasumi turned and offered him a smile very nearly as sunny as the sun at his back.

"Very true. However, Victor taught me the most delightful chili recipe and I was hoping to try it out. Apparently it will take several hours to prepare, and if I want it ready for lunch, I need to start it very early."

'Wow.' That was super nice of her, going to all of this trouble just to make them a nice meal. Of course, it was about then that he realized a very dire implication of her statement.

"Ummm, Kasumi?"

"Don't worry, Garfield, I'll fix you up something closer to lunch time. I already know quite a few tofu recipes, so I'm sure I can make something you'll like."

He smiled a broad, fanged smile. "Ha! I _know _you will. I bet you could cook an old boot and it'd taste awesome!"

Another airy giggle caused Beast Boy to preen in the young woman's presence. To be honest, he hadn't really had many opportunities to spend any time alone with Kasumi, since Robin and Cyborg both did their best to co-opt all of her spare time at every opportunity.

"So, how's your trainin' going, anyway?" he asked with genuine interest.

Kasumi paused in her gathering of equipment and ingredients, and rose up from kneeling before the cupboards. The pony-tailed brunette then looked at the various foodstuffs she had gathered, then back in his direction. Her smile widening just a little bit, she gave a tiny shrug and strolled over to join him. He swallowed a little nervously as the stunning lady actually sat primly on the back of the couch, only a few inches from where his arm was resting. She then graced him with a happy smile.

"That's very sweet of you to ask. Which training were you wondering about, my medical training, or my martial training?"

He scratched his head at the question for a moment. He'd nearly forgotten that she was getting lessons from Cyborg too, since Robin had been making such a big production of his _combat training _lately.

"Hmm, how's your stuff going with Cy? We don't really hear anything about that, since Robin is always bragging about what a great teacher he is," he inquired teasingly.

Kasumi tapped a graceful finger against her chin in thought. "Now that you mention it, Robin's training _has _been taking up more and more of my time lately. Unfortunately, it hasn't given me nearly as much time as I would like to spend with Victor. Robin insists that the simply _excruciating _schedule he set for us shouldn't last for much longer, but I would dearly like to devote more of my time to my medical studies."

Beast Boy nodding agreeably.

"Heh, I bet. I mean, I don't even know why he's teaching you to fight in the first place. I mean, you're so nice I doubt there's a person on the planet that'd want to hurt you."

The young woman rolled her eyes in fond amusement. "Now you're just being silly. After all of that nasty business with the Headmaster, I can understand perfectly well why Robin would be so worried. I just wish he wouldn't be so . . . consumed by it."

Beast Boy chuckled weakly. "Heh, well, that's Robin for you. That guy gets obsessed at the drop of a hat. You're just lucky you weren't here when _Slade _was still around. I mean, sheesh, some of the stuff Robbie pulled even had _Starfire _upset with him."

Kasumi covered the tiny, shocked 'o' that her mouth had become with her fingers. "Oh my! That's terrible. I certainly hope he doesn't do something like that again on my account. Those two would make such an adorable couple."

He waved his hand in dismissal of her worries. "Meh, don't worry about those two. They're pretty much guaranteed to end up together. I mean, she's always forgiven him before, and it's not like there's anyone else that Star gets all moon-eyed over."

Hand still covering her mouth, Kasumi tittered lightly. "Well, then if you believe it, then I don't have anything to worry abo-"

The familiar sound of the elevator door sliding open interrupted their conversation and heralded the arrival of another early morning enthusiast. Except the person that arrived was even less of a morning person that Beast Boy himself was.

Raven floated into the room, making her way unerringly for the kitchenette counter and the teakettle that rested there. Something seemed slightly off about the young woman to the emerald changeling. Asides from the super early morning thing, there seemed to be an unusual look on Raven's face, a tightness around her eyes and a paleness of her cheeks that struck him as even tighter and more pale than usual . . .

The violet haired Titan spent several moments filling the kettle from the sink and setting the water to boiling. Then, with a start, she looked up, as if just realizing that she wasn't actually alone. Raven's gaze swung over to take in the sight of Kasumi and Beast Boy sitting rather close together on the couch, and to Beast Boy's tired eyes, he could have sworn there was a vaguely haunted look in those bottomless violet orbs.

Beast Boy looked up to the woman sitting by his side to see if Kasumi had noticed anything odd. Only to see something equally odd when he did. Kasumi was staring right back at Raven, only the sunny smile she had been wearing for him was gone, replaced by a very strained looking smile indeed. The two women maintained the staring contest for a moment that seemed to drag on about a dozen moments too long for Beast Boy's taste.

Raven broke eye contact first, giving out a weary sigh and returning her attention back to her warming water.

"Do either of you know if Ryouga is back from Terra's cave yet? I was hoping to speak with him this morning." There was an odd tone in her voice that Beast Boy couldn't place for the life of him.

He was about to reply, when Kasumi cut him off, her smile widening slightly.

"Good morning to you too, Raven. I'm afraid I haven't seen him since dinner yesterday. It wouldn't surprise me if he spent the entire night with Terra _again_. You know how stubborn that boy can be when he has his mind set on something . . . don't you, Raven?"

Beast Boy felt his jaw working up and down slowly, unable to produce a sound. Everything _seemed_ to be perfectly normal in the room around him, but his instincts were screaming at him that a battle was being waged beyond his ability to comprehend, and that where he was sitting was _not _a good place to be. His urge to flee for no discernible reason at all was so strong, that it almost made him forget what he was about to say.

"Um, actually Kasumi, Ry-"

Something odd happened then, just as he was about to make his dramatic revelation. Kasumi turned back to face him . . . and she _shrugged_. It wasn't just a normal, shrug, either, it was a shrug which lifted her shoulders and brought them an inch or two closer together. This innocuous act produced a number of _secondary reactions_ which proved absolutely devastating on Beast Boy's cognitive functions, including his ability to speak.

"Garfield, would you be a _dear_ and find me the T-Slow Cooker? Victor didn't tell me where he stored it."

Apparently his susceptibility to suggestion had been seriously affected as well, as he dumbly nodded and stumbled his way to the kitchen area.

Raven observed the exchange, totally ignorant to what had just occurred, and watched him begin to root through the cupboards in his furtive search.

"Well?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

Beast Boy didn't even register her interrogative and just kept on looking for the elusive cooking device. It wouldn't even have helped if Cyborg alphabetized the kitchen, either, since he named all of stupid inventions the 'T-this' or the 'T-that'.

Behind him, Raven stared at him expectantly for another moment, before shooting a dark look Kasumi's way. The Tendo woman just smiled all the wider for it, her smile no longer bearing the strained look it had. Finally, Raven let out a long, weary sigh.

"Forget it, I'm going to talk to Ranma."

Kasumi nodded, still smiling that odd little smile of hers.

"I'm certain that he'll be quite happy to hear from you. Please tell him that I said hello, and to say hello to Akane for me."

Raven locked stares with Kasumi for another long moment, but again was the first to relent. It was hard to stare into the serene, perpetually smiling face of the Tendo woman for any length of time without feeling the desire to get sick all over the kitchen counter.

"Of course, Kasumi . . . and, have a good morning."

Quickly filling her tea cup with the lukewarm water, Raven retreated to the elevator and made her escape.

Approximately seven seconds later, Beast Boy leapt up, holding his prey above his head in triumph. The gleaming silver T-Slow Cooker shone brightly in the morning sun and he displayed his quarry for all to see . . .

"Wait a minute," he mused in confusion, "Wasn't Raven just here?"

'Whoa', that was odd; it sure felt like he'd just missed something. He could have sworn that Raven had been standing right on the other side of the kitchenettes' island counter.

"Oh, she had to run. She said she was going to speak with Ranma, again. Thank you for your help, by the way," Kasumi replied sweetly.

He smiled happily and waved off her compliment. "Ah, t'weren't nothing. But, I should go tell Raven that Ryo is in his room. Heck, I should know, I brought him in last night."

Kasumi finally rose from her perch on the couch to join him in the kitchen. She deftly plucked the T-Slow Cooker from his hands and placed it carefully on the counter beside the other things she had gathered already.

"Is that so?" she asked in a perky tone, "Now don't I feel silly for making such a rash assumption. Still, I'm certain that if she _really _wanted to speak with Ryouga, she would have just used her communicator to find out where he was."

Well, he could hardly fault her logic on that point. Still, he couldn't help but get a strange feeling that there was something odd going on between Raven and Kasumi. He couldn't put his finger on it, since Kasumi acted just as sweetly as always around Raven and Raven acted just as sour as always around Kasumi . . . but there was just something - Aw heck he just had no idea.

"So, you want any more help? I'm always good for an extra pair of hands, or two - or four," he offered proudly, transforming into an emerald octopus to prove his point.

Kasumi giggled as he changed back.

"My, I've cooked with Octopi before, but never like _that_." She smiled an impish smile as he paled slightly at her insinuation. "I appreciate the offer, but you go on back to your videogame and have fun, I'm sure I can handle this on my own."

He shrugged and nodded agreeably. Heck, he wasn't even sure why he offered to help her cook _meat _in the first place. What had he been thinking? As quickly as possible, the emerald changeling made his way back to the couch and picked up his forgotten controller. Soon enough, he had another map picked out and his pixilated warrior was marching through the desert wastes in search of things to frag.

Still, something was nagging at the back of his mind, keeping him from focusing on the game.

"_Soooo," _he drawled over his shoulder, "What do you think of Raven and Ryouga, eh?"

The sounds of an unidentified vegetable being diced by a razor sharp blade rang out in rapid succession behind him for several seconds before he received an answer.

"I think they would make a . . . cute couple." The answer _sounded _sincere, and Kasumi certainly wouldn't lie to him. "However, it takes more than that to make a relationship work."

He'd had this conversation a few times with Cyborg, since his buddy seemed to be of the same mind as Kasumi on the subject, though he never really explained his _reason _for thinking so. Beast Boy actually paused his game this time and spun around to face the Tendo woman as she continued to prepare the day's lunch.

"What makes you say that? They both seem to like each other a lot, not to mention they're two of the gloomiest people I know, so they got a lot in common, to boot."

With great care, Kasumi laid the gleaming knife on the counter and turned to face him. A weak smile still adorned her lips, but it didn't quite seem to reach her eyes.

"Garfield, sometimes having things in common is a good thing, but not necessarily all of the time. Sometimes it is the differences between two people that draw them closer together."

He scratched his head at that, not quite sure what she meant.

"Sooo, you're saying that Raven and Ryouga being alike is a bad thing?"

Kasumi let out a weary sigh.

"No, nothing like that. I believe their common traits would let them be good friends, but I'm not sure that they could make each other truly happy in . . ._ that _way."

'Ahhhh . . .' He raised an inquisitive finger . . .

"Ahhhh . . . you lost me."

The brunette stared at him for a moment, incomprehension in her eyes. Again, Kasumi abandoned her culinary efforts and joined him on the couch. This time she actually walked around the piece of furniture to sit directly beside him and took one his hands in her own.

"Garfield, don't feel bad for being confused. I'm doing a very poor job of explaining things. I don't exactly have a lot of experience myself. However, let me try to explain it a different way."

He nodded dumbly, doing everything in his power to stop himself from blushing at the sensation of her hands on his. Again, the lovely Tendo woman regained her genuine, caring smile, tilting her head to the side slightly. She seemed to think about something for several moments, before finally beginning to speak.

"Now, Garfield, imagine there are two people that really love pie-"

"_Done_!" Hey, this was an explanation that he could really relate to.

Kasumi shook her head in amusement before continuing.

"Now, if these two people go to a restaurant and order pie together, they would both enjoy the pie equally, enjoying what they had in common; that would make them both very happy, right?"

He nodded frantically. Been there, done that.

"Now, say there are two people that really hate pie-"

"That's _impossible_!"

This time she glared at him mildly, prompting him, politely, to shut his trap.

"Now, let's say that these two people went to that same restaurant and ordered dinner and got pie for desert. They would both refuse to eat the pie, and be equally unhappy with receiving the pie. Tell me, would the fact that they have a dislike for pie, together, make them happy at all?"

He thought about that, long and hard, and the answer was blatantly obvious.

"No, probably not. They'd probably both be complaining about the pie so much, that they wouldn't be able to enjoy anything else . . . whoa . . ."

Kasumi giggled lightly. "I hope my example wasn't too silly, but I think you're starting to understand what I mean. Having something nice in common can be a very good thing, but having something negative in common might not be. Sometimes we need people that are different from us, if only so they can help balance us out. After all, if someone that hates pie goes for dinner with someone that likes pie and that happened, what do you think would be the result?"

The changeling let out a bark of excited laughter. "Ha! That's an easy one! The person that hates pie would give it to the person that likes pie. That way they'd both get something they wanted, one of them would get more pie, and one of them would probably get a peck on the cheek for being so nice."

At that moment, Beast Boy completely and utterly lost his battle against blushing as Kasumi leaned in and gave him a playful peck on the cheek. Before he even had the chance to regain any semblance of normalcy, the lovely Tendo woman rose to her feet and started to make her way back to the kitchen, light hearted giggles trailing behind her.

"I don't think I could have put it better myself. Now, I hope you understand my thoughts, if only a bit, and know that it most certainly isn't anything personal."

Beast Boy nodded enthusiastically and gave her a quick thumbs up. "Sure thing, Kasumi. Now all we gotta do is figure out if Ryouga hates pie or not, so we can figure out who he likes!"

Kasumi's world weary sigh was cut off by the whisk of the elevator door sliding open yet again. The rectangular sheets of metal slid apart to reveal the unusually cheerful face of Ryouga Hibiki, who then proceeded to stride into the room with an unusual spring in his step. A little on edge by the fact that there were now _two _people acting slightly odd this morning, Beast Boy asked the first question that came to mind.

"Hey, Ryo! Do you hate pie?"

Ryouga stopped in mid-springy-step to stare at him. A look of utter confusion flashed across the _other _fanged boy's face, only to be replaced by a look of sheer disbelief.

"What? How could _anyone _possibly hate pie, Beast Boy?"

Kasumi's hand rose up, as if she was about to say something, but then the young woman simply shook her head in helpless amusement and returned back to her work.

"Good morning, Ryouga. You seem to be in a good mood today."

Hibiki continued to stare at Beast Boy strangely for another moment, before shaking his head several times and turning his attention to the Tendo woman.

"Good morning to you, too, Kasumi. And yeah, I guess I am in a pretty good mood. Speaking of which, do you guys know if Raven is up yet? I was hoping I could talk to her this morning; that and it's her turn to take me down to Terra's cave."

Well, that sounded fine by Beast Boy, anything that involved getting Terra back to normal was always a positive in his book. He was about to offer to take the Lost Boy to the Goth girl's room, when Kasumi stepped back into the conversation.

"Are you certain about that, Ryouga? I can take you down now if you like. I've noticed you've been . . . well, hesitant to speak to Raven lately."

Ryouga blushed in embarrassment at her rather accurate assessment of his actions over the past week. Even Beast Boy had noticed the cold shoulders and colder stares that had been passing between the two darker Titans, though it was mostly a one way chill factor.

Kicking his toe into the floor nervously, Ryouga began to run his hand through the hair at the back of his head. "Umm, yeah, well, that was kind of what I wanted to talk to her about. You see, now that I've had some time to think about it, I realized that I – I may have been acting really unfair towards her lately and I wanted to . . . to apologize . . ."

Kasumi tilted her head in curiosity. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Well, I was a little annoyed with her for a comment she made, but now that I've cooled off, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean what I thought she meant by it, so the way I've been acting lately may have been a little . . . jerkish, I guess."

Kasumi nodded, smiling sweetly. "That's very mature of you, Ryouga. Why don't I take you up to her room right now? I'm sure she won't mind the interruption as long as it's you."

Ryouga looked at her oddly. "Interruption? What are you talking about?"

Beast Boy was kind of wondering that as well.

The Tendo woman innocently tapped a long finger to her chin in deep contemplation. "Well, Raven told us that she was going to speak with Ranma this morning, in fact, she's probably speaking with him right this minute. We all know how much she dislikes being interrupted when she's conversing with him, but I'm certain she'll make an exception for you."

Beast Boy vaguely recalled something along those lines being said . . . though it was all a little fuzzy for some reason. However, as helpful and innocent as Kasumi's explanation was, Ryouga didn't seem to take it that way at all. Right before the changeling's eyes, the cheery, light expression that had been alighting on the Lost Boy's face was slowly crushed beneath a dark weight which seemed to drag the guy's entire body down towards the earth.

"She's speaking to _Ranma_, again?" His words held a rather sharp bite to them which Beast Boy wasn't sure he liked.

Completely oblivious to the effects her words were having, Kasumi nodded, smiling happily, even as she continued to prepare Cyborg's chili. "Oh my, yes. Those two must have so much to talk about, the way they're always chatting back and forth. Isn't it nice to know that Raven and Ranma are such close friends now?"

Ryouga smiled a mildly terrifying smile that didn't come within a million miles of reaching his eyes.

"Yes . . . _nice_ . . ."

Still smiling as cutely as could be, Kasumi quickly grabbed a nearby cloth and wiped off her hands.

"Well, let me take you up to her room. I'm certain she'll be _just _as happy to speak to you as she is to speak to Ranma."

Just as Kasumi was about to remove her apron, Ryouga quickly leaned over the counter and placed his hand on hers to stop her.

"No, that's fine, Kasumi, I wouldn't want to _interrupt _her and Ranma. I'll just go find Cyborg; the T-Car will get me there faster than walking, and the sooner I start, _the better_."

Beast Boy agreed with the statement, though the way it was said left him feeling a rime of ice crusting his soul. Unfortunately, the potent combination of shock and sleep deprivation left him sitting in confusion long enough for Ryouga to make his way back into the elevator before he could think to offer to fly the Lost Boy to Terra's cave himself. The changeling almost considered going after Hibiki, if only to see if he was alright, but wasn't sure how close he'd get to the elevator before he dropped. Instead, he turned his attention to the humming Tendo woman.

"Ummm, Kasumi? Are you sure Ryouga is gonna be okay? I mean, you didn't tell him anything he didn't already know . . . but, he sure switched gears from loving pie to hating it pretty quick."

Kasumi turned her gaze his ways, her eyes rolling in amusement.

"Oh, Garfield. That's just how Ryouga is. I'm sure he'll be over it before he even reaches Terra's cave."

Beast Boy looked at her oddly. Was this the same Ryouga that declared a bread feud and hounded Saotome across China for revenge that she was talking about? Still, she had known the guy for way longer than him, so who was he to question her? Something about the entire morning was rubbing him the wrong way so far, but it still wasn't anything that he could actually put his sleep addled finger on, so he just shuffled it to the back of his mind for re-analysis when he wasn't only half conscious from playing video games all night.

That in mind, he resolved to rectify the situation in the only way he could, by turning his attention back to said video game he'd been playing all night and picking up where he left off. Within minutes, he regained his trance like state of concentration, with the new addition of Kasumi's soothing humming blending quietly into the background as he played.

The pleasant circumstances lasted for a good hour or two.

As was inevitable, though, the relative peace was destined to be broken. The next opening of the elevator door actually shocked Beast Boy out of a state of obliviousness so deep, that the changeling hadn't even realized that Kasumi had finished whatever she was doing in the kitchen (the details were pretty fuzzy on that) and the demure woman was actually sitting beside him on the couch, engrossed in a text book and still humming that same soothing tune.

As one, the two couch surfers turned to greet their next morning companion.

"Good morning, Robin."

"Howzits goins, _duuude_ . . .?"

'Wow', Kasumi's greeting hadn't sounded very coherent to Beast Boy at all. Maybe she was feeling sleepy?

Robin took a moment to survey the situation, taking in the simmering crock pot of something that Beast Boy felt he really should have recognized, Kasumi's smiling face and finally, Beast Boy's rather dubious state. The masked hero shook his head sadly.

"Morning, Kasumi." The Boy Wonder then turned to glare his way. "Beast Boy, tell me you didn't stay up all night playing that game, again."

Beast Boy considered his options quickly - then, smiling widely-

"_Okies_!"

-he turned his back on the masked Titan and went back to the playing of said video games.

Robin let out a helpless groan of disgust, but really, what could he do? So, instead, Robin turned his attention back to the only female present.

"The chili smells really good, Kasumi. How's it coming along?"

Kasumi gently rested her book on her lap and turned a little more fully to face the young man.

"It's coming along quite well, I believe. It needs to simmer for several hours, though, so I've been spending some quality time with Garfield."

Beast Boy peered at her curiously.

"You _have_?"

Her lip quirked up into an amused smirk.

"I _haven't_?"

"Ah, touché."

"Why thank you."

Robin rolled his eyes at their barely sensible repartee.

"Well, if it's still got a few hours, why don't we get some training in before it's ready, then?"

Beast Boy waved him off in annoyance.

"Dude, seriously, are you joking? I doubt I'd make it off the couch in one piece at this point."

Beside him, Kasumi giggled conspiratorially, while Robin shot him an eerie, pupil-less glare.

"I wasn't talking to _you_, Beast Boy. I was asking Kasumi."

The changeling offered the woman beside him an apologetic shrug; he'd tried, at least. Kasumi replied with a thankful smile, then looked to Robin, then down to the book in her lap, then finally back to Beast Boy again. In a private little gesture, for him and him alone, the lovely brunette rolled her eyes and let out a tiny sigh. She then donned a wide smile and turned back to Robin.

"Of course, Robin, that sounds like a wonderful idea."

Kasumi then rose to her feet and carefully placed her book on the couch, right beside Beast Boy, as if making a silent promise that she would be back, hopefully sooner than later.

"Can you keep an eye on lunch for me, Garfield? You shouldn't need to do anything, but just in case, okay?"

He nodded agreeably.

"Sure thing, Kasumi. You two crazy kids go on and have fun."

This time, the rolling of her eyes was all for him. Then, in the next moment of his half oblivious state of mind, the dynamic duo vanished from the room in a blur of motion.

Once again, the serenity that could only be provided by the dispensation of High Definition Doom unto unsuspecting strangers ruled his roost. He had no idea how long this stretch lasted, as his ability to quantify the passage of linear time had been lost . . . yestermorroyear?

This time, it actually took a hand on his shoulder to break him free from his unholy love affair with the Gamestation. Luckily, he maintained at least the motor functions necessary to turn his head.

The sight of Cyborg recoiling at the sight of him was actually pretty darn funny, prompting the emerald changeling to start giggling in a slightly unhinged manner.

"Holy _Jeez_, BB, _go to bed_!"

Beast Boy shook his head from side to side in a bout of drunken stubbornness. "Ah, common, Styborga, just Repnak-Ba'an more minutes . . ."

His best friend stared at him in confusion for approximately three nanoseconds . . . or was it five Baker's minutes? Man, a bakery would be pretty sweet right about now.

"Okay, man, you are officially beyond help. Before you totally crash out, though, can ya tell me if ya know where Kasumi is? I'm supposed to be schoolin her medical wise today."

Beast Boy racked his brain for a really short eternity.

"Aha! Robin took Kasumi to Jim's for train sets!"

It took Cyborg thirteen and a half moments to sort through the shape shifter's helpful explanation, but when he finally did, the titanium Titan snapped his fingers in annoyance.

"_Dang it_! He did it _again!_ Does Robin have even a clue how much he's crampin my style lately? I mean, geez, if the guy is so desperate for a lady to throw down on the mats for some advanced grappling, why doesn't he just go grab Star?"

Beast Boy offered his buddy a sympathetic word.

"Whuu?"

Or, at least he tried.

Cyborg groaned loudly. "Man, this is so unfair. Just cuz he's the boss means he gets to say who does what? Well, might as well hit the lab then, since there ain't anything _else _to do."

The changeling nodded his support.

"Bhuu."

"And, Dawg, seriously, _go to bed_. I don't want you droolin all over my couch _again_."

And then, before Beast Boy even had the time to formulate a suitable reply, his friend vanished into the mists of time . . . or he took the stairs, one of those two things for sure.

Alone again, in the (relative) silence of the cavernous main room, the changeling had to admit, even in his current state, that he missed Kasumi's quiet humming. Even though it had hardly even been audible over the sounds of the Game Station, it had still sounded so nice and warm and fuzzy . . . it almost reminded him of someone . . . from . . . some time . . .

He didn't have time to lose track of the world this time, though, since almost immediately after one door closed with Cyborg's exit, another door opened with Starfire's entrance.

Sheesh, what was this: Revolving Door Day?

"I bid you morning greetings, friend Beast Boy."

"Mornin', Star," he replied a little more coherently than he had for Cyborg.

With graceful ease, the Tamaranian female floated around the couch until she was _almost _blocking his view of the television. Even his sleep addled mind could make out the stubbornly optimistic expression on her face . . . and the weathered pair of tickets clutched in her hand. He stared at both Starfire and the tickets warily.

"What up, Star?" he asked as casually as possible.

Starfire took in a deep breath, apparently steeling herself for what she was about to ask. Internally, Beast Boy began to quail helplessly-

"Do you know where Robin is? I have already checked his room, but he was not present and I wish to ask him to accompany me to the cinema of movies so that we may enjoy the comedic misunderstandings of the Hugh Grant in his furtive attempts to find romance while consuming heavily buttered popcorn and sitting in close proximity to one another . . ." Finally, Starfire's lungs gave out on her, leaving the girl gasping for breath after her verbal landslide.

Beast Boy did his best to sort through the spiel, which probably would have been trying at the best of times, but finally managed to pull out the pertinent information he needed.

"Oh, _thank God_!" He let out an explosive sigh of relief. He'd thought she was asking _him _again.

The sight of Starfire's eyes narrowing (and glowing) quickly reminded him that she was still standing directly before him. The sudden threat of physical bodily harm sent a pleasant surge of adrenaline through his system and helped to clear his mind slightly.

"Ahh, what I meant to say, was that he's down in the Gym with Kasumi. I think someone said they were practicing advanced grappling-" He giggled in a somewhat disturbing manner as he thought that one over- "Heh, _I _wouldn't mind teaching Kasumi some advanced grappling, if you know what I mean."

Starfire quirked an eyebrow as she looked at him strangely.

"I do not. Your lack of knowledge and experience with advanced grappling forms would make it impossible for you to teach Kasumi in any meaningful way."

"Ouch, Star . . . just ouch."

The alien girl sent him another look, this one apparently questioning his fleeting sanity. A moment later, she shook off the absurdity of his antics and a slightly glum expression came to settle on her normally care-free features.

"So, Robin and Kasumi are doing the training . . . again?"

Beast Boy shrugged in helpless agreement.

"_Tell me about it_! I'm ticked cuz Kasumi's humming was really nice, Cy's ticked cuz they had a lesson today, and _I'm _ticked, cuz Kasumi's humming was really nice!"

"Umm, Beast Boy, you already stated-"

"And what's he even bothering for?" he asked, arms flailing, "Kasumi's, like, the nicest person on the planet, even nicer than you, Star, so who's gonna wanna hurt her?"

Beast Boy's ranting did not have the desired effect.

"She is . . . nicer, than me?"

'Backpeddle, backpeddle now, _damnit_!'

"_No_! That's not what I meant! I mean, it's just that she's so pretty, y'know? Who'd wanna bruise up that face?"

'_Crap_!' He realized his mistake before Starfire even said a word.

"She is . . . _prettier _than me?"

"Argh! No! Of course not, Star! It's just that - that-"

That what? Taller? More Human? A better cook?

No! No! _No!_

"She's just got more – more-" He clutched the air in front of his chest in a very visual manner. "_Experience_! Yeah, that's it!"

Except, the look on his lovely companion's face, rather than brighten up with cheer, descended straight from merely melancholy all the way to crestfallen.

"She is more mature than me, that is it, is it not?"

"Yes! _Wait – no_! It's just- she's just . . . Awww, _Star_, come back!"

His plaintiff wail fell on deaf ears, as the flame haired young woman floated morosely out of one of the side doors. He considered chasing after her; however, considering his track record, even when he was at top form, the odds of him actually making the situation better were pretty much nil.

The emerald changeling turned back to the Gamestation and glared at the controller in his hand.

"This is all _your _fault," he muttered darkly to the traitorous machine.

Well, he was pretty sure he'd managed to cause as much damage as possible for _one _morning.

Screw it, he was going to bed.

* * *

Robin took a long, refreshing swig from his water bottle before leaning back on the bench to rest his head against the cool metal of the gymnasium wall. He had a pretty good sweat going, but was actually feeling a little better than usual after his morning workout. Kasumi, who was lying on the floor at his feet, looking exhausted; breaths coming in ragged gasps, likely didn't share his sentiment. Seeing her in such an undignified state was still a strange sight for the Boy Wonder to take in. It made her seem more . . . human somehow; not quite the image of perfection which he'd built up around her.

He did feel a little bad for pushing her so hard, especially since part of his motivation was quite selfish. It _was _important that she be able to defend herself, he was just exaggerating the timeline a bit. Still, she was in _amazing _shape, especially for a home keeper. It made him wonder if some aspect of a super martial artist's abilities were genetic. Considering her conditioning and her learning curve, she had a good chance of catching up to him in a few years.

As if to prove his point, Kasumi chose that moment to sit up, already looking well on her way to recovery after only a few minutes of rest. The gi clad brunette then pushed herself to her feet and moved to sit beside him in a very prim manner.

"So, Robin, now that we've had our workout, don't you think it's past time for you to stop avoiding Starfire and accept her invitation to that movie already?"

"Gah!" Robin clutched his chest in shock as the seemingly oblivious woman cut right to the heart of his scheme like she'd known of it the entire time.

The eldest Tendo sister played her role well, leveling a disapproving gaze his way.

"And don't you even _try _that clichéd stammering denial. I've seen more than my fair share of that over the past two years, and it _never _works."

He considered making the attempt regardless, but then let his shoulders sag in defeat as he released a weak sigh. Looking up to catch her eyes, feeling more than a little guilty, he felt compelled to ask.

"So, how long have you known?"

Kasumi rolled her eyes in amusement.

"You may have tipped me off around the time you said 'That new _romantic comedy_?'. You know, for a world class detective and a master of disguise, you certainly aren't very good at hiding your feelings."

The young hero felt his cheeks heat up, though he wasn't sure if it was from the reprimand, or from the fact that he'd been found out so easily-

"Wait a minute! That was last week, before we'd even started. If you knew, why did you go along with it?"

The young woman smiled fondly, then caught him off guard by running her fingers through his spiky hair. He didn't recoil this time; it was something she did rarely, but he'd gotten used to the intimacy of the contact . . . as long as it was her that was doing it.

"Because, as _boyish_ as it is to hide your feelings like that, I know you wouldn't have suggested this training regimen if it wasn't actually necessary. That, and I knew it would make you happy."

His blush doubled as she drew her hand back from his hair only to pinch his cheek.

"T-thanks, Kasumi. That was really cool of you to do. Still, you didn't have to do that just to make me happy . . ."

Kasumi's lips shifted from fond smile to impish smirk.

"Well, doing something that you might not want to do, to make someone else happy is what a _good_ friends does."

Robin let out a long groan. "Ohhhhh, I see how it is. This is where the life lesson gets learned and I end up feeling like even more of a heel than I do already, right?"

The brunette nodded energetically, her smirk taunting him with its soft smugness.

He let out a weary sigh. If only it were as simple as the lovely Tendo woman believed . . .

"Kasumi . . . this is really hard for me to say, but I really _did _want to go see that movie with Star. I wanted to go so much it hurts. Heck, I even sat through that Hot Dog documentary, because she wanted to see it"

The Tendo woman paled slightly at the mention of the documentary, but forced herself to carry on.

"But, then why didn't you go?"

"It's hard to explain, it doesn't even all make sense in my head. All I can say is, that we're heroes, y'know?"

Kasumi's head swung slowly from side to side, indicating that she did _not_.

"Ahhh . . .well-" he steeled his resolve for what he was about to say, "Kasumi. What we do is important, very important. We help people, we save lives, we are _heroes_. Our line of work doesn't leave much time for extraneous activities, we don't get vacations, we can't let ourselves be distracted from our duties by _anything_, no matter how much we might like it . . . especially me."

"Because you are the leader?"

He nodded once, but it soon shifted into a slow swinging from side to side.

"Yes . . . and no. I am responsible for everyone, true, so if I make a mistake it could very easily hurt everyone on the team. I can't afford to let my emotions control me in my position. But that's not the whole of it . . ."

He gazed down at his ungloved hands, stared at the soft, pink skin that stretched across the backs of his hands. It was so fresh and tender looking, from spending endless hours sealed within his near ever present gloves. Such a meager layer of cells seemed a woefully fragile defense against the harsh cruelties of the world.

"More than anyone else, _I _can't afford to make a mistake, any mistake. I-it was easier to ignore before - before Ryouga joined us. Back then, I was the best fighter on the team, the only _real _martial artist. Sure, I knew there were people better then me, but _Ryouga! _Meeting him reminded me just how . . . normal I was."

Kasumi gasped in shock.

"But, Robin, that's just not true. You are an exceptional young man."

He nodded, a humorless smile on his lips.

"Yeah . . . and I used to think that was enough. I mean, at least with Batman, I knew that, in time, I could catch up, even surpass him. But with Ryouga, and Ranma, and all the others like them, I'll _never _attain that level. And even if I did, by that time, they would have grown so far beyond it that it would be exactly the same . . ."

He felt a comforting hand rest on his shoulder.

"But with Cologne's training, and Ryouga's help, surely you can-"

He shook his head slowly.

"I'd like to say yes, but, it would be naïve – foolish even, to think that someone that started so much later could catch up to warriors that have dedicated their entire lives to the art, with just a few months of intensive training.

"But that's not even the point, it's just that . . . I can't fly, I can't fire energy blasts, I definitely can't get punched _through _a concrete wall and just brush off the rubble like it was nothing. _All _that I have is my skill, and my faith in myself . . . and frankly, the latter has been a bit shaken lately."

A look of comprehension dawned on his companion's lovely face.

"So, this training has been as much for you as it has for me, is that it?"

He nodded sheepishly.

"Of everyone here, you're in the most similar position to me. An ordinary person thrust into extraordinary circumstances. So I hope you can understand how I feel. It's not that I don't like Star . . . I _do_ . . . but can I really afford to let anything happen between us? I mean, what happens if I get too involved and it affects my judgment?"

He rose to his feet and started to pace anxiously.

"What if I turn my back on Cyborg in a fight because I'm worried that Starfire _might _be in danger? What if I see someone about to blast Star, and the first thing I think to do is push her out of the way and the energy blast that might have bruised her blows me into meaty chunks? What if – what if . . ."

So lost in his increasingly grim vision of the future was he, that he nearly walked straight into Kasumi, who gently rested her hands on his shoulders to stop his frantic pacing.

"Robin, please stop. You're going to worry yourself sick if you keep this up."

He looked up to her, a twisting tightness in his chest.

"But – but -"

She shook her head firmly.

"Just put all of that nonsense out of your mind. You know very well that you would never leave Victor in danger, no matter the circumstances. And you are also a very intelligent young man that is keenly aware of his limitations. Besides, you already feel strongly for Starfire, don't bother denying it, so I'm sure you've dealt with both of those situations countless times before and dealt with them all calmly and professionally. Having faith in your friend's strength is just as important as believing in yourself, after all."

He considered that. It did make sense. He knew that each of his friends were more than capable of taking care of themselves, and he knew that they felt the same way about him. Kasumi then placed a finger under his chin and lifted his gaze to match hers.

"Remember, you help people, Robin, you bring hope and happiness into the hearts of those people that truly need a hero . . . but what does it all mean if you can't make those closest to you happy as well?"

The alien thought brought him up short. What exactly did she mean? Was he really more concerned for strangers than for his friends? No, that wasn't it, couldn't be it. He cared about everyone one of the Titans more than he had imagined possible when they had first been forced together as a team.

"I . . . I don't know . . ."

"Shhh, shhh . . ." Kasumi drew the young hero into a comforting hug, resting his head on her bosom as she whispered into his ear. "Don't try to figure everything out all at once. These things take time, even for 'ordinary' people like ourselves. You take as long as you need to sort out your feelings. I know that Starfire will wait for you."

Robin relished the warmth of the young woman's tender embrace, drowned in the feeling of security that enveloped him. For someone who had always been so self reliant, it was a strange, almost uncomfortable sensation . . . but, as long as it was Kasumi, he didn't mind. Of course, if Cyborg or Beast Boy chose that moment to walk in, he'd be forced to kill them both on the spot.

"I'm so glad that I finally told you how I feel, Kasumi. It feels so _good _to finally get it all out into the open like that, like I can breathe again."

Kasumi smiled down at him.

"I'm so glad that you told me, as well. Though, I think you should tell Starfire at some point. She's a big girl, so I'm certain that she'll understand your feelings."

He nodded absently, still enjoying the simple pleasure of human contact that didn't involve the subsonic collision of fist and face.

"I will . . . eventually. I just don't know how to tell her about this yet."

Finally, Kasumi released him from her embrace and pushed him back to arm's length.

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. Now, why don't we go get cleaned up? Lunch should be ready soon and I don't particularly want to eat while smelling like this."

To drive her point home, the young woman gingerly pinched the shoulder of her gi top and lifted it slightly. Her nose wrinkled cutely in apparent dissatisfaction with the current odor it was giving off.

He chuckled quietly to himself, feeling better than he had in quite some time. Sure, he still had a lot of stuff to figure out, but at least he knew he wasn't alone in his 'normalcy'.

"That sounds great."

* * *

Starfire floated down a random hallway, feeling more alone than she could ever remember since her misadventure into the future with the villainous Warp. Honestly, she did not even have an idea which hallway she was floating down. It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything aside from the nearly unrecognizable remains of the tickets which she clutched so desperately to her chest. Really, though, misplacing herself in the hallways of her own home, perhaps she was emulating her would-be brother incrementally more than was necessary.

That errant thought wormed its way through her gloomy mindset and managed to lift her flagging spirit . . . if only a little. Despite everything which had been occurring as of late, or _not _occurring, she knew that her Lost Boy would be untouched by it, that he would be there to support her, if she but asked. Certainly, he appeared to be going through a 'rough patch', was it?, with Raven. However, as much as she had a vested interest in the outcome of that match, it was no more her business than what occurred (or did not) between herself and Robin was any of Ryouga's business.

Somehow, the knowledge that she had the support of someone, no matter how silent, made her feel slightly less alone at that moment. It also helped to firm her resolve. She had promised herself to ask Robin one last time to join her and that was what she would do!

That in mind, she embarked on what turned out to be a most abridged journey to the gymnasium. In fact, without even realizing it, her random floating of mopeiness had delivered her to the very same floor upon which her quarry was located.

She giggled brightly; perhaps she was not acting so similar to Ryouga as she had assumed.

Quite happy with her unintentional efficiency, she glided soundlessly down the hallway to the main entrance of the massive exercise chamber-

"- so glad that I finally told you how I feel, Kasumi. It feels so _good _to finally get it all out into the open like that, like I can breathe again."

Starfire stopped dead in mid-float, her eyes widening at what was undoubtedly Robin's voice.

"I'm so glad that you told me, as well. Though, I think you should tell Starfire at some point. She's a big girl, so I'm certain that she'll understand your feelings."

The Tamaranian swallowed a shocked gasp at the mention of her name, and the fact that it was spoken in the voice of Kasumi. What did Robin need to tell her? What feelings were Robin unburdening upon the Tendo woman?

Apprehension clutched her heart and she felt an overpowering desire to flee before she could hear any more . . . yet she was drawn inexorably forward. With fearful reluctance, the Tamaranian edged towards the corner that signified the end of the corridor and the beginning of the gymnasium until, finally, she could just catch a glimpse of what was occurring within.

This time, she was forced to cover her mouth lest her shocked gasp alert half of the tower.

It was Robin, in the arms of that – that . . . she could not even think of an appropriate term. To her shame, she still could not find it in her heart to blame the older woman. After all, it was only too obvious why Robin would choose a perfect and beautiful woman like Kasumi over an alien freak such as herself . . .

But – but, perhaps she was misinterpreting things? Perhaps the situation was not as she imagined it to be-

"I will . . . eventually. I just don't know how to tell her about this yet."

Before she even realized what she was doing, Starfire was flying down the hallway as fast as the restrained space would allow, a comet tail of tears twinkling in her wake. Too fast, perhaps, as her shoulder slammed heavily into a random wall, caving in the frail metal in her blind retreat. She ignored the collateral damage and escaped out of the closest window that she could locate.

The alien girl soared over the city that had become her home, raining her misery over the people she had sworn to protect.

'How could he . . . how could she?'

Starfire bit back a sob. She _wanted _to feel betrayed, but that was not truly the case, was it? Though she had made her own feelings clearly known, Robin's feelings had always been shrouded in mystery, always sending conflicting signals of distance and affection which she could not understand. Had he _ever_ truly returned her feelings?

Had he ever been hers to lose in the first place?

That was a sobering thought, enough to bring her aimless flight to an end. She slowly lowered herself to the earth, mulling over that depressing thought even as she dashed her tears away. Perhaps she had read too much into Robin's previous actions? Perhaps her own desires had simply caused her to see only what she wished to see?

It did not make the pain any less, but it did allow her to put what she had seen into a strange kind of perspective. After all, she was not Robin's keeper, he was free to do as he wished. Nor was it a betrayal of her trust if Kasumi returned Robin's affections, since there was no true relationship for Kasumi to interfere with . . .

And if she actually believed that, she had a Buat'luk in Rigel Four to sell herself. .

Maybe it was just the shock of the situation, but she just did not know what to think, what to do. All she did know, was that she _needed _to do _something_ - talk to someone . . .

Finally, she looked up to take in her surroundings. A pained smile strained her lips at what she saw. Apparently her subconscious knew her better than she knew herself.

Before her loomed a very familiar cave, a long strip of bright yellow tape which read 'Absolutely Do Not Disturb' hanging across its mouth.

Well, that hardly applied to her, now did it?

Without a trace of hesitation, she glided over the meager defense and began her slow descent into the earth. Around her, responding to the signal of her communicator, pale lights adorning the walls of the cave flared to life to light her passage.

Her mind swirled with a thousand thoughts as she descended, her heart overflowed with a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Righteous fury eluded her, her affection for Robin was unchanged, just . . . shaken. Jealousy and envy battled friendship and camaraderie as she agonized over the images burned into her memory of Robin enveloped in Kasumi's arms.

A pained sigh escaped her lips.

It was no use; she loved them both far too much to ever hate them. But, then considering all that her own sister had done to her without losing her love, it hardly surprised the young Tamaranian. She was obviously too nice for her own good.

Maybe she needed to think of herself first, even if only once.

That thought brought her to the end of her journey. The narrow cave she had been floating through opened wide before her into a massive and intimately familiar cavern. Terra held her silent vigil at the heart of the cavern, just as she had been doing since her heroic saving of the city.

But where was Ryouga?

Her friend was nowhere to be seen. Curious, the Tamaranian floated further into the cavernous space to investigate. The Lost Boy's mountainous pile of pizza boxes remained stacked against one of the far walls, just as she remembered it. Finding nothing else immediately obvious, she continued to float to Terra's resting place.

She gave a tiny wave of her fingers and a melancholy smile of greeting to her frozen friend, then noticed something unusual. Littering the ground around the base of Terra's statue was an array of strange scrap materials: A small pile of plastic fragments that may have once been a bottle, a pile of white sand that looked to have been knocked apart and swept back together again many times, several shattered flower pots, a small steel plate with several small indentations suspiciously similar in size to a finger tip, and, finally, a small glass half filled with water-

Before Starfire could even begin to unravel the strange mystery so deliberately lain out before her, a sharp report echoed though the cavern. The sudden sound shocked a tiny 'eep' from her lips and she spun quickly to find the source. Despite the misleading echoes of the cavern, it did not take her long to find where it had come from.

Located at the distant end of the cavern, well clear of Terra's statue . . . and for some reason surrounded by a wide semi circle of tiny holes in the stone floor, was Ryouga. And for some reason, he was lying face down with limbs spread out across the igneous surface.

It looked, much to her amusement, as if the boy were attempting to hug the very earth itself.

Starfire hung in the air where she was, silently studying the Lost Boy's prone form. Strangely, it felt as if she were _truly _looking at him for the first time . . .

He was not asleep, that much was certain. Even with his cheek pressed firmly to the floor, she could see that his eyes were open, his pupils dilated so wide that she could scarcely see the exotic brown color that ringed them. Whatever it was that he was staring at, though, she had no idea.

The male was, she noted, actually quite handsome, in a rugged manner. Of course, she had always known that, but it had never really registered to her before, just as she had never really noted the more aesthetic features of Cyborg, Beast Boy, or Raven in any serious fashion before.

There was, of course, the rather shallow physical appeal of a specimen in such prime condition. Not even their friend, Aqualad, possessed such a toned, a more artistic soul might say _sculpted, _physique. And, while the Atlantean was undeniably . . . prettier, she found herself preferring Ryouga's roguish aesthetic.

More attractive to her was the young man's spirit. Even across the distance between them, his dark soul sang its sad, yet determined song to her. By no means were her fledgling senses as sharp or refined as Raven's and Ryouga's, but they were more than enough to feel his life energies flowing over and around her own as the warrior spread his aura throughout the cavern. It was forceful and desperate, holding a hint of malice that could not be washed away with the mere passage of time. The fading pain and loneliness that were buried at the core of his being drew her like a moth to a flame, filling her with the desire to consume his darkness with her light . . .

It was, somewhat ironically, very much the same way in which she felt for Raven. The only difference being that the violet haired Titan often went to great lengths to create distance between them, while Ryouga welcomed her into his life with arms wide open.

Then, there was her one guilty pleasure, her darkest secret which she had shared with no one. His raven hair, so very much like Robin's, yet at the same time so different. It was so exotic, so alien . . . so dangerous . . . just like her sister's. On Tamaran, black hair was all but unheard of. In all of her short lifetime, Starfire had only met one Tamaranian whom possessed hair of such inky darkness: her sister Blackfire. True, it was much more common on Earth, but her associations were already inescapably entrenched.

A petty little thought flitted across her mind: at least with Ryouga, she had not to fear smearing copious amounts of hair gel across her hand were she to run her fingers through his soft, untamed locks . . . unlike a certain _other _male, whom was so afraid of not being in control, _even_ _for a second_, that he felt compelled to lock his poor hair in place with such unnatural chemicals.

She quickly banished the unseemly thought, feeling bad for thinking such a thing, and returned her attention to the prone form of her close friend.

The Lost Boy looked to be concentrating very hard on . . . whatever it was that he was doing. For a moment, a wave of guilt washed over her. Her and her friends had possessed months to try to restore Terra, but how hard had they really tried? Certainly, tests had been run and experts visited, but once those had failed, then what? Had it merely been a token effort?

Yet here was a man that knew nothing of Terra, had never heard her laugh, never seen her shed a tear, never shared an embrace with her, who had no bonds of friendship to motivate him . . . working harder than anyone ever had to free their entombed Terra.

How could one person be so selfish, yet so selfless at the same time? So cruel to his enemies and compassionate to his friends? How could one person deceive the woman he believed he loved one moment, only to be ready to sacrifice his life for her the very next?

It was all so confusing and intriguing. Sometimes, she wanted to bludgeon the boy herself, sometimes she wanted to-

She cut off that line of thought quickly.

Honestly, she did not know what to think, but there _was_ one thing that she did know at that moment. Despite his remarkable resilience (for a human, at any rate) there was simply no way that he could possibly be comfortable lying as he was on that cold stone floor.

Well, at the very least there was something she could do about _that_.

A mischievous smile pulled at the corners of her lips.

* * *

Ryouga did his best to narrow his focus down even further, trying desperately to follow and map out the almost infinitesimal lines of energy which hung suspended between the much more visible breaking points, linking them into a massive and intricate web of unfathomable complexity. Perhaps if he could, then he could determine why he kept failing-

He started suddenly, as he felt a warm pressure unexpectedly lower onto his back. His first instinct was to throw off the weight and flip up to his feet – but somehow the meager weight on his back was pinning him to the ground with an unearthly strength that-

Immediately, Ryouga relaxed, rolling his eyes in fond annoyance. As soon as he stopped his struggling, he felt Starfire relax as well, nuzzling comfortably onto his back. She had also laid her legs to rest on top of his and slid her arms down until her hands wrapped around the backs of his, lacing her fingers between his own.

He turned his head slightly to see her smiling face only inches from his own, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Sheesh, Star, you scared the begeezus out of me!" he stated with a little more amusement than intended.

The flame haired female giggled teasingly into his ear.

"Heeheehee, perhaps you are not the master of the martial arts that you believed yourself to be, if someone as unskilled as I could catch you so off guard."

The fanged boy was about to retort - but was overcome by an irresistible urge to stretch out his limbs. Squeezing his fingers closed around his lovely companion's, he relished the life giving warmth radiating from her body, warmth that he hadn't even realized he was missing until that moment. A blissful sigh escaped his lips before he let out a weak chuckle.

"Heh, I'd hardly call you unskilled. Besides, that's not fair. I've gotten so comfortable with your aura that it didn't even register to me. If it had been anyone else, I would have noticed them half way down the tunnel."

Starfire offered him an assuring nod, squeezing his hands in return.

"Of _course _you would have."

He scowled lightly at her, but even that soon dissolved into an affectionate smile.

"So, what brings you down to my little dungeon, then? This is the first time you've visited me in a good week."

A look of guilt flashed across the girl's lovely face, stabbing him through the heart, but it was quickly replaced by a weak smile.

"Well, you _had _placed a series of blatant warnings at the mouth of the cave declaring your desire for solitude . . ."

He rolled his eyes and used their combined knuckles to rap her on the head.

"Come on, Kori, you know that could never apply to you."

Starfire used their intertwined hands to rub her forehead before sticking out her tongue in a most proficient Earthly raspberry.

"I am aware of that and I apologize. I have been preoccupied lately . . . with Robin . . . and have neglected to visit you. I am a most selfish sibling analogue."

He shook his head in amusement.

"Don't be like that. You're the best sister I've ever had-" His eyes narrowed as he remembered his _other _would-be sister. "-_Trust me_."

The heartwarming sound of her giggles brought a smile back to his lips, his ever present fang peeking out from his fanged grin.

"Besides, I can hardly blame you if you've been _preoccupied _with Robin. So, where did you get _preoccupied_, his room, or yours?"

"_Ryouga!_"

His wicked chuckle was cut short as the red faced girl ever so gently bumped her forehead to the back of his skull, incidentally embedding his face a good inch into the solid stone floor.

A moment later, he lifted his face out of his new crater, spitting out a few pebbles as he did, only to continue his chuckling.

"Mayhaps the lady doth protest too much?" He performed his best Kunou.

The Tamaranian let out an indignant sniff, face still flushed as crimson as her hair.

"You are worse than _Kasumi_ in your most inappropriate comments."

He would have scratched his head at that comment, had his hands been his own at that moment. 'Worse than Kasumi'? Well, he certainly hoped so, in fact, he probably had a _lot _of company on _that _particular list . . . like Gandhi.

"Alright, alright. If you don't want to kiss and tell, I understand."

Starfire averted her eyes for a moment, looking to be struggling with something. A moment later, she matched his gaze once more. There was a look of _something_ in her eyes, something he didn't like at all.

"In all honesty, there has been _no _lip contact of any kind. Robin has been most frustrating in his behavior lately. And just recently I saw - saw . . ."

"Saw what?" he asked quietly.

The Tamaranian quickly shook her head from side to side, pasting a most disingenuous smile on her face.

"_Nothing_! Nothing . . . of impact. Let me just say that my visit today was prompted as much by my desire to escape the tower as it was to bring joy to you."

His hackles began to rise as he thought about that. A low growl escaped his lips.

"You want me to beat Robin up for you? _No one _chases my sister out of her home . . . even if it does get her to finally visit her big brother."

Surprisingly, the alien girl seemed to consider his offer . . . then consider it some more . . . then, finally, she shook her head in the negative.

"I do not believe that would solve anything. And what precisely were you implying with your 'big brother' statement? I am obviously your big sister."

"Umm, I'm _older_ than you, Kori, so I'm the big brother."

"But I am more _mature _than you, thus I am the senior sibling."

"Yeah . . . yeah – well _I'm _more worldly than you."

A smug look settled across her exotic features.

"_Really_? Then I am to suppose that you have traversed more than twenty seven separate planetary bodies in your journey?"

"Damnit! B-but I'm _bigger_!"

Her smirk only widened as she forced his arms to his sides with her superior strength.

"But I am stronger."

Ryouga released a defeated sigh.

"I don't suppose we can call this a draw, can we?"

Starfire retained her teasing smirk for another moment, before is melted into a genuine, loving smile.

"Very well, but only for the reason that I believe our fondness for one another is equally strong."

Well, he could live with that. Sighing in relief, he lowered his cheek back down into his custom made crater.

"So, Ryouga, what is it that you are endeavoring to do now? What does the presence of these unusual holes surrounding you signify?"

Immediately, his mood soured once more as his recent training endeavors were brought back into the spotlight.

"_These _holes?" He pointed to several of the tiny gouges in the bedrock, ranging from two feet from him, to a dozen feet removed. "Each of _these _holes represents me murdering Terra."

Starfire's shocked gasp was _not _unexpected.

"What do you mean?"

Rather than tell her, he decided to show her. He didn't bother closing his eyes this time, just let his mind's eye wander until the familiar sight of a glowing matrices of glowing golden threads spread out before his eyes to encompass every inch of the cavern. Taking another moment of concentration, he chose a nearby breaking point and did his best to predict a probable route for it to follow.

"Now, watch closely," he whispered.

He didn't release his focus for an instant, and amazingly, even having Starfire laying directly on top of him, her aura pressing down on his own, didn't distract him in the slightest.

He then touched his index finger, a small spark of his faintly azure ki glowing at its tip, to the breaking point.

It all happened in a flash, but to his trained eye it all seemed to occur like a slow motion sports replay. The tiny spark of ki entered the breaking point . . . but rather than detonate it instantly, as normally it would, the flicker of energy was actually absorbed _into_ the point and flitted down one of the near invisible threads of energy which intersected the nexi. The spark slid down the line, entered another breaking point, then continued down yet another string of the Earth's own energy. This continued for three more breaking points, before the tiny flicker of light went off course, shooting down one of the other innumerable lines that spread out from the fifth breaking point. Surprisingly, the spark of his spiritual energy made it through three more random nexi before finally destabilizing and detonating into a small puff of dust and stone roughly four feet from where he'd intended.

Hmmm, interesting, that. It had actually made it fifteen feet, his furthest attempt to date - but it still wasn't _enough_!

Starfire let out a long 'oooh' of amazement.

"Ryouga, you have developed a long range revision of your Breaking Point Technique!"

Ryouga quickly shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm doi-"

He stopped abruptly, his jaw working slowly on its own.

". . . wait a second . . . You're _right_! Oh man! How the heck did I miss that?"

Another round of Starfire's pleasant giggles prompted him to drop his head back to the stone floor with a dull crunch.

"Perhaps if you were to inform me what it is that you _were_ attempting to do, that could illuminate the situation."

The fanged boy let out a long, weary sigh.

"Maybe, but it is kind of a long story. I had _started _to tell Raven about it before . . . things happened, but let me try to explain."

Starfire waited patiently as he tried to organize his thoughts. Then, taking one last breath, he began.

"Okay, it starts like this. After studying Terra for a few weeks, I finally realized what, or at least what I _think _had happened. Incidentally, I also think I finally figured out what Cologne was talking about all that time ago. Somehow, when Terra stopped the volcano that was going to destroy the city, I think she used every last bit of power she had to do it . . . and that power became infused into the very earth and stone of the cavern around us. There's still a connection there, between Terra and her energy, so that's why I'm so sure there's still a chance to revive her. Heh, of course, the only reason it took me so long to figure all of that out is because Terra's energy is almost indistinguishable from the energy of the Earth itself."

The Tamaranian's eyes widened as she tried to process the information he was giving her.

"Of course, when I figured that out, I suddenly realized exactly what it was that Cologne had attempted to do when she used the Bakusai Tenketsu on Terra . . . and was left wondering why it didn't work. Thankfully, thanks to a conversation I had with Raven, it didn't take me to long to figure that out either."

"Really? How is it possible that you could have divined something that Cologne could not? I know you are very skilled, but her knowledge is beyond comprehension."

He smiled a rare smile of pride.

"Because, like I said, I had information that she didn't. Well, that and I spent more than five minutes examining Terra's statue. And now that I know what it was that's stopping Terra's energy from returning on its own, I can fix it . . . theoretically. Of course, even if I did that right now, it would still probably take months for Terra's chi, or life energy, or whatever, to return naturally, so I've been trying to emulate Cologne's technique, to kind of . . . jump start Terra, I suppose. By forcing a tiny amount of my energy to travel down Terra's chi meridians, I'm hoping that I can artificially start her chi flowing again, which will hopefully begin drawing her energy back into her body immediately."

Starfire smiled ecstatically.

"That is ingenious, Ryouga!"

He shook his head modestly.

"No, not really. Just good luck and good teachers, really."

"But, then if you have determined how to save Terra, then what seems to be the hindrance to your plan?" she asked with marked interest.

He rolled his eyes, more annoyed with himself than her. "Aside from the breaking points _exploding _you mean? I don't dare use the technique on her before I'm sure I can do it without killing her. If I could get my energy to run its full course _without _exploding, then I could be sure I wouldn't hurt her. Unfortunately, I can't get it more than a dozen feet most of the time before my energy reverts and detonates a breaking point."

A puzzled look descended on the alien beauties face.

"Reverts? What do you mean by that?"

He stared at her for a moment, before realizing he hadn't explained that part yet.

"Ahh, well, you see, I've spent most of my time down here attempting to accumulate my chi to match Terra's-"

"I believe the term you are referring to is 'acclimate'"

"Sheesh, now I'm getting corrected by an _alien_."

"_Heeheehee_."

"_Anyway_, my earlier attempts were complete failures. My chi, as it is, is too different from Terra's to interact with the breaking points without detonating them. However, I noticed that the longer I tried it, the easier it got. At first, I thought it was just the training paying off, but then I noticed that _my _chi had actually been changing, adapting to the Earth's energy. So then I started doing everything I could to acclimate my chi more thoroughly."

"Hence the lying upon the stone floor?"

He nodded.

"Exactly, by staying down here as much as possible, and remaining in contact with the stone as often as I could, I've actually been able to slightly modify my own energy . . . make it more compatible. It's still not there yet, but I'm getting closer. Now, the only thing I can't quite figure out is controlling the path the energy takes. I'd been worried about it looping around in Terra's body and causing problems in her chi flow, but, now that you mentioned it, if I wanted to make it into an effective combat technique, the aiming would be pretty crucial as well."

She smiled then, just for him.

"Your progress is most heartening. The thought that Terra might soon be returned to us fills my heart with hope . . . Though . . . perhaps - perhaps it would be best if I left your company for now, to allow you to return you to your work."

A sudden and very out of character desire to _not _be by himself when he was training gripped him from seemingly nowhere. He quickly closed his fingers tightly around hers, holding her in place as best as he could.

"_No_, you don't need to go. I can keep training while you're here. It won't distract me as long as it's you," he stated rather quickly.

Starfire's joyous smile warmed his heart in a way that not even her warm body pressed against his could. The alien girl then lowered her head to rest on his back and nuzzled her cheek into the rough material of his familiar yellow sweater, obviously getting comfortable.

"Very well, I will remain here. You may proceed with your training, I shall be more than content simply to . . . be here."

He smiled at that, content to feel the warmth of her breath seeping through his sweater to warm his skin. He'd have to watch himself, lest he be lulled to sleep by his comfortable new blanket.

An amusing stray thought flitted across his mind.

"Y'know, Kori, as long as you're here, maybe I could try to teach _you _the Bakusai Tenketsu. I mean, you already have an excellent understanding of energy manipulation, and you figured out the Hiryu Shoten Ha, so this shouldn't be too much more difficult."

His companion perked up quickly at that though, interest twinkling in her enormous emerald eyes.

"Really? You believe I could attempt it?"

He nodded reassuringly.

"Sure, you're a natural. I bet you could even help me with Terra. Here, give me your finger."

He deftly slid his index finger under hers and straightened them both out.

"Now, focus a tiny amount of energy right to the very tip of your finger. Just a little bit." He did so himself, demonstrating the technique for her to emulate. He could see her studying his fingertip, it was pretty obvious that she was having trouble making out exactly what it was he was doing. Well, he shouldn't have been too surprised, he hadn't actually gotten around to teaching her about sensing chi yet, and Raven had only taught her a minimum about sensing auras and such herself.

Still, remarkably, after only several minutes of intense concentration, he saw a tiny green star alight at the tip of the young woman's graceful finger.

"Alright, good work. Now, just let me find a breaking point for you to hit annnd . . ."

Very carefully, he directed her finger towards a smooth section of the floor, carefully curling up his own finger to avoid hitting the point himself. Then, after aiming very carefully, he prompted her to touch her finger to exactly the right spot-

And, with the sizzling hiss of melting stone, Starfire's finger buried itself right up to knuckle into the once unyielding stone floor.

The two shared a brief glance.

"Ummm, maybe I'll teach you the Bakusai Tenketsu _after _I help Terra . . ."

"Umm . . . perhaps that would be for the best."

* * *

Starfire shifted slightly, sliding her hands beneath her to rest on the broad shoulders of the young man below her. She had relinquished the use of his hands back to him so that he might continue his training. It was a slow process, to be sure. In the half hour since she had made her embarrassing attempt at the Breaking Point Technique, he had only done his modified technique twice. The first attempt traversed seventeen feet and had been followed by ten minutes of silent contemplation. He then made a second attempt, which traveled only thirteen feet before detonating.

He had yet to make a third attempt, and a small frown still adorned his lips in testament to his rather notable regression in progress. This situation was, she believed, a most excellent opportunity for her to be learning about the technique, as well as the fine control of chi necessary to perform it . . . so she felt quite ashamed with herself that her mind was focused on anything but the educational process occurring directly beneath her nose.

Instead, all she could see was the image of Robin in Kasumi's arms, cycling endlessly, over and over again. The masked hero, he looked so . . . so safe in her arms, as if he had not a care in the world. _She _had never seen him in such a state, not during any of their missions, not on any of their wondrous trips to the mall of shopping, not even in their most private of discussions during the middle of the night, when all other Titans were sleeping. He had looked so vulnerable then, as if all he desired was to be cared for . . . only it was Kasumi caring for him, not herself.

But, then why should he feel safe in _her _arms? How many times had Starfire unintentionally harmed him when demonstrating her affection for him? How many other people had suffered similar afflictions? She knew that her control over her own strength was less than perfect, especially when she was so charged with emotion. It was hard to remember that so many of her friends were so . . . delicate . . .

Slowly, she slid her hands down her mortal mattresses' sides and beneath his chest. Accommodatingly, he lifted his torso from the ground to allow her arms to encircle him fully. The Tamaranian hugged him then – it was a true hug, a hug like the ones her mother gave her as a child, filled with all of her passion and joy, untainted by fear and restraint.

To her relief, the human martial artist barely even grunted in protest, his ribs failed to cave in, his internal organs did not rupture or burst . . .

"It feels good, does it not?" she asked quietly.

He turned slightly to face her, a fanged grin on his lips.

"Heh, well, hugs usually _do_, Kori."

She offered him a weak smile in return, shaking her head slowly.

"That is not what I meant. I meant, it feels good to hug someone, to show them your true affection without fear of causing them harm . . . Do you know what I am speaking of?"

She regretted the question almost immediately, at the haunted look that suddenly passed through the young male's dark eyes.

". . . Have you ever heard the person you love telling someone how much you terrified them? Yeah . . . yeah, I know what you are speaking of . . ."

She wondered what it was that his eyes were seeing, what scene was playing out in his mind's eye, for surely his eyes were not looking upon her at that moment. The young man slowly lowered his head back to the stone floor, the distant, pain-filled look still lingering in his eyes.

The silence lasted for several long minutes; she honestly had no idea what to say to follow up her question. He looked so forlorn so in need of reassurance - almost in as great a need for reassurance as she herself was. She hated herself for her selfishness at that moment, but felt compelled to press on, regardless.

"Ryouga, do you find me to be . . . attractive?"

Instantly, the look of remembered pain vanished from Ryouga's face, replaced by overstated shock, however, it quickly faded back into amused fondness as he turned back to face her.

"Heh, you're as cute as a button, Kori. You know you're one of the prettiest girls I know."

She quickly caught his averting eyes with her own, pinning him down with a serious look.

"_No_ . . . do _you _find _me_ to be attractive."

He matched her serious gaze, fear, amongst other conflicting emotions beginning to swirl in the far depths of his bottomless chestnut eyes.

"W-w-wha . . . Star, why are you . . ."

Slowly, she slid her hand down his arm once more to entwine it with his. She could feel his body temperature begin to spike and his cheeks flushed with blood at the very same contact which he had not even questioned less than an hour earlier.

_'What am I doing_?'

* * *

'_What is she doing_!'

The pressure in his nasal cavity was approaching critical mass at Starfire's sudden and drastic change in approach. Where moments ago they had been enjoying comfortable silence, he was now battling to remain conscious. Fortunately, of all of the emotions currently swirling through his brain, Fear was close enough to the surface that he was able to latch on to it with both metaphorical hands and clamp down with every ounce of willpower he had.

Hopefully it would explode into full-blown Panic soon and get him out of this mess!

She matched his gaze; he could see the very same mass of confused emotions mirrored in her eyes that resided in his. Fear, uncertainty . . . and something else swam around in those huge, glistening emerald eyes of hers. Her inviting lips trembled in trepidation, her breathing slowing down to almost nothing.

"Please do not tell me that you have never even considered it . . . considered being with someone whom you did not have to fear harming with your affection?"

The fanged warrior looked away sharply, feeling ashamed for some reason. His lowered gaze brought their clasped hands firmly into his view. Absently, with his free hand, he lifted a fist sized stone from the cavern floor. At the same time, he began to close his hand around the hand and the stone with equal fervor; not with a grip meant to harm, but with the desperate, wild abandon of a man grasping his last life line.

In his right hand, the stone slowly crumbled into a fine powder, in his left, Starfire's hand accepted the pressure without the slightest complaint, she didn't even tense the muscles of her hand to resist his intense grip . . .

Instead of a squeal of pain or protest, Starfire made a content sound. "It is nice… to _feel _you holding my hand . . . and not just feel a faint sensation of touch telling me that something is within my grasp . . ."

Before he could even think about it, he pulled their entwined hands to his chest, pressing them to his heart fervently. It felt so – so right . . . yet so terribly _wrong_. He didn't even know what to think, in fact, thought was getting harder and harder by the second.

"B-but _why_?" was all he could force himself to say.

She averted her eyes for a moment.

"I . . . I have seen something which has made me reconsider my feelings . . . on a great many things. Does it – does it strike you as so unnatural that I might find _you _to be desirable?"

Slowly, he nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else. Her weak smile grew in strength at his silent admission.

"But you _are_. You are passionate, courageous, selfless, you are unafraid to express your feelings, you are strong enough to survive the expressing of _my _feelings . . . You should know that you would have made a most excellent Tamaranian."

He smiled weakly at that, at least she wasn't comparing him to a _pig_. His smile quickly floundered, though, as she slowly began to lower her head toward his. His eyes widened frightfully wide as her lips pursed ever so slightly, he could feel the intoxicating warmth of her breath on his own . . .

A thousand thoughts all exploded in his mind at once, cheers of joy, screams of horror and everything in between. However, of all of the voices in his head, there was only one which was truly his and he latched onto it with the last flagging reserves of his will. Just as her lips were a fraction of an inch from his own –

"P-please don't . . . Kori . . ."

Starfire stopped at his whispered plea; he could see mingled disappointment and relief flooding her eyes.

"But, why not . . . am I that unappealing to you?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head slowly.

"No . . . no, it's just that . . . that you know that I'm not – not a strong man."

"That is not true, you are the strongest human I know-"

"That's not what I meant," he interrupted her with slightly more force than he wanted to, "Y-you know what I meant. You know what kind of man I am. I'm not strong . . . like that. If - if you kiss me right now . . . I'd fall for you. I'd fall hard . . . and I'd never stop falling . . ."

* * *

A weak gasp escaped Starfire's lips at his choked admission. She slid her free hand up to gently run her fingers along his cheek, gently holding his face steady before her. Her lips lingered mere millimeters above his, the light tickle of his breath playing over her nose.

"And . . . would that be so bad?" she asked in a low voice.

The veritable titan trembled beneath her feather light touch, unable to match her intense gaze. It felt so intoxicating, knowing that she held such power over him . . . power she had never known before, never even wanted before. It was so heady, yet so terrifying at the same time. Despite his feeble protests, all it would take was a single kiss and . . .

And . . .

"Maybe . . . maybe not . . . but it would be different . . . and nothing on this entire planet frightens me more than the thought of losing what we have _right now_."

She looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

He continued his intense study of the cavern floor.

"I'm so sorry, Kori, I know this is selfish of me, but to me, you're my _sister_, and I need you more than I need _any _girlfriend, wife, or . . . lover . . ."

His gaze finally returned to hers, determination filling them.

"This isn't that 'best friend' bull crap that Ranma tried to feed Ukyou. I love you, I _do_, and I could very easily love you like _that_ . . . But what we have now is special, unique, something that no one can take from us, no matter who either of us might end up with . . . and I'm just too selfish to give that up so quickly . . ."

Starfire felt hot tears begin to gather at the corners of her eyes. She felt so terrible at that moment. How could _he _possibly believe himself to be the selfish one here? Even an hour ago, she had thought of Ryouga as nothing more than a brother . . . and yet now here she was, trying to woo his affections for herself. All of the things which he claimed to be too selfish to give up, were all of the things that she was selfishly willing to sacrifice as a balm to sooth her damaged heart.

Ryouga obviously misinterpreted her tears. The young man quickly flipped over, enveloping her in a crushing hug of comforting.

"Please don't cry, Star! I-if that's what you really want . . . I . . . I don't know . . . but – but if it will make you happy, then . . ."

She quickly silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Cease your speaking, Ryouga. I have been most unfair to you in my actions. Perhaps you are right . . . perhaps I am more in need of a brother at the moment than anything else as well."

And just like that, her world seemed to realign, and her guilt and shame vanished to the wind. The pain was still present, but it could not harm her while she was in his arms. His arms would always protect her, no matter what the cause, because that is what brothers did . . . was it not?

"Ryouga . . . I have done something very selfish today, and hopefully you can find it in your heart to forgive me . . . but you must never believe that it was a mistake. I love you very much, and maybe someday we may be prepared for such a thing . . . but for now, for right now, I need my little brother, just as you need your big sister."

Ryouga rolled his eyes in fond amusement, doing everything in his power to hide the many conflicting emotions in his eyes from her. He was correct, they were both in very confusing situations at the moment, and proceeding as she had wished would have likely ended in disaster . . . but she had meant what she said. Though Robin held a large place in her heart, if it was not meant to be, then it was not meant to be . . . And if Raven could not see what was right in front of her face . . . then that was a problem of her own devising . . .

"Kori . . . you know I can forgive you for anything . . . even things where I have absolutely no idea what's going on - like right now - but just so you know, you seriously owe me for this one, because I am _very, __**very **_confused right now."

Starfire smiled widely at his admission. Yes, he would have made a most perfect Tamaranian indeed, her own little Ryond'r. She then giggled, a perfect plan coming to mind.

"Well, it so happens that I do have a pair of movie tickets in my possession. As my way of apology, I shall allow you to accompany me to the cinema of movie watching!"

He shot her a flat look.

"Do I have a choice in the matter?"

She shook her head energetically.

"Of course not, my silly little Ryond'r."

"Huh, Ryond'r?"

She smiled all the wider.

"Your new Tamaranian name! Combined from your Japanese and my Tamaranian, it would be translated here as 'Good Fire' . . . I believe it suits you well."

Her beloved brother chuckled happily at his new designation, all traces of fear and confusion finally fled from his features.

"Alright, Kori, alright, you win. Tonight we'll go see your movie."

Then, the boy turned back to the cavern, a smile forged of certainty formed on his lips. He then tapped a single finger to the ground; prompting a tiny explosion of rock and dust to burst into the air nearly a dozen yards away.

"Tomorrow – tomorrow, we restore Terra . . . I swear it!"

* * *

-Three Days Later-

"Son of a _bitch_!"

His irate curse drew a sympathetic sigh from his companion.

"I understand that you are upset, Ryouga, but how could the male progeny of a female canine possibly be of any assistance to us at this moment?"

Ryouga wasn't even fazed by the non-sequiter, he'd known the young woman too long to be put off by her minor eccentricities. Instead, he let out a pained groan as he continued his frantic pacing around Terra's statue. Starfire continued to watch his frantic pacing, looking a little perplexed.

"I just can't believe how _stupid _I've been! I mean, how did I not realize that was a possibility? _Man_, am I _trying _to kill Terra here?"

The Tamaranian quirked an eyebrow at his ranting.

"I did not desire to distress your mental stability to such a degree, however, my concern was a valid one. If you are trying to force the reversion of Terra's body from its igneous state back to flesh and blood at a greatly accelerated rate, is it not possible that initiating the process with only her heart could lead to the restoration of that organ before any other-"

"-And if her heart starts trying to beat when all she has in her veins is gravel, and without any other organs functioning to support it . . . then if the process is too slow, she could _die _while I'm trying to _save _her!" he finished irately.

He clubbed himself upside the head with a curled fist. Why hadn't _he _thought of that? He had no idea how fast or slow the process could be.

"Why not simply activate several points in rapid succession, then?"

Ryouga rubbed his chin in consideration . . .

"It could . . . no – no, that would be too risky. To do it right, I'd have to inject energy directly into all of her major organs, so if I screwed up, even a little, it could kill her. I have to do the Bakusai Tenketsu with absolute perfect precision, not to mention using the exact right amount of chi and trying to match it as close to hers as possible, all at the same time. I'm pretty sure I can do it once, with enough preparation, but to do that at least seven times in a row, in rapid succession? I mean, I've done a rapid fire Bakusai Tenketsu before, but this – this is on a completely different level."

And so, the two of them continued to circle Terra, Ryouga wandering clockwise, while Starfire orbited counter clockwise. Looks of deep contemplation were etched on both of their respective faces.

Fifteen minutes later, Starfire's eyes lit up and she spun to face the Lost Boy over Terra's shoulder.

"I know! We should seek Raven's assistance-"

"No."

"But she could help!"

"No!"

"You are being unreasonable!"

"_No_!"

"Do you desire twenty of your indigenous currency units?"

"_**No**__ – _wait, _what_?"

Starfire's merciless giggles brought his cyclical wandering to an abrupt halt.

"C'mon, Kori, please just try to concentrate. I'm sure we can figure this out ourselves. We don't need to bring Raven into this."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously to fire a heated glare in his direction, her dainty fists resting firmly on her hips.

"Is this reluctance due to your lingering anger towards Raven, or is it motivated by some misplaced desire to impress her?"

Ryouga scratched his chin for a moment, before shrugging sheepishly.

"Umm, a little from column A, a little from column B?"

The Tamaranian let out a weary sigh.

"Very well, I can see that solving this dilemma is very important to you, that and your timely use of the Simpson's quotation have won me over . . . for now. However, there will come a time when we shall be forced to realize that animated entertainment programs do not contain the answers to all of life's questions."

He waved dismissively, chuckling in amusement at her latest life lesson. "Yeah, yeah, I know tha-"

The rest of his reply was cut off by the look that suddenly bloomed on his lovely companion's face. Though few would call Hibiki Ryouga a poet, or a prodigy of the spoken word, all he could think of when he looked upon her was the word 'Epiphany', and it looked like she was most certainly having one.

"However," she exclaimed excitedly, "This is not one of those times!"

The girl then flew forward in a flash of orange and purple. He braced himself for a bone crushing hug . . . except none came. Instead, his head was snapped harshly to the side as one of his bandannas was ripped from his head. Ryouga's eyes snapped open to glare at the headband thief, only to see the unusual sight of her staring intently at the bandanna held in her hands.

Starfire then looked up to him. "Ryouga, tell me, how was it that you were able to cause your head coverings to attain such rigid sharpness in our battle so long ago?"

His answer was almost by rote.

"That's easy. I just infuse them with my chi."

Her smile widened, brightening the entire cavern with infectious cheer.

"And how long can they contain the chi which you infuse into them?"

He shrugged, not really sure where she was going with thi-

Ah ha! Epiphany indeed! He snapped his fingers as realization suddenly flooded over him.

"Potentially, they can hold the chi as long as I concentrate on them, and then for at least a minute or two after I let them go. It's what lets me throw them like I do."

Already a plan was forming in his mind, a brilliant plan, a plan that couldn't fail and best of all, it was a simple plan! He was so caught up in his own excitement, that he swept the deceptively light girl up into the air and spun her around.

"If I can prepare several bandannas-"

"Or paper wards inscribed with Kanji," Starfire interjected unexpectedly.

The completely random statement stopped him in mid spin. He looked at her oddly for a moment, before managing to catch the tail end of his train of thought before it could slip away.

"Ah, yeah, or that. _Anyway_, if I could prepare a number of them with the exact type and amount of chi, then, in theory, then I could place them over all of Terra's major organs and I could get them all to release their power at the same time."

He looked into Starfire's bottomless emerald eyes in wonder.

"Where on _earth_ did you come up with that idea? It's _brilliant, _Kori!"

The Tamaranian looked to the floor, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"It – it simply occurred to me. Do you recall the animated program of female empowerment which Beast Boy watches avidly yet refuses to admit to enjoying?"

Ryouga wracked his brain for a moment, then-

"Oh yeah! Sailor Moon!"

She nodded in agreement.

"I recalled that the raven haired warrior of love and justice whom derives her powers from this system's fourth planet would often wield strips of paper imbued with her spiritual power . . . not completely unlike what you did with your own clothing."

He smirked wickedly.

"Heh, and you said that T.V. didn't have all the answers-"

It was about that moment that Ryouga realized his hands were still wrapped tightly around the trim alien girl's bare midriff, holding her aloft. Instantly, his face burned red and he snatched his hands away, leaving the Tamaranian floating in the air.

"Man . . . this is going to be a little awkward for a bit, isn't it?" he asked morosely.

Starfire floated back to the floor, a light tinge on her cheeks as well.

"It need not be. We are both mature individuals-"

He shot her an _extremely _dubious look.

"-in comparison with Beast Boy-"

Well, that he could agree with.

"And . . . and our continued affection is very important to me. I refuse to let it be ruined so easily, I refuse to let the closeness which has formed between us lessen in any way."

His dubious look shifted to a merely skeptical one, but she was absolutely right. Starfire was the only family he had (within a thousand miles, at least) and he refused to lose what they had as well. Unfortunately, it would not be as easy as the optimistic female imagined. Until recently, she had been in the same category in his mind that Ukyou resided in: ambiguously female, however, her little stunt had forced him to realize that she was indeed a lovely and desirable young _woman_.

It was such a disturbing concept that he had to shake it off physically. He _seriously _needed to find out what had brought on her strange behavior, if only he could find out who, or what he needed to beat into submission for suddenly thrusting his already fragile world onto such a tenuous and steep precipice. Until then-

"Alright, Kori, I think we can do this. However, right off the top of my head, I can think of a few things that I'm going to need to pull this off. I can start practicing the technique while you go get them…"

The Tamaranian nodded hopefully, carefully memorizing the list of items that he began to rattle off.

'Heh,' he thought to himself.

'You'll be free by this time tomorrow, Terra, I promise."

* * *

-Two days later-

"_Dang it_!"

"_Garfield_, language."

Beast Boy shrunk under Kasumi's mildly disapproving gaze, all the while cradling his foot and awkwardly hopping to keep pace with his companions.

"Sorry, Kasumi. Just stubbed my toe really bad there."

Raven, following up at the tail end of the procession, rolled her eyes.

"Beast Boy, you regularly get beaten by super villains and yet you're complaining about a _stubbed toe_?"

The changeling glared back at her.

"Pretty high and mighty coming from the Queen of the paper cuts."

Raven refused to give him the satisfaction of her blush.

"That's completely different . . . ancient tomes have very sharp pages."

A round of polite chuckles and amused giggles echoed off the walls of the winding tunnel that encapsulated them. It was pretty rare for the hooded Titan to attempt a joke – at least, Beast Boy was pretty sure it had been a joke.

"So, anyway, any idea why Ryo is draggin' us all down here?" Cyborg directed his question to their silently gliding guide. The cybernetic teen had become their unofficial liaison between the tower and Ryouga and Starfire's little two person Terra Squad. Considering _neither_ of them had been out of the cave for anything but a sleep for a good five days, it seemed like an appropriate title.

Heck, the poor duo had missed out on a bank robbery, two hostage situations, and a short visit from Control Freak and his new, Brushogun inspired, anime motif . . .

Beast Boy shuddered at that memory. A sailor scout, Control Freak was **not**!

Anyway, Cyborg's status had also been forced upon him by the fact that, for some reason, when Starfire had actually come up to the tower to invite them down to Terra's cave, she had gone out of her way to invite everyone _but _Robin. Something weird was going on, which was par for the course lately, and Beast Boy still had no idea what it was.

Avidly _not _looking at Robin, who shrank slightly at the dismissal, Starfire turned to Cyborg to reply.

"Ryouga believes that we are very close to being prepared for the fortuitous return of our beloved comrade-"

Beast Boy's ears perked up excitedly at that news.

"However, there is one step that must be taken before we can initiate our attempt, and that step requires some assistance."

Cyborg nodded, flush with anticipation.

"Well alright! Let's get this party started! Our pretty little stick has been a stone for way too long."

By general consensus of excitement, the group of them eagerly picked up the pace and quickly finished their journey to Terra's cavern. Awaiting them in the spacious hollow was the familiar duo of Terra and Ryouga. The fanged fighter was sitting cross-legged beside the stone beauty, his eyes closed tightly. The second that their Tamaranian Tour Guide floated over the threshold, though, the martial artist's eyes snapped open and he pushed himself up to his feet.

"Great, you guys are here. Now we can finally get started."

Beast Boy rushed ahead excitedly.

"You mean you're gonna bring Terra back now?"

Ryouga smiled confidently, dropping a hand on the changeling's shoulder.

"Soon enough. There's just one thing that needs to be done first, but I'm going to need some help to pull it off."

Robin joined the two of them, inspecting Terra's statue with a critical eye.

"You've got any assistance we can offer, you don't even need to ask. However, it doesn't look like anything has changed since we were last down here. What exactly do you need our help to do?"

The Bandanna Clad boy nodded sharply.

"True enough. We haven't actually done anything to Terra, yet. Starfire and I have spent the past week or so perfecting the various skills that are going to be needed to restore Terra-"

To Beast Boy's side, Raven seemed to shrink in on herself for some reason, vanishing even deeper into the shadows of her hood.

"-and thanks to her quick thinking, we now have a method that I'm confident will restore Terra. Before we can use it, though, we need to remove the one obstacle that is preventing Terra from recovering."

Beast Boy grumbled, already getting impatient. "Sheesh, Ryo, get to the point already. What do you need us to do?"

At the changeling's interruption, a somewhat evil smile found its way on to the Lost Boy's face. Ryouga then turned to Kasumi.

"Kasumi, you and Starfire have the most important job."

Said Tendo woman's head tilted to the side in an inquisitive manner. She then turned her attention to the Tamaranian, who was now floating just to Beast Boy's other side.

"I'm pleased to help, but whatever would you need the two of us to do?"

The emerald shape shifter was pretty curious about that, too. Before he had the chance to vocalize his curiosity, though, Starfire replied far too cheerfully.

"We have the most pressing task of enforcing immobilization upon Beast Boy."

'Oh,' the changeling thought to himself, 'Well, that did sound pretty importa-'

"Wait! _Wha-_"

His exclamation was cut off abruptly when the Tamaranian suddenly enveloped him in a gentle, but unbreakable hug, holding him firmly in place. Instinct flared to life and almost instantly the beastly boy began to rail against his captivity.

"Starfire! _Leggo_!"

He writhed and wriggled in her grasp, seconds away from the point of flailing his legs – when he felt another set of arms slide around his shoulders. His struggles stopped as quickly as they started; the changeling turned his head to see that Kasumi was now holding him as well, her shoulders brushing Starfire's. The lovely woman offered him a sympathetic smile.

"Please don't fight, Garfield. I'm certain that Ryouga and Starfire have a very good reason for this-" The Tendo woman turned her gaze to the Lost Boy. "-Isn't that right, Ryouga?"

The Hibiki nodded seriously.

"I need the two of you to hold him-" He then turned back to face the stone girl at his side; the martial artist rested a companionable hand on Terra's narrow shoulder. "-So that I could do this-"

Abruptly, before Beast Boy even had a chance to react, Ryouga flipped his hand over and delivered a sharp strike to Terra's shoulder. The deceptively small strike landed with a deafening _crack _and a deep web of cracks began to spread out from the area of impact.

The emerald shape shifter felt his heart drop down into his shoes and only the physical restraints of his body kept his jaw from following. The shocked gasps and alarmed protests of his companions were all drowned out by the sound of splitting stone ringing through his ears. Only the impossible strength of Starfire and the delicate fragility of Kasumi kept him from losing it on the spot.

Then, even as Raven stared in mute shock, Robin settled back to critically observe the unfolding drama and Cyborg made ready to deck the itinerant martial artist, Ryouga flipped his hand over again and with all of the care of an archaeologist at the dig of a lifetime, gently brushed away the shattered and crumbling fragments of stone-

Revealing the dull, weathered steel of Terra's shoulder armor lying right beneath the thin shell.

". . ."

". . ."

". . ."

Beast Boy felt all the strength in his legs evaporate like the morning dew, only Starfire's caring embrace kept him upright. Pure relief and sheer confusion warred for dominance in his mind, leaving him unable to do anything but stare in awe.

Before him, Cyborg stumbled to a stop, looking every bit as confused as Beast Boy himself. Raven continued to stare, though the unmistakable look of her oft-seen annoyance was creeping on to her face. To his side, Kasumi let out a breath that he hadn't even realized she'd been holding in – it reminded him to start breathing again himself, actually.

Of them all, Robin was the first to recover. In fact, the thoughtful look on the masked boy's face made the changeling wonder if Robin had even been surprised at all by the turn of events.

"Impressive, but were the shock tactics really necessary? We had already known that the metal of Terra's suit had survived the transformation-"

"**The heck **_**we **_**did**!" Beast Boy surged forward, but was held firmly in place by his captors.

Robin shot him an apologetic look before continuing. "It's just that we didn't see how that could help us, so we left it alone, rather than risk accidentally harming Terra."

Ryouga nodded slowly, but a confused look quickly settled across his features.

"Wait, if you two knew, then why was Cyborg getting ready to clock me?" The fanged fight pointed accusingly to the cybernetic teen in question.

The Titanium Titan offered up an apologetic shrug. "What? You freaked me right the heck out, Ryo. It slipped my mind, so sue me."

Raven glided forward to join the conversation, a look of not so mild annoyance showing even through the shadows of her hood.

"And would it really have been too much for you to _explain _what you were doing, instead of shocking Beast Boy half to death?"

At Beast Boy's side, Starfire nodded sympathetically. "I had suggested such a course of action, however-"

"-However," Ryouga stepped in, "I figured that, rather than spend half the night explaining and trying to convince you all that it was almost perfectly safe-"

"**Almost**?"

Ryouga rolled his eyes in the direction of the irate shape shifter.

"-We'd just get it over with so that we can get around to actually _saving _Terra. You know the old saying, 'It's easier to get forgiveness than permission.'"

Beast Boy's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Wanna bet?"

This time, the Lost Boy actually had the audacity to scoff at him.

"Yeah, we'll see how vengeful you are this time tomorrow, when you're eating pizza with Terra back in the tower."

Before the changeling could respond, or even come up with a response, Robin took charge of the discussion once again.

"That's enough. Look, what's done is done. Though it was reckless, Ryouga is the foremost expert on the subject here, and I happen to agree with him. Terra sacrificed herself to save us, so I don't want her trapped down here one more _second _than necessary."

The masked Titan then turned back to Ryouga.

"So, fill us in on the situation as you see it, and what we can do to help."

Ryouga gazed across the small group gathered before him, before nodding to himself.

"Alright, to catch you all up, Starfire and I have developed a technique that should let us bring Terra back from her petrified state."

Starfire, finally releasing Beast Boy, smiled proudly, her cheeks tingeing a light red.

"Truly, I did little more than act as the echoing length of planed timber for Ryouga's own analysis."

Of them all, only Cyborg had the nerve to ask the question that was on all of their minds.

"Ah, you mean the 'sounding board'?"

"Yes, that as well!"

". . ."

A quick group head shake later, and everyone was back on topic.

"_Anyway_," Ryouga continued, "It's pretty much just a revised version of the technique that Cologne used when she examined Terra. The only difference is that I learned about something that she didn't, so I know why her attempt didn't work."

The Lost Boy, obviously too impatient for a question and answer period, quickly pointed to the metallic shoulder cover adorning Terra.

"The reason Cologne's technique didn't work, and the reason that Terra hasn't restored herself already, is this suit." Ryouga nodded curtly in Raven's direction. "Raven told me that the suit had somehow bonded to her, assimilated into her skin, and that she would have never been able to remove it. Well, I think that's why she isn't recovering. Her body is trying to heal itself, but the invasion of the suit into her body is interfering in several key chi points and is preventing that from happening."

A thoughtful finger resting on his chin, Robin nodded in agreement. "And this presents us with a perfect opportunity to remove the suit, as well. We're much less likely to harm Terra in her current state than if we tried to remove it when she was flesh and blood."

"Exactly, however, since I have no idea how far the suit has assimilated into her, I'm going to need Cyborg's and Raven's help to remove it." Ryouga's voice rose with each word of his explanation, it was obvious how excited he was at the prospect of this endeavor. He then turned back to Terra and placed both of his hands, ever so delicately, on the edges of the metal spaulder. With the deft sureness of a surgeon, the martial artist then lifted the piece of metal free from its stone moorings with only a minor splintering of Terra's stone encrusted bandages.

After moving the piece only a quarter of an inch (after nearly two minutes of work), he gestured everyone to move in with a nod of his head.

Beast Boy gently broke free from Kasumi's supportive embrace to scurry forward. Ahead of him, Cyborg, Robin and Raven were already examining what Ryouga had revealed. Changing into an emerald sparrow to get a closer look (and not accidentally break anything) the changeling alighted on Terra's shoulder and peeked under the lifted piece of armor.

'Ahhh . . .' So, that was what Ryouga had meant. Sprouting from the base of the spaulder were countless strands of gleaming silver, like a mass of tiny steel roots, all burrowing into the stone that had once been Terra's silky soft skin. Beast Boy looked up to Ryouga, only to see the boy sporting a nervous bead of sweat rolling down his forehead and the tip of his tongue poking out in concentration.

Without moving his eyes for a second, Ryouga resumed his explanation.

"Cyborg, I need you to use your scanners to track how many of those wire things there are, and how far into Terra they go. I don't want to leave _anything _behind if I don't have to." The Lost Boy's eyes then flashed to Raven for a second.

"Raven," he began tersely.

The violet eyed Titan shrank slightly at his tone, but replied just the same.

"Yes, Ryouga?"

She wasn't quite able to keep all of the emotion out of her voice apparently, as her sullen reply drew Ryouga's eyes to her once more. The fanged fighter's eyes lingered far too long for Beast Boy's frazzled nerves, until Ryouga let out a tiny sigh.

"Raven-" he started over in an apologetic tone, "I really need your help on this. I know about all of the training you've done with Cologne to control your powers, so I'm sure that you can do this. Heck, you're probably the only one on the planet that can. I know I'm asking a lot from you, but can you use your power to somehow protect and strengthen all of those wires? I'm afraid that if I tried it without your help, most of them would just snap and get stuck inside her."

Raven's eyes widened at his request. Rather than balk, though, the young sorceress turned her critical gaze to the item in question. From his perch on Terra's shoulder, Beast Boy could almost see the reflection of hundreds of gleaming filaments in her glistening violet eyes.

"It would be unlike anything I've ever tried before . . . The probes are so fine and there are so many of them . . ."

She turned back to face the Lost Boy.

"Do you really think I can do this?"

He nodded confidently. "There isn't anyone else I would trust more to do this."

His supportive gesture was joined by Cyborg, Robin and Starfire.

"C'mon, Rae, you know you got the mad skills to pull this off!" crowed Cyborg.

"What better way to put all of your training to the test, than in saving a friend?" added Robin.

Starfire simply crushed her in a supportive hug, whispering something into the girl's ear that was too quiet for Beast Boy to hear. Whatever it was, though, the effect was immediate. Gently breaking from of the Tamaranian's bone crushing embrace, Raven nodded slowly.

"Very well. I'll do everything in my power to restore Terra, just as we all promised."

With that, the dark sorceress laid her hand on Terra's spaulder, resting her wrist across Ryouga's to steady herself. So serious were both individuals, that neither even blushed at the incidental contact. Cyborg nodded as well, lifting his left arm before him. The display embedded in its surface flashed to life.

On the tiny screen, upside down from the changeling's point of view, a three dimensional wire frame of Terra's body appeared, rotating slowly. With several deft taps of Cyborg's finger, the display ceased its rotation and zoomed in to the shoulder in question. Several more quick taps brought the metallic shoulder covering to life in flashing yellow, clearly highlighting their prey.

"Man," Cyborg grumbled, still typing away, "Those filaments are _tiny, _no wonder they didn't register on my earlier scans. Here, let me try a few –"

The cybernetic teen's contemplation was cut off as his eyes widened in shock. Displayed on the screen, a mass of tiny yellow lines extended from the shoulder piece and down into Terra. From there, to Beast Boy's dismay, the tiny wires spread out into a complex filigree that ran down most of her arm, across her chest, up her neck . . .

"Whoa . . ."

Sparrow Beast Boy nodded in slow agreement with his buddy's statement. Robin let out a low whistle, while Ryouga and Raven both grimaced in unison.

After several moments of simply boggling at the monumental, yet infinitely minute task before them, Raven finally took in a deep breath, steeling her resolve, and began.

With glacial speed, the familiar ebony aura of Raven's dark power spread out across the surface of the metallic shoulder guard, enveloping it completely. Beast Boy ducked his head, intent on watching the progress. On the underside of the armor piece, the inky black aura began to coat the fine filaments at an agonizing rate.

Behind him, Raven's eyes began to glow with the white luminescence of the incredible concentration required for the task. Even though she had just started, a bead of sweat was already forming on her brow.

Back before him, the darkness of her power began to flow down the countless probes and vanish into the unyielding hardness of Terra's stone skin.

It was over ten minutes of absolute silence before Raven finally broke it with a relieved gasp.

"I – I think I have it all . . . start whenever you're ready, Ryouga."

The martial artist nodded, then, with an impressive display of incredible strength and amazing control, he began to lift the piece away from Terra's shoulder.

"Easy, Ryo, _easy _now." A pregnant silence hung in the air, until- " . . . Alright, I'm starting to see movement . . . Ah yeah, Dawg, it's _working_."

Beast Boy let out a tiny whistle of a sparrow sigh, unable to even contemplate the sheer amount of relief he was feeling at that moment. After that, the changeling, like the rest of the captive audience, settled in to watch the show . . .

* * *

Raven let out a thankful sigh as Starfire very gently mopped the beading sweat from her brow. Not that she could even see her closest female companion at the moment. Her entire world had long since dissolved away into an abstract plane of sensory perception that most mortals would never even imagine. Vague sensations of concepts beyond normal comprehension translated themselves into colors, flowing currents and swirling eddies of life force, the static matrices of the cavern's ambient energy, the kaleidoscopic clouds representing the mixture of concern and anxiety that all of her friends were experiencing . . .

And, at the center of it all, at the very center of her being, the endless mass of metallic strands that were woven so expertly through the skin of their traitorous, wondrous friend. As she had once told Cyborg, she placed a small part of herself into a thing whenever she used her powers . . . and at the moment she was feeling stretched very thin indeed. Hundreds of wires, consisting of thousands of feet of length, she controlled them all, encompassed them all, _was _them all . . .

And, quite frankly, it was almost too much for her mind to bear.

Still, the end was in sight. After nearly an hour of continuous work, of intense and perfect concentration, she could feel the end was close. Most of the probes had already been pulled free, allowing her to focus more of her power on the longer, more intrusive probes, making sure that they survived the resistance of being forcibly pulled from their stone moorings.

Just . . . one . . . more . . . inch-

Raven let out an explosive moan of exhaustion as she felt the very tip of the very last filament pull free from Terra's skin. A moment later, she was falling backwards – right into the waiting arm of Ryouga. It took her a moment of blinking her eyes to adjust her sight back to the world of reflected light that her eyes were actually designed to perceive. She looked up, then, into the equally exhausted looking (which confused her, since the boy was like a living power reactor of endurance), but widely smiling face of Ryouga. There was a light sheen of sweat on the young man's face which glistened in the dim light of the cavern.

Ryouga lifted up the piece of Terra's suit which they had just removed, a small forest of wire filaments dangling from its undersurface, ranging in length from an inch to nearly two feet in length. The look of pride on his face as they examined the artifact was almost worth the pain of removing it.

That had, quite honestly, been the most gruelling hour of Raven's life.

Which, of course, must have been the exact reason that Beast Boy chose that moment to jump down and resume his elfin form.

"Alright guys, _you did it_! That's one down and only about fourteen or so more to go!"

Raven and Ryouga both chose that moment to display their hidden talents for multilingual cursing.

* * *

-Two Days Later-

Cyborg let out a long sigh as he leaned back against a convenient stalagmite . . . or stalactite, whichever one came out of the floor, _damn geology_! Anyway, giving his head a shake, Cyborg took a quick glance around the cavern. Robin was leaning against the same rock column that he was, almost shoulder to shoulder (or shoulder to elbow in Robin's case) with him. On the far side of the room, Raven was sitting on the floor, resting back against one of the cool cavern walls. It was obvious the poor girl was utterly exhausted and recovering from their latest extraction.

Heck, he was mentally exhausted just from monitoring the operation; he couldn't even imagine what she must have been feeling at that moment.

Kasumi was absent, much to his disappointment. The lovely woman had offered to run out and pick them up some lunch and it would likely be some time before she returned.

Back in the center of the chamber, Ryouga, Beast Boy and Starfire were gathered around Terra's statue. While the latter two looked to be mostly just hovering around anxiously, it looked like the Lost Boy was taking advantage of Raven's recuperation period and was intently examining the final piece of armor that they had to remove. Judging by the worried look on the guy's face, Ryouga obviously didn't think it would be an easy task.

It was about then, that Ryouga leaned back letting out a defeated sigh.

"I'm sorry, guys, I just can't do this. No matter how I look at it, the blood loss from removing this piece of armor will be dangerous, possibly even fatal!"

Beast Boy's shocked gasp wasn't the only one, just the loudest.

"_What_? You mean, if you remove the last piece of the suit, Terra will _bleed to death_!"

Ryouga looked at the boy oddly for a moment.

"What? No, not her, _me_!"

Ryouga pointed dramatically to the final piece of Terra's suit which needed to be removed . . .

To the gently curved plate which covered Terra's modest breasts.

"There's no way that I can remove _that_!"

Needless to say, everyone's reactions to _that _declaration were immediate and diverse.

Raven let out a disgusted groan from her seated position across the room.

Cyborg immediately burst out into laughter, then leaned towards his immediate neighbor whispering quietly, "Seriously, Dawg, what's Ryo talkin' 'bout? Even _you _got more in the chest department than _she _does."

Amazingly, his off the cuff joke drew a quiet snicker from the masked vigilante, at least until Raven shot a suspicious glare in their direction. It was obvious that she hadn't heard what they'd said, but that lack of evidence would never hold up in a female court of law.

Beast Boy, on the other hand, handled the news _slightly _differently.

"_W-wha_? _You jerk! __**I'm gonna kill you**_!"

The emerald tackled the fanged martial artist to the ground with all the force his ropey body could generate. The two guys rolled around on the stone floor, Ryouga laughing uproariously as Beast Boy did his futile best to choke the life from him.

Starfire simply watched the spectacle, an uncharacteristically flat expression on her rather un-amused face.

As that insanity unfurled, Raven rose to her feet and floated over to the pair of stalagmite leaners. She still maintained her suspicious glare, but it looked like her annoyance at Ryouga and Beast Boy was outweighing that at the moment.

"I have officially lost all hope that I may have once had in the male sex. You are _all_ beyond help."

Cyborg and Robin both took a moment to consider her words . . . then nodded in unison.

"Heh, took ya that long to figure out, Rae?"

"It really is hard to refute with _that _going on, like, ten feet away," Robin added, wearing an amused little grin.

The hooded Titan rolled her violet eyes, apparently disappointed that they hadn't put up a better argument (or an argument at all, really).

Behind them, Ryouga let out another bark of laughter as Beast Boy rolled them over several more feet.

"How can you _joke at a time like __**this**_?"

"C'mon, Beast Boy, give it up! You aren't strong enough to strangle me!" Ironically, the only thing choking Ryouga's words was his own laughter.

"Not until you _feel it_!" Beast Boy then turned to the observing Tamaranian. "_Star_! Help me out!"

Starfire took a moment to consider the request, then gave a minor shrug and dived into the fray.

"Wait – _Kori, don't_ – _**Gaauughk**_!"

Raven watched the display for several seconds before turning back to the two of them.

"I take it back-"

"This entire _dimension _is beyond help."

* * *

With a clatter of metal, the last and final piece of Terra's infamous suit dropped to the stone floor. Ryouga let out a sigh of relief as he stared at Terra's armor-less figure, now adorned with a large, fluffy towel draped over her shoulders. Thankfully (once they had finally dragged Beast Boy and Starfire off his nearly asphyxiated corpse) someone had thought to go and fetch something to preserve the slight girl's decency.

_'Sheesh'_, that would teach him to try to cut the tension during an overtly serious moment.

To his side, Raven let out an even more exhausted sigh of relief. He smiled weakly as the cloaked female listed slightly to lean against his side. He could hardly begrudge her the support considering that she had done pretty much all of the heavy lifting for the entire process of removing Terra's suit. He doubted even Cologne herself could have pulled off the feat of sheer will power and control that Raven had demonstrated over the past days.

She really was an amazing young woman.

Still, as nice as the companionable contact was, he still had a job to do. Hopefully, after the hell they had just gone through, it would be the _easy _part. With great regret, Ryouga gently placed his hands on Raven's shoulders and guided her over to rest on Beast Boy. Neither one looked overly happy with the arrangement, but thankfully the former was too tired to complain about it openly.

"Alright, Star, do you have the wards?"

The Tamaranian in question floated forward quickly, nodding in the affirmative. The lovely young alien then pulled a short stack of paper strips from behind her back. For some reason, the strips had the kanji for 'Breaking Point' written very neatly on them. Ryouga stared at her oddly for a moment, before shrugging.

Cyborg's curiosity wasn't so quickly dismissed.

"Um, Ryo? What the heck is with the scrap paper collection? You making a Papier-mâché Terra?"

Ryouga looked to the small handful of wards, then up to his erstwhile sister, then finally over to the curious cyborg.

". . . just . . . don't ask."

With that, the bandanna clad martial artist turned his attention back to Terra's frozen form. Unfortunately, he was going to have to move the towel for this part of the operation, but there was simply no avoiding it. Even worse, if he was going to find the correct Breaking Points, most notably the chi point of Terra's heart, he was going to be forced to survey that . . . _area _of Terra quite intently.

Why did the Gods hate him so?

He turned back to look at his gathered audience. All around him, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Kasumi, Raven, Robin and Starfire all watched intently.

"Ummm, you guys might all want to turn around . . . or something. I kinda have to move that towel for a bit . . ."

Immediately, Beast Boy's face went red and he spun around. Cyborg and Robin simply shrugged, apparently not that concerned . . . at least until the _other _females present set their glares on them. Roughly five seconds later, the three other males were shepherded to the far end of the cavern.

Oh, how Ryouga envied them.

With that rather depressing thought in mind, Ryouga set about his grim duty (and hoped to whatever god out there that didn't have it out for him, that Ranma _never _heard about this, **ever**).

Asides from the obvious, and enormous, discomfort factor, the work was rather meticulous. First, he found the chi points in Terra's meridians which were tied to her major organs: Brain, Liver, Gall Bladder, Spleen, Lungs, Stomach, Bladder, Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Kidneys and finally her Heart. Sure, the Brain wasn't one of the official ones, but he figured it couldn't hurt to do it anyway.

Next, he very carefully took one of the paper wards that Starfire had prepared for him and used his iron cloth technique to infuse his chi into it. With utmost care, he placed his free hand to the cavern floor, trying to make his own chi as earth-like as possible as he let it flow into the slip of paper. After days of intense training, the sensation of his own chi was almost alien to him, so much heavier, denser than it had been, but not in any way associated with any of his emotions.

With a flick of his wrist, the paper ward straightened out with all of the rigidness of a steel playing card, its corners almost gleaming with deadly intent.

'Yes.' He could feel it, it felt so right. He then reached out an expectant hand to his lovely assistant. Predicting his need, Starfire handed him the long, thin shard of wood which he needed. Using a small surge of chi, he increased the strength of the glorified tooth pick and stabbed it straight through the ward and precisely into the chi point over Terra's heart. Much like Kunou's bokken, the wooden implement impaled the stone without even the slightest resistance.

He then quickly withdrew all of his chi from the wooden acupuncture needle, not wanting to disrupt the perfect balance of chi that he had infused into the ward. Once that was done, he repeated the process with the next organ, and the next, and the next . . . All the while maintaining enough concentration on each ward to prevent it from releasing its energy too early.

It was, he imagined, a very, _very _pale imitation of the ordeal that Raven had had to endure to use her power to remove Terra's suit.

Finally, after a good fifteen minutes of work, it was finally done. He stood back to examine his handy work. Only blushing slightly at the sight of a topless Terra with nearly a dozen paper wards pinned to her body, he was satisfied that he was as ready as he was ever going to get.

"Ryouga, whatever are the wooden sticks for?" asked a curious Kasumi.

Keeping both his eyes and his concentration solely on Terra, he replied quietly.

"They should act as channels for the chi in the wards when I activate them. If I had just placed the wards directly on Terra, the chi would just spread out ineffectively, this will force it all directly into her meridians . . . in theory, anyway."

He was vaguely aware of Raven moving to stand at his side. She, too, was intently studying Terra's form.

"So, you really think this will work?" she asked seriously.

He grinned a humorless grin.

"There's only one way to find out –"

Ryouga clasped his hands before him, extending the first two fingers of each hand upwards and curling the rest into a tight half-fist. Gathering all of his will, the master martial artist focused all of his concentration on the eleven chi charged wards before him

"_Bakusai Tenketsu_!"

* * *

The young woman felt strange, disoriented . . . and most notably, stiff as a board! The last thing she could remember was . . . was fire – fire and stone. It had been so hot, so painful, so bright . . . and then nothing . . .

And yet here she was.

Unsure of what was happening, she forced her eyes to open. What should have been the simplest act in the world felt akin to performing one of the labors of Hercules himself. It took almost more energy than she felt she possessed to flicker her eyelids open – and when she did, her confusion only increased.

For a moment, all she saw was a blur of colors. She blinked rapidly several times, dispelling the discomforting inability to focus. Her efforts were not without reward, as they revealed several figures standing before her. She didn't have time to make any mental connections between the faces of the flame haired and violet haired females, though, as all of the energy she had used to open her eyes had apparently been stolen directly from her legs.

The narrow limbs that held her upright immediately began to buckle under her own meager weight, as if she had been trying to support the entire weight of the world for just a second longer than Atlas would have recommended. Then she was falling forward with all of the weightless grace of an autumn leaf.

Thankfully, something stopped her imminent collision with the Earth. She felt a pair of strong arms lift her from the ground and looked up into the face of her rescuer.

Something was very strange to her, at that moment. The face that she looked into was the face of a perfect stranger, lacking even the hint of recognition that the flame haired and violet haired females triggered in the back of her mind. Whoever it was that was now holding her in his arms, it was someone that she was absolutely certain she had never laid eyes on before . . .

And yet, for the first time that the Super Hero known to the world as Terra could recall . . .

She felt like she had finally come home . . .

And then the darkness consumed her . . .


	28. Titan Rising! Chapter 3

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 3

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

He continued his trek, walking carefully through the verdant plain, ever alert. Despite the lush beauty of the rolling grasslands which surrounded him, with breathtaking swathes of flowers tantalizing the eye and the occasional tree offering shade, he knew that enemies could literally appear from nowhere if he wasn't careful.

He was almost at his destination, though - almost at the meeting place.

"Ahhh . . ." He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally spotted the monolith which his cavalcade of companions traditionally used to locate one another. As he closed in, his crimson robes, trimmed with fabric of glittering gold rustling through the tall grass, he could see that one of his companions was already present.

Though most would have hesitated nervously at the imposing sight of his teammate, he strode forward with nary a pause. The person before him, if indeed the term 'person' applied, towered over him, easily topping eight feet. The pair of horns that tipped the beast's shaggy, bovine head added nearly another two feet to its already intimidating height. Though, considering the intensely muscled frame of the monster, with arms as thick as his waist and hooves of chiselled obsidian . . . not to mention the wicked looking double bladed axe at its side, the horns weren't all _that _imposing.

Unfortunately, for all of the walking mountain of muscles' immense strength and boundless ferocity, the glowing words hanging above the Tauren's head revealing his name to be: 'IFraggedUrMom', would forever prevent anyone from taking him seriously.

The massive minotaur waved a meaty hand in greeting as it noticed his approach.

"Yo, Mousse, long time no see!"

Mousse, or as he was known in this realm, 'Death_Raven, Blood Elf Sorcerer Supreme', nodded in reply. He had, as of recently, considered changing his name to Steel-Mallard, but wasn't sure how. Certainly, Death_Raven was an excellent name, but he was no longer so comfortable with it, considering why he had chosen it. Luckily, 'HeWhoPlansToMurderRaven,' had already been taken, so he'd settled for the more innocuous title.

Meh, he'd live with it.

"Hail, mighty and noble Tauren. It has been many moons since last we parted ways," Death_Raven finally replied. He suppressed his smirk as much as possible, since he knew how much Gizmo hated it when people spoke 'In Character'.

"_Oh_, don't even start with that RP crap, Mousse! I'm here to splatter things with tree trunks, not pretend to be some namby pamby fairy from another world."

Sorcerer Mousse shook his head slowly, smiling helplessly. "You've never quite grasped the spirit of the 'role' playing part of the game, have you, Giz?"

The Tauren waved in disgust. "What's to know? You roll the dice and stuff happens. This game just cuts out the useless dice and paper junk."

The Blood Elf's smile flowed into a condescending /smirk. "You're absolutely right. We wouldn't want anyone using their _imagination_s. Heaven forbid."

"Pffft. Who needs imagination when you got a fifty six inch HD screen hooked up to a computer with enough RAM to lay siege to a good sized castle?"

"_Please _tell me you two aren't going on about _that _again."

The Tauren and the Blood Elf both turned in response to the pleasant, though not at all lyrical voice of the Night Elf that casually strolled around the monolith. True to the female's nature, she went unseen until she wished it otherwise.

Naomi_Alicia_Benton, Seventeenth level Rogue Extraordinaire flowed across the distance, her ebon cloak doing more accentuating than concealing by far. The sly Night Elf gave the two of them a quick once over before a rare, genuine smile graced her lips.

"It's good to see you again, Mousse . . . such as it is, anyways."

Sorcerer Mousse nodded fondly. "Tell me about it. Heh, you can probably imagine my surprise at my old HIVE communicator suddenly ringing in the middle of the night. I honestly never thought I'd hear from you again after you and your boys went rogue . . . no pun intended."

Rogue Nabiki rolled her eyes. "As funny as usual Mousse, i.e: Not at all. Honestly, I hadn't really planned on keeping too many ties to the past either, but after getting that message from Jinx that she was heading our way, I was suddenly inspired to play again."

Warrior Gizmo chuckled madly. "It'll be good to see the old scarecrow again. Say, you think the whole crew will show?"

The Blood Elf shrugged doubtfully. "I wouldn't get my hopes up. I'm surprised _I _made it on, considering my schedule, and I can hardly imagine Jinx has a steady internet connection with what she's doing."

Their Night Elf leader leaned towards him, obviously interested. "Reeeaally? And what exactly _is _your schedule lately? And how exactly do you know what Jinx is doing with her time again?"

Sorcerer Mousse tugged at his collars, sweating fireballs. _Damn woman_! Could he not even make minor slips without her picking up on them?

"Umm . . . ah – I _don't _know what she's doing. I mean, we all saw her leave with you, but she obviously isn't with you now, so who _knows _what she could be doing?" He ended with a few weak chuckles.

Rogue Nabiki shot him a look that promised she would pry his darkest secrets from the very depths of his soul with those rusty hooks he had planned to use on Raven, but that she didn't feel like it at the moment. He shuffled a little closer to the towering Tauren, feeling much less fearful of the potential Happy Meal than the mercenary woman before him.

"Hey, speak of the devil!" boomed the Tauren Warrior.

The minotaur pointed excitedly to the east, indicating a new figure approaching their position. The figure soon resolved itself into the graceful, flowing form of a blue skinned female humanoid, made all the more alluring for her obvious inhumanity. The familiar Draenei Priestess waved excitedly as she closed in on their position.

"Hey, Guys!" cried the Priestess labelled 'Hecate'. A moment later, she joined their circle, smile positively beaming before she latched onto the Tauren's arm in a crushing embrace . . . or, in this case, the complete opposite of that.

"Hey, Giz! It's been way too long."

The large Warrior blushed right through his shaggy coat, rubbing the back of his neck at the overly mushy greeting. Hecate then spun gracefully back to the center of the gang.

"So, did you guys miss me?" the Priestess asked teasingly.

Sorcerer Mousse scratched his chin, chuckling to himself. "Four or five times, if I recall, Jinx."

Priestess Jinx stuck her tongue out in his direction before giggling impishly. "It'll be a lot more fun hanging out now that you aren't out to kill me, or that Shampoo hussy isn't around to get in the way."

The haughty Blood Elf prepared to retort to the sorceress' – um, Priestess' 'Hussy' accusation, if only by rote, when the Roguish Nabiki seemed to literally materialize between them.

"What's this I hear? Big mean Mousse trying to kill cute little Jinx? That sounds like a pretty neat trick for someone that hasn't seen her since the Academy . . ."

_Oh crap_! It felt like his gold trimmed collar was hell bent on strangling him right then and there. Of all the people in the world, Nabiki was the _last _one he wanted to be able to connect him back to Luthor. Even with his new salary, there was no way he'd be able to afford it.

Seductively, the Night Elf sidled up between the Sorcerer and the Priestess. "Now, where do you suppose something like that could have happened?"

The Blood Elf's mind was racing now, his over taxed brain straining for a suitable, believable lie, when-

"Oh, it's no big deal, Biki. Me and Happi swung by Japan for a few weeks of training. One of our raids happened to be through Shampoo's dresser. To be honest, I was surprised there was actually any underwear in her room to steal-"

"_Hey_!"

"Needless to say," Priestess Jinx continued, ignoring his outburst. "When the inevitable fight happened, it was me and Happi versus Mousse and Shampoo, so you can imagine how proud he must be of _that _little encounter."

To the Sorcerer's eternal relief, the Rogue named Naomi_Alicia_Benton nodded in agreement, apparently buying the blue skinned Draenei's story.

Feeling a little emboldened, the Blood Elf shrugged. "I can honestly say that I wish more people defeated Shampoo and I like Jinx did."

The Priestess giggled shamelessly at the memory.

Which was about the time that Warrior Gizmo groaned loudly, out of the blue. "Sheesh! Are you pit-munchers done blabbing yet? I'm here to play, so let's go!"

To the Blood Elf's side, the Draenei looked around inquisitively. "But we're still down one. Isn't he coming?"

Rogue Nabiki shrugged helplessly. "I sent the message. Whether he got it or not, that's anyone's guess."

Priestess Jinx pouted cutely. "Awww, but it just won't be the same without him."

"Nay! It most assuredly would not, fair Maiden of the Cloth!"

The quartet turned as one to greet the final member of their team striding proudly through the verdant field to join them. The dashing male's silver armor gleamed in the sun and the bejeweled broadsword that hung easily from his back glittered like a thousand tiny stars. The glowing title above his head named him 'Miyam0t0_Mu5a5hi'.

A moment later, the majestic Human was among them and he gallantly removed the massive, winged helm from his head, revealing chiselled, aristocratic features.

"Well met my . . ." The Human took a moment to regard them all. ". . . my not entirely noble compatriots. Miyamoto Musashi, Eighteenth level Paladin of the Holy Light and Rising Star of the Alliance has arrived."

Rogue Nabiki smiled, obviously in spite of herself. "I have to admit, I'm surprised you actually came out, Kunou-baby.

"Yeah, what's up with that, Tatie? I'd heard from Biki that you'd gone hero on us," Priestess Jinx asked curiously.

"Indeed, my noble personage has joined the illustrious legion of those who would protect our fair world. Thusly, you can imagine my surprise when, scarcely even a week since last my teammates and I faced Nabiki and her minions-"

"Hey!"

"-in battle, I didst receive her request to partake of this most entertaining past time. Indeed, I honestly know not why I even retained the communicator of my villainous past, in retrospect."

Sorcerer Mousse chuckled easily. "Heh, are you sure you should be here, Kunou? Isn't gaming with your arch nemesis a conflict of interest?"

Paladin Kunou waved off his concern. "Bah! What know I of such lawyer speak? As long as we retain a discreet line betwixt our professional lives and our personal lives, I see little harm in such a virtual endeavor."

"Exactly!" the Draenei agreed emphatically. "I mean, just cuz I'm not exactly a nice girl doesn't mean I can't hang out with heroes, does it?"

Rogue Nabiki smirked evilly. "If by _heroes_, you mean _Ryouga_, and if by _hang out_ you mean _make out_, then it's all good."

'Hecate's' scandalized protest was drowned out by the uproarious laughter of her companions.

Finally, the Blood Elf Sorcerer put out a hand to try to stop the laughter. "Okay, okay. I think we've all had enough fun at the expense of Jinx's fang fetish-"

"Hey!"

"-But why don't we get down to business? . . . Speaking of which, what was it we were going to do again?"

Immediately, everyone turned to the lovely Night Elf whom served as their (Behind the scenes) leader. The smile on her face let them all know that she knew exactly what the plan was.

"Alright, we got our work cut out for us on this one, so it's a good thing you actually showed up, Kunou."

The Human Paladin's chest swelled with pride.

"Yeah, no one draws Aggro like Kunou," chirped the massive Tauren Warrior.

Sorcerer Mousse shrugged. "That's Kunou for you, always finding uses for his real world talents."

"Do you mock me, servant of evil?"

"No, no . . . it's scarcely necessary."

"_Churlish knave-_"

"Okay, boys, that enough," Rogue Nabiki cut in. "Now, we're after the Zodiac Gloves for Jinx's Priestess, which means we have to complete the 'Look to the Stars' quest. Gizmo?"

The mighty Tauren strode forward. "Okay, I checked the game sites and got the walkthrough and the FAQ's, so this shouldn't be too bad. Of course, first thing we gotta do is find Zzarc' Vul and-"

The Blood Elf looked to the Draenei, who looked to the Human who looked back to the Blood Elf. In unspoken agreement, Paladin Kunou spoke the words that were on all of their minds.

"Cease thy prattling, Bovine! We desire not _spoilers_, but seek the challenge of battling the unknown! Let us embark on our quest forthwith!"

Okay, so maybe he _paraphrased _what was on all of their minds, but he managed to get the point across. The Tauren pouted sadly, but the Priestess and the Sorcerer nodded ruthlessly.

"Yeah, I don't have all night to play, you know?" the Blood Elf added for effect.

Rogue Nabiki let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, let's go fight an Ogre without a game plan _again_. I do so love traveling with ghosts."

Priestess Jinx smirked victoriously. "Alright, off to almost certain doom!"

Sorcerer Mousse was more than happy to let their resident Paladin charge forward to lead their stalwart group to glory. The Tauren followed close behind, not wanting to miss out on a single XP. Rather more sedately, the Blood Elf fell in line with the sashaying forms of the Draenei and the Night Elf.

"Oh, by they way," the Priestess asked the Rogue, out of the blue. "It's still alright for me and Happi to swing by your place, right Nabiki? He just wants to make a quick stop in Gotham, but that's it."

Rogue Nabiki grimaced visibly. "Do you _have _to bring Happosai?"

The Draenei replied with a weary sigh.

"Ah, c'mon, Biki. Happi isn't that bad."

As soon as the words were uttered, the entire World seemed to grind to a shuddering halt. Mousse was so shocked that he hit the wrong key and his Blood Elf broke out into a funky, if highly inappropriate dance.

_Everyone _turned to regard the Priestess; Paladin Kunou with jaw slack, Warrior Gizmo with eyes wide, Rogue Nabiki as pale as a ghost . . . and Sorcerer Mousse with hips gyrating suggestively . . .

"Oh, what tragedy to befall such a young and tender flower of womanhood," lamented the Paladin melodramatically.

"N-not-not so _bad_?" the Sorcerer stuttered in disbelief.

The Rogue simply stared into nothingness, the utter paradox of Jinx's words shutting down her brain's higher functions. "She . . . she's lost her mind . . ."

The mighty Tauren Gizmo looked to Jinx, then to the three shell shocked adventurers. Then, in a most casual manner, he shrugged.

"Meh, I always figured Jinx would snap first."

"_Hey_!"

* * *

Darkness surrounded her, laying over her perceptions like a shroud of ebon velvet. The darkness was familiar . . . and yet not, like a memory clinging to the very edge of her mind, or a word dangling from the tip of her tongue, refusing to reveal itself. What did this darkness signify? Was she dreaming? Was she blind? Had she somehow been inexplicably transmogrified into a stone statue, only to suffer the unimaginable horror of retaining her consciousness, doomed to go slowly mad as her mind railed against her unnatural and unending captivity-

No, wait, her eyelids were just closed.

Feeling a bit silly, Terra forced open her unbelievably heavy eyelids, struggling against the immense bulk of her lengthy eyelashes every millimeter of the way. That exhausting task out of the way, she began to take in her surroundings. Wherever she was, it was vaguely familiar, though dimly lit.

She was thankful for that last small blessing, as even the moonlight filtering through the far bank of windows was causing her glistening blue eyes to water.

The next thing she noticed was a dull throbbing pounding away at the forefront of her brain. _Great, I don't know where I am, why I' m here, or how I got here, but now I have a migraine, too? _

She lifted her hand to rub her pulsating temples . . . or, at least she tried to. She could barely even budge the treacherous limb. It felt like she had been working out for three days straight; she might as well have had a lead pipe lashed to her shoulder for all of the good it was doing her at the moment. She imagined her legs were going to be in pretty much the same condition, so she didn't waste her time trying to sit up.

Instead, the young woman started to take in her surroundings to see if she could garner any clues as to her current situation.

_Let's see _. . .

Windows . . . not really useful.

Beds, a lot of them.

Curtains, hanging between the beds, none of them drawn though.

A machine that goes _ping_ . . .

Well, it certainly looked like she was in a hospital, if that hospital had been torn from the set of a Star Trek episode. Her weary blue eyes continued their trek across the room for more clues-

A gloved hand, curled tightly around her left hand.

_Well, now I'm getting somewhere._

The hand was attached to a narrow wrist, wrapped in a black, stretch material. The wrist, in turn, was connected to a wiry arm which ran up to a lightly muscled shoulder.

And there, resting silently on the mattress beside her was an unkempt tangle of emerald hair. She felt certain that the sight of green hair should have struck her as odd, instead she found herself smiling fondly. Reaching out as gently as possible (considering the uncoordinated condition of her arm), she carefully brushed the oddly hued locks away to reveal the sleeping face of a green skinned boy, a line of drool running down his cheek to soak into the sheets.

Terra giggled in amusement at the adorable sight, but did so silently to avoid waking her erstwhile companion. She wasn't left wondering too long, though, as a familiar name came tumbling to center stage in her mind.

_Beast Boy_ . . .

The smile on her pale lips widened as memories of the emerald shape shifter began to flow forth unbidden. It was all a jumble, flashes of vision and snippets of conversations, all half remembered, but there were some that stood out keenly. She remembered sitting on the shore of a small island, skipping stones. She remembered riding bumper cars, and fighting giant mechanical worms, and silly jokes and eating pie . . . and very nearly a kiss . . .

Her smile faded at that as other memories began to return to her. These memories felt more like nightmares, though only worse, since she had a gnawing chill in her gut that told her they had all happened as well. She remembered yelling at the green boy, running away from the tower, lying to her friends over and over again. The image of an earthen chasm closing down on the emerald changeling played over and over in her mind, the look of betrayal in his eyes burning her like a pair of brands . . . which was quite fitting, as her final memories were of fire . . .

Terra's entire body shivered at those last memories.

She gazed back down at the emerald boy holding her hand with such fierce tenderness. Her first instinct was to try slipping her hand from his and escaping the tower. She had no idea what had happened, her memories ending sharply with those searing curtains of flame.

Terra honestly had no idea how she could have survived the hellish flames of her mind's eye, or even if she had _deserved _to survive. The things she had done for Slade . . . The things she had done to her friends. What _had _happened to her? Who knew how long she might have been unconscious? A minute, an hour, a day?

Were they just helping her so they could send her to prison?

She looked down to the changeling dozing at her side.

_No, _she decided.

Even at the very end, _he _had never given up on her. There was no way he would let anything like that happen to her.

She found the strength to dash a tear from her eye. How could he possibly be so kind to her after what she had done? She didn't deserve his friendship and she knew it. She didn't deserve any kind of friendship after what she'd done.

Gently pulling, she tried to slide her fingers from Beast Boy's gloved hand. Her efforts only caused the boy's grip to tighten unconsciously. Beast Boy shifted slightly, mumbling something she couldn't quite make out, but didn't _quite _wake up.

_He never did like to let things go, no matter how bad they were for him, _she mused silently.

Just how long had the emerald changeling been at her side, waiting for her to wake up? Judging by the drool stain slowly spreading across the mattress, she'd guess hours. The blonde bulldozer shifted a few inches away from the slightly gross sign of devotion, before returning her gaze to the sleeping boy.

She lost track of how long she simply took in the adorable sight of the sleeping hero. One could easily forget he was such selfless person, such a fierce and implacable warrior when the situation called for it . . .

He was so _perfect _in her eyes; brave, generous, funny, really cute. What he could possibly see in someone as fractured and screwed up as her, she had no idea. Still, at the very least he deserved more than her sneaking out of the tower without even saying goodbye.

She stretched a weak smile across her lips and gently squeezed the hand so warmly wrapped around her own.

"Beast Boy," she whispered hoarsely.

"Unh . . . wha . . ." Beast Boy's eyes blinked rapidly for several seconds as his head rose sluggishly from the mattress. The drool soaked sheets clung to his cheek for several inches before finally releasing their slimy grip.

Terra giggled lightly as she watched his eyes roam around and decided to speed up the process. _Everyone _knew how bad Beast Boy could be in the morning.

"Beast Boy," she gently coaxed the boy, squeezing his hand again.

Like two ball bearings drawn to lodestone, his eyes found her, nearly doubling in size as they did.

_Here it comes_, she mused, _He'll make some goofy joke about 'sleeping' with me, we'll both laugh, and things'll appear to be just like old tim-_

Except that wasn't what happened at all. Beast Boy just continued to stare at her, like she was his own personal oasis, or something, and – and were those _tears_ forming in the corners of his eyes?

She was even more surprised, though pleasantly, when the changeling sprang forward and wrapped her in a Starfire Grade Hug.

"_Terra_! I – I – _you're alright_! Ah – I – oh _man_! I've been imagining this moment forever, and now look at me, babbling like a moron!" Beast Boy babbled.

Terra returned the crushing embrace with all the strength she could muster, but looked at her companion oddly.

"Beast Boy, calm down." She chuckled weakly. "Sheesh, you're making it sound like you never thought you'd see me again."

If anything, the hug grew stronger, more intense, almost painful. Apparently her best friend had been working out in her absence, but she endured his enhanced physique as stoically as she could.

"I-it's just it's been so long . . . We weren't sure we'd ever get you back, b-but I never lost hope! I never gave up on you!" The desperate tone in the changeling's voice would have been touching at any other time. Now, it only filled her with a building sense of anxiety.

She let out a nervous chuckle. "W-what are you talking about? Was . . . was I in a _coma _or something? How long have I been asleep: a day . . . a _week_?"

The look in his eyes, that strange mixture of regret, guilt, hope and joy only made her feel worse.

". . . longer?" she asked hesitantly.

Beast Boy finally released her from his death grip and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, pushing her out to arm's length. Absently, she noticed that her changeling's once thin, ropey arms had developed some very noticeable muscle tone.

"Terra, what's the last thing you remember?"

The Geokinetic hero didn't like where the question was going, or the tone he asked it in.

"Well, it's all fuzzy, disjointed. I'm not really sure which things happened first, but – I remember fighting Slade . . . and you . . ."

She looked down, averting her eyes to the far wall, but if her friend possessed even a shred of anger at her betrayal, he was hiding it well.

"Do you remember anything after that?"

She could feel her forehead crinkling up as she concentrated on trying to muddle out the actual sequence of events in her jumbled memory.

"There was . . . an explosion – no, an eruption! I remember someone yelling 'volcano', and then you were asking me . . . asking me something." She hated not being able to remember everything. For a moment, she actually imagined what it would be like to nor remember anything at all, to have a clean slate . . .

"I was asking you to come with me, but- but-"

"But I had to stay . . . right?" She felt a strange sense of déjà vu wash over her saying those words, but quickly brushed it off.

Beast Boy nodded, a proud expression on his face.

"Yeah, you did. No matter what you might have done wrong, what lies Slade used to twist you up inside, when it came down to it . . . you did the right thing."

She smiled then, though it was a smile of more show than substance. Sure, it was nice of him to say, but she couldn't _remember _making that decision. Would she make it again, given the choice, or was Beast Boy's noble ideal of her self-sacrifice all a foolish delusion?

"What happened next?" She asked the question even though she was certain she didn't want to know the answer.

He hesitated for a long, long moment; she could almost see the struggle going on in his head to put what he was thinking into words. "You saved us, Terra. Not just me, or the Titans, but everyone in the whole city. You beat Slade and you saved us all . . ."

Terra looked away, staring vacantly at the far window. _Everyone in the city? The city that I had personally emptied of every living thing? _Saving an empty city hardly seemed like the noble act her friend was trying to make it.

"-But – but it was too much. The volcano was too huge. None of us can explain what happened next, but somehow, using so much of your power . . . you . . . you-"

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and turned back to match his gaze. Several strands of her blonde hair dropped down in a curtain before her right eye, but she couldn't be bothered to brush it away.

"It's okay, Beast Boy, you can tell me."

The young man took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, then-

"Somehow, you turned yourself into a _statue_. We didn't know how, or why, or how to turn you back, or even _if _you could turn back, and then-"

"Wait – stop. _What_?" Turned into a _statue_? She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she said as much. "Turned into a statue? What are you talking about?"

Beast Boy took another deep, calming breath.

"Your power, somehow it turned your whole body to stone. Maybe to protect you, but none of us are really sure."

Terra stared ahead blankly, her mind vainly trying to process what she'd just been told. A _statue_? Was that possible? How had it happened? How had she survived? How did the Titans revive her? There was one question that dwarfed all the others combined, though.

"H-how long?"

This time the changeling squeezed her hand, holding on like a lifeline.

"Terra . . . you've been gone for nearly ten months."

* * *

With a loud rustle of paper, Robin flipped the Newspaper open to the financial section. He'd flashed through the comics, but weekday papers never had anything good, and with Cyborg out, the sports section was still laying abandoned on the couch beside him.

As was customary of his reading the financial section, the detective in training first scanned the headings for any mention of Wayne Enterprises. Next, he perused for any company or bank foolish enough to publicly mention some kind of large cash transfer, or announce some potentially dangerous piece of technology just begging to fall into the wrong hands.

Sure, he hadn't _actually _caught anyone like that _yet_, but he just knew that the day he forgot to check would be the day that the Joker's funny pages stuck together and the loony stumbled across some perfect target.

Next, he did a quick check of his stocks.

_Hmmmm, Tenzoma is up two more points._

He smiled at that. The small technology firm had been a toss-away purchase, considering he hardly knew anything about it, but its continued growth was always nice to see. It almost made up for his Enron decision a few years back . . .

All of his important chores out of the way, the caped crusader (in training) finally kicked back to read the big story of the day-

A second later, he groaned in disgust. He quickly turned back over the couch to look at his companion who was busy behind the kitchen counter making some food for their restless patient patroller.

In a fit of annoyance, Robin slapped the page, indicating the large picture of a fishing boat displayed at its center.

"Would you look at this? The fishing industry is crying out for a handout from the government. They're claiming that no one has been catching any fish for the past week."

Kasumi looked up at him, tilting her head inquisitively. "You make it sound like helping all of those poor fishermen isn't a good idea."

Robin kicked himself mentally. He'd forgotten who he was complaining to.

"Well, I wouldn't put it like _that. _It's just that these guys have been over fishing for decades, and now that the damage they're causing to the ocean starts catching up to them, they suddenly cry foul. They're almost as bad as the Ja—" His jaw clicked shut as he remembered just who he was talking to . . . again. He just stared at the lovely Japanese woman, sweating bullets and brain racing. ". . . lllllaapenos peppers . . . Yeah, I hate those things!"

He groaned loudly in his own head. _Idiot_! That had easily been his worst dodge ever. He only hoped he hadn't offended her too-

"Actually, it's pronounced _Jalapenos_, Robin," she explained politely.

The polite smile she wore might as well have been a poker face. He had no clue if she was being serious, or just teasing him again. Rather than fight it, though, he decided to roll with it.

"That's what I said, Jalapenos," he replied, vainly trying to hide his smile.

"No, it's-" Kasumi released a weary sigh. "Never mind."

_Success! _Robin cheered internally. Yet another artful dodge from the Boy Won-

"I'll have to remember not to make those stuffed peppers you ate so many of last week anymore. Oh well, I'm off to take these snacks to Beast Boy."

Then, before he even had the chance to retract his statement, the older woman glided over to and was whisked away by the elevator. He could only stare at the cold steel of the elevator doors in shock.

_N-no more stuffed peppers?_

Robin dropped to his knees and raised his arms to the heavens.

"_Nooooooo_!"

* * *

Terra could only stare, wide eyed as Beast Boy continued to tell her of the fate that had befallen her. It was hard to pay attention to what he was actually saying, though. She was still trying to grasp the enormity of what had happened.

_Tent months? As a statue? _On one hand, it sounded like the most horrible fate imaginable . . . but on the other, her confinement had passed literally in the blink of an eye for her. She was ten months out of touch now, but – but was that really such a bad thing?

Sure, it was ten months that she could never get back, time she could have spent apologizing and atoning. Now, though, time had done all of that for her. The Titans had had ten months to recover from her betrayal, ten months of missing her, ten months to remember the good times and forget the bad . . .

Terra had never felt lower in her life. It was too much to reconcile. She hadn't even had time to fully come to grips with what she'd done, but her friends had already forgiven and forgotten long ago. How could she deal with that when she could still see the looks of betrayal on the Titan's faces like it was yesterday?

Heck, for her, it practically was.

"-hat treatment didn't work either, and after we saw how reckless some of those researchers were to prove their theories right, we just upped and kicked the entire S.T.A.R. labs crew out of your cave."

Yet another failure in a string of failures, at least, that seemed to be the gist of her companion's exposition. The recently unpetrified hero – villain – whatever, let out a deep sigh.

"Beast Boy, really," she cut in as politely as she could. She offered the green teen a weak smile. "I appreciate everything you guys did to try to help me, really, I do-" _Though I don't understand it_. "-but could you _please _get to the point?"

Beast Boy smiled and offered her an embarrassed chuckle. "Yeah, I guess it is a pretty long story. You'll like this next part, though, cuz this is where we finally meet Ryo, and that finally starts the ball rollin' on gettin' you back to normal."

She shot him an inquisitive glance. He was talking like that name should mean anything to her. "Who's Ryo?"

An excited look spread across the changelings face and his hands rose up in anticipation of a vivid retelling/reenactment-

"Ryouga, actually. Hibiki Ryouga, and he is the very sweet young man that that worked so hard to help you."

Terra turned quickly at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open at what she saw. An older woman, Asian most likely, was standing in the doorway. The woman possessed a classic, subdued beauty and her wide smile radiated warmth and kindness.

Of course, it wasn't the lady that caused Terra's reaction, so much as the plate of steaming veggies held in her hands.

The narrow framed blonde did her best to disguise her naked lust for the scrumptious looking food. It was hard, though, as the delectable aroma it was giving off had her right on the precipice of drooling like a sleeping Beast Boy.

"H-hello," Terra began uncertainly. "Umm, I don't think we've met. I'm Terra." She stuck out her hand for a handshake.

The woman's smile seemed to warm another ten degrees or so. She then appeared to _glide _across the room to join them in a display of poise and grace that made the young hero shamefully envious. Rather than take the offered hand, the lady placed the tray of food on the bed between her and Beast Boy before bowing politely.

"My name is Tendo Kasumi, though I hope you'll simply call me Kasumi. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Terra."

Feeling a little silly sitting there with her hand sticking out, Terra quickly and casually retracted it to run her fingers through her hair. "Thanks, it's – ah . . . nice to meet you too, Kasumi."

Kasumi rose from her shallow bow, her head tilting to the side as she considered the bedridden girl.

"You're even prettier than I imagined." A twinkle filled the older woman's eyes. "I bet you must have to beat off the young men with a stick."

Terra's cheeks flushed red at the teasing compliment. Involuntarily, her eyes slid over to Beast Boy. "Well, I haven't had to use a stick yet, though I have thought about it with _one _boy."

Beast Boy immediately pulled down on his eyelid and blew a raspberry at her, even as the Tendo woman giggled in amusement. The young hero wished her own giggle would sound even half as light and airy as Kasumi's someday.

"So, I don't want to be rude or anything, but . . . umm, what exactly do you do here? Are you the Titan's new nurse or something?" Terra just couldn't imagine the stunning, sweet woman before her out at night battling the forces of evil.

An amused laugh burst forth from Beast Boy. "Ha! Kas, here is _way _more than that! She's like the Titan's Big Sister, or something." He turned to Kasumi. "Right?"

Kasumi just stared at him. Terra made a face as well. "Kas?" she asked incredulously.

The changeling looked from Kasumi, to Terra and back again before sighing. "That one's not gonna stick either, is it?"

With a surprisingly supportive smile on her face, Kasumi shook her head from side to side. "I appreciate your desire to find a nickname for me, but I'm quite happy with you calling me Kasumi, Ga-_mmph_!"

"_No!_"

Terra's eyes nearly bugged out of her head when Beast Boy suddenly lunged forward, clamping his hands over Kasumi's mouth. The blonde could only stare as he looked around in panic, before turning back to the Tendo woman. The ponytail wearing brunette was simply staring ahead, wide eyed. The expression on the Asian woman's face was one of complete incomprehension.

A second later, Beast Boy looked to Terra, then back to Kasumi as well. Instantly, a look of horror spread across the emerald boy's face as he realized exactly what he was doing. In a flash, he released Kasumi's mouth and swung his arms behind his back, as if hiding the appendages would make them think he hadn't been responsible.

"I am _so _sorry, Kasumi. I totally didn't mean to-"

He was cut off by a single finger being pressed to his lips. With her other hand, Kasumi gently touched her slightly reddened cheek, a faint smile forming.

"That's alright-" If it had been anyone else, Terra imagined that smile would have been called sly. "-_Beast Boy_. I've seen people do that quite often, just . . . never to me. It really was quite silly!"

Terra joined the older woman in giggling at the absurdity of it all. She would definitely have to ask Kasumi what Beast Boy was so eager to hide later. It _had _to be something juicy.

It was at that moment, that Terra's body chose to betray her. Her tiny tummy, unable to resist such proximity to such ridiculously good smelling food, began to rumble with the ferocity of a prehistoric beast. The slight blonde's face instantly went beet red as her companion's shot her amused looks.

"Ummm . . .sorry," Terra muttered shyly.

Rather than laugh, though, Kasumi just smiled all the more warmly. "My, you must be _famished_. Why don't I go make you something to eat? I'm sure that Beast Boy will be more than happy to share his snacks with you while you wait."

Both females cast their gazes upon the green male. Beast Boy looked to the plate, then to Terra, then the plate, then Terra, then the pla-

"_Beast Boy_!" Terra scowled darkly at the teen changeling.

Beast Boy instantly reverted to nervous laughter. "I'm just _teasing_, Terra!" He ran a hand through his hair in an unfamiliar gesture, before pushing the plate a little closer to her. "It's all yours; I don't mind . . . even if Kasumi's cooking _is _totally, jaw droppingly awesome . . . and she _did _make it for me, _but, no_! It's all good! Eat u-"

"_Beast Boy_!"

"Beast Boy . . ."

"_Just kidding! Just kidding!"_

Terra rolled her eyes, even as she reached down and popped a piece of steamed broccoli into her mouth-

"Oh. Wow . . ."

About three seconds later, Terra suddenly realized that she was licking the plate with fevered intensity. She noticed the odd glances she was getting from her companions. Beast Boy looked more heartbroken than shocked, and the brunette was wearing an odd, almost fond expression. Slowly, Terra lowered the sparkling plate back to the bed, feeling her cheeks starting to burn again. "Ummm, sorry about that, guess I was hungrier than I thought."

Beast Boy vainly tried to hide the fact that he was dashing his tears of anguish. Kasumi, on the other hand, let out a light, airy laugh which filled the room with joy.

"It's quite alright. You just reminded me of someone else, then. Now that I know how hungry you are, though, I should definitely make you something tasty to eat."

Terra looked away, feeling a little guilty. "Only if it's not too much trouble . . ."

"Not at all. In fact, I'll fetch Robin as well." Kasumi laughed in amusement. "I was enjoying talking to you so much, that I hadn't even thought to call him."

That made Terra think for a moment. "Only Robin? Where's everyone else? And whatever happened to this Ryouga person that helped me?"

Beast Boy chuckled, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Well, we kinda didn't figure you'd be waking up for at least a day or two, so Robin gave Cy, Star, Rae and Ryo the night off as a reward for all the hard work they did helpin' you. I think they're out having dinner or something."

The idea of Raven and Starfire out for dinner with a pair of handsome boys (she assumed) brought a smile to her lips. She could only imagine how happy Star would be, and how awkward Raven would be acting.

Kasumi tapped a finger to her chin. "I should really call them back, too. They'd be _very _excited."

"_No_!" Terra blurted quickly. "Please don't spoil their evening on my account. I'll still be here when they get back."

"You sure about that, Terra? Star'll probably be way cranked at us for not calling her the second you woke up." Beast Boy looked more than slightly worried at the prospect.

Terra smirked evilly. "Well, then you'd already be in trouble, wouldn't you?"

The look on Beast Boy's face was more than worth feeling bad for teasing him. Still, there were so many questions she wanted to ask. Hesitantly, she turned to Kasumi.

"This guy that saved me . . . Ryouga. Can you tell me what he's like?"

Kasumi considered her question for a moment, drawing a graceful finger down her cheek. "Well, I'll do my best. You see, Ryouga can be as complex as he can be simple, an-"

* * *

"-nd that's when Mousse and I pointed behind them and yelled 'Look, a woman's breasts!'"

Cyborg's Dr. Pepper nearly shot out his nose as Ryouga continued his story. The titanium Titan could barely contain his mirth long enough to ask, "And they _fell _for that? I mean, you guys were fighting in the middle of _nowhere_!"

Ryouga nodded, a wide fanged grin on his face. "Hook, line and sinker! Those guys turned around so fast I thought they'd get whiplash."

"What did you do next?" asked an enthralled Starfire.

The wanderer gestured excitedly with his arms. "We dropped a pair of _boulders_ on their heads and hightailed it out of there! We didn't have time to deal with those two since Ranma was still fighting their leader."

Cyborg burst into laughter again. The mental image was just too freakin' hilarious. Their darkly dressed companion didn't seem quite as impressed, though.

Raven rolled her eyes. "_Obviously_. And what was the point of this story again?"

Running his hand through his hair, Ryouga chuckled weakly. "To explain to Cyborg that there are people even worse than me when it comes to dealing with breasts, after the whole Terra thing. I mean, I know I'm not the most socially educated guy out there, but that kind of thing happens in Nerima more than you might think."

Raven shot the young man a pointed glance. "And the two of you believed that somehow a lengthy discussion centered around the topic of breasts would be appropriate given your current company?"

Cyborg scratched the human half of his head. "What are ya talkin' 'bout, Rae?" He gestured to the numerous empty tables around the table they had chosen on the Pizza place's balcony. "Just the four of us here, so we ain't gonna offend anyone. 'Sides, not like I ever get the chance to talk about this with BB or Robbie."

For some reason, Starfire and Raven exchanged a very flat, inscrutable set of looks. Fortunately, Cyborg had no idea what it could mean, so he swung back to Ryouga. "So, Ryo, my man. Did ya ever see Girl Ranma sans shirt?"

"_Cyborg, please!_" Raven's outburst was quickly followed by a disturbed glance from Starfire.

"Even by my standards . . . that is just plain creepy. You are aware that Ranma is male, correct?"

Cyborg shrugged, trying to hide his amusement at their reactions. "What? He's pretty hot when he's a she. Besides, living vicariously through Ryouga is all I've got. I don't live in the Land of the Rising Shirts like he did. Right buddy?"

He dropped a companionable arm around the fanged boy's shoulders, tactfully ignoring the green tint the guy's face had taken since the mention of Ranma making one fine lady.

The cyborg met the female's withering gazes with his most winning smile, until Raven finally let out a defeated sigh. "What _is _it with men and breasts, anyway? I have simply never understood the fascination with what is essentially a developed pair of mammary glands."

Cyborg and Ryouga quickly shot each other a look, just _daring _the other to say what was racing through their minds. Luckily, the martial artist's keen survival instincts and the cybernetic teen's self preservation protocols were in fine form that night and clamped their respective jaws shut.

Starfire, on the other hand, looked to be tackling the question seriously, tapping an elegant finger to her chin as she thought. "Perhaps the human species propensity for covering their bodies at all times, coupled with highly ingrained social stigmas repressing their sexual desires so ruthlessly, has led the male sex to come to idolize the attribute which is the most easily identifiable physical characteristic of the female sex?"

Cyborg, Ryouga and Raven could only stare at the flame haired Tamaranian for a long moment. Slowly, Cyborg nodded. "Ummmm, _yeah_, what she said . . ."

Raven leaned forward, eyeing her closest friend oddly. "That was an . . . extremely specific answer. You sound like you know quite a lot about the subject."

The titanium Titan had absolutely no clue if the violet eyed girl had spun any innuendo on that question, and apparently neither did Starfire.

"Oh, yes, friend Raven. On my home world of Tamaran, my people are far more open in the expression of our feelings for one another, both emotionally and physically. Also, due to the rather uniform climate of our planet, clothing never came to be viewed as the necessity it has become here. If you recall, your earthly concept of modesty was quite unusual to me for many days after my arrival on your planet."

Even as Cyborg felt his own cheeks begin to burn at the deeply repressed memories (repressed by Robin's boot, as the little guy had ruthlessly ambushed anyone that had tried to take advantage), he calmly reached over and clamped his fingers down on Ryouga's nose as _his _face went red as a tomato.

Even Raven couldn't maintain her usual pallor, her cheeks tingeing in embarrassment. "Yes, I believe _everyone _remembers those days . . ."

"Bud I doughd yow peepow were a wawwiow wace?" asked a confused Ryouga. Apparently the fanged boy didn't mind the cybernetic assist, since he had yet to remove Cyborg's hand from his nose.

Starfire giggled in amusement at the pair of them, before drawing a finger down her cheek in thought once more. "What would be the _homo sapien_ expression . . . 'All toil and no recreation makes Jack a blunted adolescent?'"

Cyborg finally released his friend's nose, if only so he could scratch his own head. Now what quote had she mangled this ti- _Oh_ wait, now he got it.

"That's . . . close enough, Starfire," muttered Raven, "Now, can we _please _change the top-"

Beep, beep, beep sounded Cyborg's arm, startling the large teen. He lifted the blinking limb before shooting a wry smile to Raven and chuckling. "Your wish is my command, apparently."

In return, she rolled her violet eyes. "Just answer it already."

He chuckled again, before turning his attention back to the flashing panel in his arm. His smile faded a bit; if he was being contacted it was likely one of only a few options. A) A good emergency, like Terra waking up. B) A bad emergency, like Doomsday happening to wander through town, or-

"Hey there, Sparky! How's my favorite home appliance doing?"

-or a pleasant surprise. Cyborg's smile returned in full force. "Yo, Bumble Bee, pollinate any good flowers lately?"

Around the table, Ryouga chuckled, Starfire giggled and Raven rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time.

The tiny digital representation of Bumble Bee's lovely dark skinned face looked around inquisitively at the sounds of mirth. "What's going on over there? You guys having a party?"

Cyborg considered that for a moment. "Actually, yeah. We kind of are. Me, Ryo, Rae and Star got the night off, so we're out for dinner. Here, let me put ya on conference call."

With a few deft touches to the screen on his arm, the communicators of the three Titan's sitting around the table began to beep as well. Starfire was the first to open hers, doing so with great enthusiasm. "Greetings, my dear friend Bumble Bee! It has been too long since we have enjoyed your company."

Raven opened hers with a rather flat expression. "Bumble Bee."

And then, of course, there was Ryouga, whose eyes lit up like a kid in a candy story. "Hi, BB! How are things going on the east coast? Ukyo and Kunou aren't driving you buggy, are they?"

Both Cyborg and Raven groaned at the horrible pun, but Bumble Bee laughed in genuine amusement. "Ha! No more than you did in our Advanced Anarchy class. Don't think I've forgotten _that _incident."

Instantly, Ryouga burst into boisterous laughter, ending with wiping a tear from his eye. "Ahh . . . the look on your face was _completely _worth the horribly disproportionate revenge."

Everyone else at the table was torn between staring at Ryouga and their communicators in confusion. The whole thing reeked of inside joke, and from the looks on the two girl's faces, they were feeling just as left out as Cyborg was.

"So, Bumble Bee, is there something you needed?" Raven asked, maybe just a little sharply.

If Bumble Bee caught the tone, she ignored it completely. "Oh, yeah. Nothing big, though. We've had a few run ins with the Hive Five. Nothing we couldn't handle, but I was gonna ask Sparky to help upgrade our security to keep Kyd Wykkyd from just waltzing into our tower."

Everyone turned to Ryouga. "Kyd Wykkyd?" asked Cyborg for them.

The Lost Boy shrugged. "Teleporter." He then looked back to his communicator. "You guys are tangling with Nabiki? Hey, the next time you see her, can you remind her she still owes me ten dollars from our bet?"

The winged girl laughed brightly. "Oh, sure. I'll try to fit it in between the punching and the kicking."

Cyborg, Raven and Starfire shared another look.

"Bet?" asked Cyborg, apparently their spokesperson.

Ryouga and Bumble Bee suddenly began to chuckle and giggle conspiratorially.

"It's nothing," they chimed in eerie coordination.

Raven's lips curved down into a very subtle frown. "Are you sure that it's wise to be acting so casually regarding a group of ruthless criminals?"

This time, it was Bumble Bee and Ryouga that shared a flat, inscrutable look. If Cyborg didn't know better, he'd almost swear that the duo looked offended. Odd, that. He didn't get the chance to inquire, though.

"_Anyway_, Sparky, that can wait. So what's going on with you four? You guys on a double date? If so, which of those fine ladies is on your arm, Cyborg?"

Cyborg chuckled helplessly, shooting a nervous glance across the table. "It ain't like that, Bee."

If anything, the sly smile on the girl's dark lips became even more so. "_Really? _Does this mean my Yaoi dreams are coming true and you and Ryo are an item now?"

"_Gah!_"

"No way!"

"Certainly _not_!"

"Bumble Bee . . ."

The bee clad girl's laughter sounded in surround sound, flowing from all four of their communicators. "Fine, _fine, _I'm just teasing, you guys. I'm sure you four are enjoying sophisticated and witty conversation on a wide range of topics."

Starfire recovered quickly and nodded excitedly. "Indeed. We were just discussing the reasons why Earth males are so preoccupied with the mammary glands of the female sex."

Raven instantly dropped her face into her hand. "Starfire . . ." she moaned agonizingly.

But it was already too late; Cyborg could already see the wicked twinkle forming in the digitally present female's eyes. Slowly, Bumble Bee shook her head from side to side. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, girls. You should both know that breasts aren't what gets a guys attention, it's all about the _booty_."

This time Cyborg's Dr. Pepper _did _shoot out his nose! He was so caught off guard that he nearly fell backwards out of his seat. Ryouga, Raven and Starfire, on the other hand, all stared at their communicators in confusion.

"Boo-tee?" asked Starfire, "Is that some form of human footwear?"

Bumble Bee burst out into laughter, even as Cyborg slowly dragged himself back into his seat. The dark skinned girl then nodded amiably. "It can be, if you get kicked there hard enough. I'm talking about your _bottom_, people. Your derriere? Posterior?"

"We _get it_," stated Raven dangerously.

Bumble Bee's smile grew even wider. "Well, I knew _you _would, Raven. After all, you're draggin' a pretty good wagon yourself."

Raven glared back through the communicator. "Only through the context of this conversation do I understand your meaning, though I wish I _didn't_."

Starfire, who had been deep in thought this whole time, suddenly perked up, a look of understanding on her face. "Ah! I believe I comprehend what you are speaking of." A self conscious look flitted across her face. "Are you stating that there is not enough of the junk in my trunk?"

This time Ryouga joined Cyborg in collapsing to the ground, strangled guffaws dying in their throats.

Bumble Bee shook her head sadly. "Sorry, girl. Your orange butt is so narrow it could cut glass."

Starfire donned a puzzled look. "Cut glass? But my posterior bone ridges detached with the completion of my transformation."

Cyborg could already see the question forming in his fallen comrade's eyes, but he was laughing too hard to even try answering. At this rate, he was going to have to divert extra power to his life support systems just to keep his lungs from failing-

"Alright, that is enough." Raven's statement cut through the boy's laughter like a knife. Instantly, both young men were back in their seats and sitting up straight. Raven glared at both of them, then back to the communicator. "This conversation has gone from being merely inane to completely uncomfortable. If there is nothing else, Bumble Bee, we _were _in the middle of something here."

Still giggling wickedly under her breath, Bumble Bee nodded quickly. "Oh, yeah, yeah, I get you." Before she signed off, though, she turned her attention to Ryouga's screen. "Before I forget, Ryouga, give me a call later on, after you get back in. There's something else I wanted to ask you. You too, Sparky, we still gotta go over that security stuff."

Both guys nodded quickly, and then all four of their communicators blinked off at the same time.

Slowly, all four Titan's looked up at each other. Raven, surprisingly, was the first to speak. Even more surprisingly, there was a small little smile on her lips. "That. Was. Mortifying. But still, it's not every day that we are treated to the sight of soda spewing out of your nose, Cyborg."

Cyborg nodded, gingerly holding his poor nose. "Tell me about it! That stuff burns like fire!"

Ryouga shook his head ruefully. "I think letting her work with Ukyou was a mistake. I don't know how, but I can just feel that this was all her fault somehow."

Starfire giggled adorably. "That is hardly a rational statement. However, it might benefit us to trans-locate our continuing celebration to a different venue."

The Tamaranian swept out her arm, indicating the four or five tables worth of people out on the far reaches of the balcony, not to mention a number of waiters, all staring at the four of them like they were completely insane.

A low groan came from the hooded Titan. "So much for our reputations . . . I certainly hope this doesn't get back to Robin."

Cyborg chuckled, waving off her concern. "Oh, don't worry, Raven. I'm sure it's all cool. Still, might not be a bad idea to mosey on; we are done eating after all."

"So where to, then? Back to the Tower?" asked Ryouga.

Starfire shook her head quickly. "No! I am having too much of the fun to return yet. We should endeavor to find another activity to partake of."

Raven didn't look so convinced. "I don't know. It is getting kind of late . . ."

"Aw, don't be a wet blanket, Rae. I know, let's check out a movie," Cyborg suggested excitedly. "Since this is Ryo's party, we can even let him choose what we see, that way we don't have to waste time arguing."

Starfire nodded excitedly, while Raven looked somewhat more reluctant. Ryouga seemed to be considering the option carefully. "Well . . . if I remember from when Kori and I went to the movies a few days ago, there were a few movies playing that didn't look too bad. I dunno, seems like a good idea to me."

By consensus, the group rose to their feet. Cyborg quickly dumped a small stack of bills on the table, then dropped a glass on them so the wind wouldn't carry them away. As soon as they were ready to leave, Starfire quickly latched onto Ryouga's arm and began to drag the lost boy from the pizzeria, excitedly making suggestions on what they should see. Cyborg only prayed to the heavens above that the fanged martial artist didn't take any of them.

It was about then, that the cybernetic teen noticed Raven still hanging back by the table, inconspicuously watching the departing pair of warriors out of the corner of her eye. Sighing to himself, Cyborg strolled over to the cloaked girl and dropped a hand on her shoulder. He must have caught her off guard, as she looked up at him with a small start.

"It's nothing," she stated quickly.

He just smiled supportively. "I know, I know. The odds of Ryouga actually picking a good movie are pretty astronomical, but hey, Robin's footing the entire bill, so at least you can get some free food out of the deal."

The young woman shot him a brief thankful glance, likely for not making a big production of the whole thing. Then she was slowly gliding forward after the departing duo. Cyborg fell into step with her easily and together they made their way back to the car.

"You know," he stated absently as they walked. "I should probably get Star to sit shotgun with me. That way she won't be able to bend Ryo's ear about what movie we should see the whole trip."

Though she tried to hide it, Raven's smile grew just a fraction of an inch. "You know, there _was _a Broadway adaptation I've had my eye on. It was about a barber that had a propensity for-"

Cyborg looked down at the lovely little lady at his side incredulously. He wanted to help her out, really he did, but it appeared that there was only one real decision he could make. Putting a hand up to his mouth, he shouted forward to the distant pair ahead of them-

"_Ryo, you got shotgun_!"


	29. Titan Rising! Chapter 4

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 4

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

Terra clutched the cup with desperate strength, greedily draining every last drop from its glass confines. She honestly hadn't even realized just how thirsty she had been until she'd taken her first sip of water. To her embarrassment, she had guzzled so much it had actually made her sick. Luckily, understanding people surrounded her . . . and there had been a bucket close at hand.

Apparently being petrified in the heart of a volcano wasn't the best way to stay hydrated . . .

Shocker.

At least she knew why she had a headache now. She wasn't hurt, she was just hung over. Well, dehydrated technically, but same difference. If she had actually been the kind of girl that was hung up about her appearance, she would likely have been soaking in a tub of moisturizer to boot.

As it was, though, she was trying to settle her stomach enough so she could actually eat the delicious smelling meal that Kasumi had brought up for her. As good as the woman's cooking was, that broccoli hadn't exactly tasted great the second go around.

So, there she was, greedily sipping down water with Beast Boy at her side while Robin and Kasumi flitted around from this machine to that one, apparently trying to determine if she was actually okay or not.

Terra did her best to avoid glancing at the Boy Wonder, except to sneak quick peeks when she was _absolutely _sure he wasn't looking. Her last real meeting with Robin had ended on terms _almost _as terrible as her last _talk _with Raven had . . .

Now _there _was a reunion she could do without.

Across the room, the Boy Wonder in question tapped the digital display on one of the machines before nodding to himself. "Aside from a pretty severe case of dehydration, it looks like you're in pretty good shape, Terra, all things considered."

Terra nodded meekly, doing her best to not draw any attention to herself. In retrospect, it was a futile attempt, considering she was the _center _of attention, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable.

"Hmm, I'm not so certain, Robin. I don't think her body has had the chance to really start recovering from stress of removing that awful suit." Kasumi turned her attention from the pinging machine she had been examining to Terra. "You do realize that you have recently undergone an extremely invasive form of surgery. Though your body being stone at the time prevented you from being injured further, it didn't do anything to help you recover from the thousands of microscopic injuries you sustained."

The thought of _thousands _of injuries in her body sent the slight blonde's stomach to churning in a manner that had nothing to do with food.

"Sheesh, Kasumi, are you trying to freak her out here?" Beast Boy asked earnestly. He then turned to Robin. "She'll be fine in no time, right?"

Robin shot a quick glance to Kasumi, who nodded imperceptibly. A moment later, Robin offered a reassuring nod of his own. "Of course she'll be all right. Terra just needs to take it easy for a few days. No strenuous activity or training."

The changeling pouted adorably. "She gets to skip out on training? _Man_! How do I get _myself_ a crippling injury like that?"

Terra probably would have made some kind of teasing offer to do it for him, but her mind was a million miles away at that moment.

_Training? Training for what?_ They couldn't possibly be considering putting her back on the team . . . could they? How could Robin, of all people, trust her that much? She didn't even trust _herself _that much.

The blonde vagabond carefully studied the three people in the room with her, tuning out their cheerful conversation. The ease with which they moved, the relaxed smiles on their faces as they playfully debated the merits of training (Beast Boy and Kasumi appeared to be of the same mind, surprisingly.)

These people were completely at ease around her, their guards were completely lowered. Hadn't they learned their lesson already? If she so chose, she could probably wipe them all out in a seco-

She shook her head furiously, terrified at how easily that thought had slipped into her head.

"What? Oh, come on, Terra! You and me could _totally _beat Robin and Starfire on the obstacle course!"

_What_? It took her a second to catch up with the conversation. She still wasn't completely sure what they were talking about, so she just raised a faux enthusiastic fist into the air. "Um, yeah, go team . . ."

Beast Boy, ever oblivious, cheered happily. Kasumi, on the other hand, sent a strange, inscrutable glance her way. A moment later, the woman turned back to Robin and Beast Boy.

"Really, now, I think that's quite enough talk about training. Terra needs to _rest _and _relax_." Kasumi turned back in her direction. "Is there anything you would like to do tonight, Terra? Anything not stressful, at any rate."

Robin smiled, nodding in agreement.

How could he smile at her like that after what she'd done to him, to his team?

"Okay, Terra, what do you say? Starfire and the others got a night of fun to celebrate, so you should too," offered the smiling bird boy.

"Yeah, it'll be great! We can play video games, or watch movies, or whatever you want," chimed in an excited changeling.

Terra looked at the smiling faces of her three companions, trying her best to return those smiles with one of her own. Oddly, the first thing she could think of was to sink into the earth as far as she could go. All of this kindness and support was really starting to freak her out. She was still twitching with each move that Robin made, imagining he was going for his staff every time he turned around.

What she _did _need was some time alone. She needed some time to think, she needed-

"Actually, I think I'd really like to take a bath," she stated wistfully.

Beast Boy's brow wriggled suggestively.

"Alright, but I'm not sure we'll all fit."

"_Beast Boy_!"

"_Beast Boy_!"

"_Beast Boy_ . . ."

* * *

Cyborg hummed along with the T-Stereo as they cruised down the road on their way back home. Sure, he was a little bummed that Raven had seriously veto'd his idea to head out clubbing after the movie had ended, but he still chalked the night up as a win. He figured Starfire and Ryouga agreed with him. Sitting in shotgun again, Ryo wore a pleased, if somewhat introspective look on his face. Starfire, for her part, was still giggling excitedly.

It appeared that only three out of four Titans approved of this outing, though, as in the back seat, Raven was wearing her usual annoyed expression. He'd been keeping an eye on her and she'd been doing an admirable job of keeping her opinion to herself, but-

"Kung Fu Panda? _Really_? I mean, we all know that you're a martial artist, but did your movie choice have to revolve around that fact as well?"

-He didn't think it would last . . .

"Says the girl that wanted to see a movie about a _demon _barber," Cyborg quipped, smirking wickedly.

Raven levelled her best glare his way with all the intensity of his sonic cannon. "I just _happen _to be a Tim Burton fan. Is there a _problem _with that?" The ice in the young woman's voice nearly froze him to his skeletal support frame.

Ryouga, just receiving the frigid fringes of the Dark Titan's ocular attack, ran his hand through his hair, looking mildly embarrassed. "What? I _had_ to see the movie, just to make sure, you know . . .?"

Raven looked like she was about to confirm that she did _not_, except-

"They were all _so adorable_!"

Starfire could contain her glee no longer. "The fuzzy panda of comically epic martial skill was simply too lovable for any known language, excepting perhaps the language of the Korugarian, to fully capture. I wish to view the movie a second time!"

The darkly clad Titan scooted away from the vivacious young woman at her side to glare out the car window. "Well, you can count me out. The whole movie was so – so _immature._"

It was Cyborg's turn to roll his eyes. "Pffft. It was a kid's movie, Rae. Sheesh, you sound like one of those award show types, bein all pretentious and stuff."

Raven shot him a dark look. "I am _not _pretentious. I just have a more mature taste in entertainment."

"Oh, come on, Raven," pleaded Ryouga, "That movie was really insightful. I mean, now that I know the secret of the Dragon Scroll, I feel like I've already taken a big step forward as a martial artist." Of course, the guy's retort might have held more weight had he managed to hold a straight face, but Cyborg had to give him credit for trying.

"Okay, children, that's enough arguing. We're all losing sight of what's important here: How _jealous _BB is gonna be when he hears we saw that movie without him."

Almost instantly, the violet eyed Titan perked up. "That _is _interesting. I still haven't gotten back at Beast Boy for ruining the end of the Sixth Sense for me."

Cyborg winced; Raven had been _livid _about that.

"Please, friend Raven, you must not divulge the pertinent plot points of this most pleasant picture to our friend. I believe he would enjoy the animal masters of kung fu very much."

Raven's smirk spread out into a dark smile. "_Exactly_."

The pleading look on Starfire's face turned to sly contemplation. "But, my _dear _friend Raven, if you spoil the movie for him, then it would be unlikely that he would desire to accompany myself to a second viewing. Thus I would have to look _elsewhere _for a companion to join me."

The Tamaranian finished with a very pointed stare in the dark Titan's direction.

Cyborg and Ryouga both did their darnedest to keep from snickering out loud at the poor girl's plight. It was hard, though; it was pretty rare for Starfire to actually outmaneuver Raven.

The Raven in question matched the alien's stare for several long seconds, until finally she released a defeated sigh and turned back to gaze back out the window. "That's not fair. I finally think of something fun that _I _would like to do, and you all say no."

_Awww_. Now Cyborg felt like a heel. Raven hadn't really had much say in the night's activities. Maybe a compromise was in order. Turning just enough to see the girl out of the corner of his eye (and _not _get them all killed in a car wreck), he made his offer. "Hey, Rae. How about me and Ryo duct tape Beast Boy to the ceiling for ya?"

Ryouga started chuckling, even as a thoughtful look bloomed on Raven's face. ". . . it _is _tempting, though lacking a certain personal touch."

Cyborg worked his positronic brain a little harder. "How about we duct tape him to the roof?"

The sorceress' lips curled up at that. "It _does _look like it's going to rain soon, doesn't it? I always was a fan of dark and stormy nights."

"Don't remind me," grumbled Ryouga, glaring up at the dark clouds rolling in above them. "At least Beast Boy gets to _choose _when he transforms."

To Cyborg's annoyance, the Lost Boy's bitter comment killed the playful mood that was finally starting to build up again. Immediately, sympathetic looks blossomed on the faces of Starfire and Raven . . . one much more noticeable than the other.

"Though it shames me to state it, I had almost forgotten your most tragic condition. We have spent so much time beneath the earth, that your affliction has not been triggered for some time," admitted a red-cheeked Tamaranian.

Raven nodded. "It must be terrible to have no control over it, no choice in the matter."

If anything, Ryouga just slumped further into his seat-

So, being the great guy that he was – Cyborg reached over and punched the guy in the shoulder with enough force to powder concrete.

"Ow! That really stung! What'd you do that for?"

The Titanium Titan rolled his eyes. "Stop bein' such a downer, Ryo. Look, it could be worse. I mean, at least you don't turn into a _pig _no more."

Even as both girls prepared to lambaste him for his insensitivity, Ryouga made a surprised 'hunh' sound, like he had never thought of that point before. Quickly following that, the fanged boy seemed to withdraw completely, studying the billowing clouds even more intently than Raven had.

The change in mood was so abrupt that it left the three original Titan's staring at the young man in various states of confusion for the rest of the trip through the city.

It wasn't until they had finally finished crossing the mammoth bridge which gulfed the city's famous bay, garage door dead ahead and tower looming above, that the silence was broken.

"Hey, Cyborg, hold up, would you?"

A little confused, not to mention a bit startled by the sudden request, Cyborg pulled up a few yards short of the garage. He shot the Lost Boy an inquisitive look, only to see an expression on the guy's face which he couldn't quite place.

"What up, Dawg?"

Ryouga popped the handle and swung his door open. "Nothing, nothing. I just thought I'd head up to the roof, is all."

"But, Ryouga, did you not previously state that precipitation was imminent?"

The fanged fighter turned to smile at the lovely Tamaranian. "I know . . . but y'know, I just realized . . . it's been _years _since I've been able to enjoy the feel of the rain on _my _face, _my _hands."

Raven shot a quizzical look at the Lost One. "But your curse will activate."

He nodded in agreement. "Pretty much, but at least it'll be _my _choice this time. Hey, if Ranma can live with it, why can't I?"

Cyborg chuckled happily. "Now _that's _the spirit. After all, they might be a bit younger, but they're still your hands, right?"

Ryouga nodded again, causing a look of understanding to bloom on Raven's face. Soon, a small smile graced the gloomy titan's lips as well. Seeing his two normally dismal friends looking so positive brought a wide grin to Cyborg's lips as well . . . still . .

"But, Ryo, seriously, we _have _an elevator. You don't gotta go all Robin on us and scale the building by hand."

In response, Ryouga lifted himself out of his seat to stand by the car. "Naw, I'm fine with this. Besides, I could use the exercise."

"Perhaps I should fly you up?" asked a still somewhat confused looking Starfire. "We would not wish for you to become displaced; also, we could do the chatting concerning the film."

Cyborg recognized the signs of Ryouga's distress immediately. The young man began running his hand through his hair, even as he started chuckling helplessly. "C'mon, Kori. Even _I _can figure out _straight up_. I'll be fine, really."

"But, perhaps-"

"Starfire-" Raven's interjection was as abrupt as it was welcome. "-do you know what would really make this night complete? We should ask Kasumi if she would like to . . . how did you put it again . . . engage in braiding maneuvers?"

Cyborg, Raven and Ryouga were all forced to cover their ears lest they be deafened by Starfire's squeal of joy.

"Oh, yes, Raven! That is a most wondrous idea. Kasumi is _most _proficient at the . . ."

Over the din of the alien's hair-do diatribe, Ryouga shot Raven a look which screamed, 'Thank you'. In return, Raven replied with a small smile which said, in no uncertain terms, 'You owe me more than you could _ever _know.'

The Lost Boy then offered Cyborg a quick salute before leaping up and out of sight. The titanium teen leaned out his window to see the crazy martial artist land on the second story ledge, before launching himself up further.

Cyborg could only shake his head at the display. "What is it about kung fu that makes you lose your mind?"

In a flash of darkness, Raven teleported into the front seat, only to chuckle wryly. "I don't know, but it certainly can be amusing to watch."

Starfire, finally realizing that no one was actually paying attention to her anymore, looked around in confusion. "Whose insanity is it our amusement to observe?"

The violet haired girl shook her head in amusement. "Take us home, Jeeves."

Before he complied, he leaned out his window once more to watch the nimble martial artist's accent of the tower. "_Maan_! Dude is probably getting smudge marks all up my beautiful tower! Starfire is gonna be up there all day tomorrow with a bottle of Windex."

"Indeed, I . . . wait, why must _I _be the one to do such cleansing?" Starfire levelled a challenging glare to the front seat.

Raven shrugged before replying. "Well, _I _don't do windows, and I doubt Kasumi would appreciate dangling from the roof in a harness, so that leaves you."

Cyborg finally coasted the T-Car the rest of the way into the garage, heading for his usual parking spot. "Heh, I dunno, Rae. Kasumi _does _love cleaning. Maybe extreme cleaning is the next step?"

The cloaked Titan sent a sly smile his way. "You know, if I didn't know that you liked her, I'd say you were being a chauvinist."

Instantly, his human cheek blushed red and he pumped the brake a little harder than intended. The sudden stop sent both females lurching forward in their seats.

"I-I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout, Rae!"

The second he issued his stuttering denial, Starfire's eyes grew to nearly double their size, trying to drown him in twin seas of emerald. "Is this _true_, friend Cyborg? Do you harbor the – the _fondness _for Tendo Kasumi?"

Cyborg groaned for all he was worth before shooting his best death glare at Raven. "_Not _that it's any of your business, but my feelings for Kasumi are _purely _professional. She's my student and I'm her teacher, so there's no more there than there is between _Robin _and Kasumi."

Even as Raven's eyes glittered with cynical mischief, Starfire's face fell like a satellite from orbit. "Oh . . . I see. So you share the same feelings for Kasumi that Robin does . . ."

At the incredibly odd tone in the girl's voice, Cyborg and Raven shared a brief look before turning their stares on the flame haired alien in the back seat. Not exactly sure what she had meant, the bulky teen could only nod uncertainly. "Um, yeah . . . I guess so. T-there ain't nothing wrong with that, is there?"

In a most impressive display of bi-polarism in action, Starfire made an emotional about-face, going from Ryouga's Shi shi Houkodan to Beast Boy's 'I finally beat you, Cyborg!' victory dance, in the blink of an eye.

"Of course not, friend Cyborg! You are absolutely correct, it is of no vocation of mine whom my team mates harbor affection for – and now we are securely docked in the vehicular maintenance bay, so we should terminate this pointless conversation immediately and make our way into the tower!"

The Tamarianian's speech rose in pitch and pace so rapidly, that Cyborg barely even noticed the fact that, by the time Starfire had uttered the final words, she was already out of the car and halfway to the elevator.

He and Raven shared another confused glance. The darker Titan's eyebrow rose quizzically. "What just happened here? I thought we were supposed to be teasing you?"

He shrugged in reply. "Beats me, but I know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth."

His companion made a cute little 'hmph' sound, obviously disappointed at being denied her prey, then teleported out of the vehicle. Somewhat more constrained by the laws of physics than she, Cyborg was forced to open his door to get out before he was able to rejoin pair of females at the elevator.

Thankfully, at the very least, Starfire had held the door for them, though the alien was whistling innocently to herself and spending an inordinate amount of attention on the glowing panel of numbered buttons.

Again, Cyborg shrugged at the strange behavior. Considering who it was, strange was pretty much the norm. And, of course, being smart enough to _not _bring up the topic of the lovely older Tendo woman, Cyborg was more than happy to let the rest of the ride up pass in silence.

When they finally hit the main room, though, it was almost pitch black.

"Huh," he elucidated quickly. He was a second away from declaring their teammates already in bed, until he noticed the soft glow of the television at the far side of the massive room. The quiet sounds of music, mixed liberally with girlish giggling (some of which sounded like Beast Boy's) suffused the air.

As one, Cyborg and his entourage made their way to the couch. Even through the darkness, he could make out the familiar silhouettes of Robin, Beast Boy and Kasumi contrasting sharply with the colorful television screen. It appeared that the trio was watching what appeared to be a –

"Oh no, I am _not _watching another inane animated Disney movie," Raven stated plainly.

The three seated Titans must not have heard their entrance, as all of them jumped slightly at Raven's stark declaration. Robin, Beast Boy and Kasumi all quickly turned to stare at them.

"Hey, you guys are finally back!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

Raven rolled her violet eyes. "_Obviously_. Now, whose idea was it to watch . . . this . . ."

The cloaked Titan's words trailed off to nothing as a new figure rose up from where she had apparently been lying between the changeling and the medical student. The blonde haired girl dropped an arm across the back of the couch as she turned to face them.

"Ah, come on, Raven. Are you telling me you never wanted to have a _Fantasia_ party?"

". . . Terra?"

* * *

"Heh, that's my name. "

Terra pasted the biggest smile on her face that she was capable of. It wasn't _too _hard; she was definitely happy to see Cyborg and Starfire. Those two had been almost as close to and supportive of her as Beast Boy.

However, an equally large part of her was quailing internally at the mildly surprised looking girl wearing the dark cloak. Of all of her battles, _that _had been the most vicious, the most personal. Even as she sat there quipping away with the violet eyed Titan, all she could see was Raven's terrified face being swallowed down into an ocean of mud . . .

Quickly shaking off that disturbing mental image, Terra turned her attention back to the trio before her.

"You know, you guys sure look surprised to – _urk_!"

The rest of her observation was cut short as Cyborg grabbed her left arm, Starfire grabbed her right arm, and together they pulled her over the couch with all of the effort one might exert in the picking of a flower.

"_Terra_!" "_Terra_!" exclaimed the pair in surround sound.

Knowing that any second the two would begin jockeying for position, she cut them off and leaned forward to give Starfire a quick hug.

"Hey now, calm down guys! You don't want to crush me just as I'm getting better?" she asked teasingly.

She then leaned over and wrapped her arms (as far around as they would go, anyway) around Cyborg, hugging the big lug as well. Then, getting a little caught up in the moment, she actually leaned over to give the next person in line a hug to boot-

Raven's flat stare pulled her up short on _that _score. Terra stood awkwardly for a moment, caught in the aborted hug and likely looking like a complete goof in front of the somber Titan.

"Umm, hey there, Raven . . ."

Raven nodded, once. "Terra."

Thankfully, before the moment could get even _more _horribly uncomfortable, Terra found herself airborne once more. This time, she found herself thrust down into one of the chairs around the Kitchen table, Cyborg and Starfire magically present at her sides.

"When di-""It is _glor_-""Why didn't you _ca_-""How are you fee-""This is _so _grea-"I must prepare the pudding of jo-"

Terra's eyes bounced back and forth like ping pong balls as the two excited Teens trampled all over each other's words, trying to pump her for information. The fact she could only hear every other word made it difficult to answer, but she still tried her best, though.

"Ummm, a few hours ago. It's good to see you too, Starfire. I didn't want to ruin your evening. A little stiff . . . and that sounds great!" The waifish blonde gulped for air, but a feeling of nostalgia warmed her heart as she glanced at her friends smiling faces. Oh, if only it would last . . .

It was about then that Beast Boy materialized at the table and instantly the three Titans exploded into a flurry of questioning and well wishing. It was all that Terra could do to get a word in edgewise, despite the fact everyone was talking to her.

She still couldn't shake the feeling of soul numbing guilt that was gnawing away at her stomach as she sat there, pretending like nothing had happened. What was wrong with these people? She had tried to _destroy _them! The only person acting sane was Raven, and even then, that was pretty much how she'd acted when Terra had _first _arrived.

It was also hard to pay attention, as her eyes continued to subtly scan across the room. She didn't actually know who she was looking for, though she had a strange feeling she would know him if she saw him. Even as she did her best to keep up with the ongoing conversational onslaught, a single question kept running through her mind.

What do you say to the complete stranger that saved your life?

It was an odd question, coming from a super hero, she supposed. Saving complete strangers had pretty much been her bread and butter for the longest time . . . but this just seemed to go so far beyond stopping a building from collapsing on someone. He hadn't just saved her, whoever this Ryouga person was, he'd – he'd brought her _back_.

She felt terrible for not focusing on the friends surrounding her, but as much as she appreciated the Titan's kindness, it was just too much, too soon. The smile she wore kept trying to slither off her face; all she could see were phantom faces filled with grief, anger, or betrayal-

"Oh my, wherever did Ryouga get off to?"

Terra let out a tremendous breath of relief as everyone's attention was drawn to the blissfully unhaunted face of the lovely Tendo woman. The geokinetic did her best to keep all of her attention on Kasumi while she waited for the answer; on the one face in the room that didn't cause her insides to twist up on themselves with guilt.

"Our dear friend has expressed a desire to perch upon the roof of the tower. Provided he arrived at his destination, he should be there presently," explained Starfire in a somewhat put-out tone.

For some reason, Robin shot a quizzical look out the massive bay windows, as if confirming something. "Really? But, it looks like it's going to rain soon."

Then, even more perplexingly, Raven of all people, smiled a secret little smile that Terra was certain she'd never seen before.

"Exactly," stated the darkest Titan in a tone even stranger than her smile.

Apparently Terra wasn't the only one confused by that little exchange, as Beast Boy spun on Raven. "What the heck is _that _supposed to mean?"

Terra couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, what's the big deal about being on the roof in the rain?"

She forgot that he friends were city types that hadn't spent a good part of their lives getting caught in the rain while walking from one city to the next.

Except that her mundane question didn't have the effect she thought it would. Instantly, everyone clammed up and spun to look at her. Expressions which screamed 'Big Secret Right Here' were plastered all over their faces . . . except for Kasumi.

The lovely woman still wore that serene smile of hers. "Why don't you ask him_?_" suggested the tall brunette leadingly.

Terra felt shock flash through her as she stared at Kasumi. Had the seemingly sweet and harmless woman seen through her façade so easily? The blonde began to fidget nervously-

"I imagine you must be eager to thank Ryouga for doing so much to help you," continued Kasumi, apparently oblivious to Terra's exploding anxiety.

Taking a second to calm down, Terra nodded a little uncertainly. "Ah . . . yeah, actually . . ."

"Alright!" Beast Boy cheered excitedly. "I'll take you up and introduce you to the big goof."

Terra stared at the handsome young man. She was almost tempted to accept his offer; he was the one person that she was closer to than anyone . . . but that just made it all the more painful to see those phantom flashes of betrayal crossing over his face.

"Um, actually, I was kind of hoping to talk to him alone for a bit, Beast Boy. There are some things I'd like to ask him."

The crestfallen look that descended on the changeling's face almost made her change her mind. Unexpectedly, it was Raven that came to her rescue.

"_Please_, Beast Boy. She's only going to the roof. She'll be back in no time . . . provided she doesn't let Ryouga lead her anywhere."

Inexplicably, everyone around began to chuckle or giggle respectively, again leaving the recently comatose hero afloat in a sea of confusion.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?"

Even as everyone else quickly stifled their laughter, Raven turned that mysterious smile in her direction. _Had she ever smiled at me before? . . . Not that I can remember._

"It is Ryouga's place to tell you, not ours. . . . But I have a feeling you won't have much trouble gaining his confidence."

_What was up with her_? Raven acting halfway nice to her was creepier than the way she normally acted. All she could do was stare at the cloaked woman, before just shrugging and shooting her an odd look.

"_O_-kaay, then." And with that, the narrow framed girl made her way to the stairs . . . quickly reconsidered and altered her course to the elevator. It _was _a tall tower after all.

Even as the small metal box shot her up towards the apex of the building, all she could think about was this _Ryouga _person. From what Beast Boy had told her, the first image that popped into her head was Ryu from Street Fighter. Some huge, grim faced guy with muscles literally bursting through his clothing. Honestly, she hoped that wasn't the case, super muscley guys just looked weird to her.

Conversely, from what Kasumi had told her, he was some kind of shy, stammering, gentle soul, with big puppy dog eyes to boot. How this sweet, caring (and let's face it, a little girly) sounding person could match up with Beast Boy's Kung Fu death machine, she had no idea.

The gentle ding of the elevator reaching the roof drew her out of her reverie. The doors then slid open to reveal the dark, cloudy night sky. She took a moment to steel her resolve. _Well, only one way to find out_.

As soon as she took a single step from the relative safety of the elevator, mischievous winds began to play through her long blonde hair. For just a moment, she stopped. All she could do was relish the feel of the wind on her face, enjoy the sweet sensation of the zephyrs running their fingers through her tresses.

Maybe to her mind it had only been several hours since her battle with Slade, but her body seemed to realize just how long it had been removed from the world. She enjoyed the simple pleasure of simply being alive for another minute, staring at the billowing clouds tumbling in her direction, before finally resuming her search for her quarry.

It didn't take too long to find what she was looking for. The large, onyx circle of an umbrella cut a pretty vivid silhouette against the distant lightning. The person holding the umbrella (was that really smart in a lightning storm?) was only visible from the waist down. Though she could tell his back was to her, his umbrella was tilted back to block most of her view of him.

She decided, then and there, that she wanted to make a good impression on this strangely familiar stranger. She'd been feeling so guilty and mopey since waking up, so hesitant and worried about saying the wrong things to the people she had betrayed so cruelly. But whoever this person was, he was a fresh start for her. She didn't know him, hadn't hurt him, so maybe, just maybe, he could be her friend too.

Casually, she sidled up beside young man. Deciding to play it cool, she kept looking straight ahead into the coming storm.

"Hey there, the name's Terra."

Apparently the guy must have heard her coming, since he didn't jump at all. Rather, he replied with a softly amused tone, containing only the barest hint of some kind of accent. "Ryouga . . . heh, I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to sleep for too long."

Terra giggled, finally turning to face her rescuer. He looked down at her as well, and she felt her breath catch for just a second as she imagined what he might look like . . .

A second later, her breathing resumed. The young man before her wasn't some scarred action hero, nor was he some soulful, simpering pretty boy. He was . . . just a guy. A cute guy, sure, but he looked like he could have been any one of a hundred people she had passed by on her travels.

_Hmm, wait a second_. She wasn't sure what it was, but she got an odd feeling for some reason. Her look shifted to impish amusement as she stared up at the bandanna clad youth.

"Did you _really_? Or are you just trying to sound all wise to be cool?"

Embarrassed chuckles filled the air as the young man ran a hand through his hair in a simply adorable manner. "Heh, is it that obvious?"

Taking a half step closer to him (just to use him as a wind break, that was all) she smiled happily. "It is to me. Not that you need to worry. I mean, you saved my _life_. You're pretty much already as cool as you can get in my eyes."

He returned her smile with a fanged grin. He then shifted his umbrella slightly, moving the canopy to cover her more fully as the storm clouds continued to roll in. Without thinking, she accepted his implied offer and shuffled closer until their shoulders were nearly brushing.

"Really?" asked an amused Ryouga. "I figured you'd be tired of my company after all this time."

Terra looked at the fanged boy oddly. "Umm, but this is the first time we've ever spoken."

Her companion donned a sheepish expression that she found to be extremely endearing. "Actually, we've talked a lot over the past few months . . . this is just the first time you've talked back. . . . You know, your voice sounds almost exactly like I imagined it."

Though she wasn't exactly sure why, the geokinetic felt a flush of heat rush to her cheeks. She looked up at the martial artist out of the corner of her eye, watching in fascination as he gazed intently at the storm before them. There was an odd look of anticipation on his face for some reason.

After a long, comfortable moment, she decided to break the silence. "There are so many things I want to ask you."

Ryouga tore his eyes away from the boiling black clouds to stare gently down at her. "I'll do my best to answer whatever questions you have."

That stumped her for a second. Well, it was true there were a thousand and one questions swirling in her head, but it all seemed to boil down to a single question that she needed answered more than anything else.

"Why?"

The martial artist was taken aback for a moment and she half expect a 'why, what?' coming, but then understanding dawned on his face.

Absently, his gaze drifted back to the coming storm. "Why . . . such a small word for such a big question."

She waited expectantly as he organized his thoughts.

"I . . . well, it's kind of hard to explain, really. I'm not that great with words, you see, but I'll try." He drew in a deep breath of the cool night air. "I guess there were a lot of reasons, really. I did it to make Beast Boy happy . . . to make Cologne proud . . . to rescue a stranger from a fate worse than death . . ."

The tall man at her side chuckled in a self depreciating manner that confused her to no end.

"It all sounds pretty good, right? All noble and selfless?"

She nodded slowly, even though his eyes were still locked on the clouds above them.

"Sadly, I'm not that kind of guy. Like most things in my life, I ended up doing the right thing for the wrong reasons . . . or the wrong thing for the right reason; one of those two for sure."

Finally, he turned his gaze back down on her, his eyes filled with emotions that resonated right down to the core of Terra's being at that second. Pain and guilt, those were things she could understand better than anyone in the world at that moment.

"In the end," he continued quietly, "I really did it for myself, I suppose. I . . . I saw so _much _of myself in you, the pain you've endured, the loneliness, the bitterness. Both of us are wanderer's, no family to speak of, barely a handful of friends in the entire world."

Terra nodded somberly, a chill having nothing to do with the wind seeping into her bones. If Ryouga noticed, he gave no sign, just continued to stare into her soul with those piercing brown eyes.

"Finding it so hard to trust anyone after a life on the road, only to have that trust dashed so casually when we finally dare to offer it. Running away from our problems, or hiding them behind a wall of anger and resentment. Lashing out at the people that actually cared for us, because we were too blind to see it . . ."

Every word made Terra feel smaller and colder than the last. The only thing keeping her from lashing out and telling him to shut up (man, he'd called that one, hadn't he?) was the sense of pure understanding that was radiating from the young man's eyes. She had, over the years, heard the term 'kindred spirit' bandied around before, but she'd never given it any real thought before . . . but now . . .

Abruptly Ryouga broke his gaze away from hers, a mirthless laugh escaping his lips. "There's only one real difference between you and me. You may have turned on the Titans, but in the end . . . in the end, you saved them all; though it cost you everything, you saved the whole city and redeemed yourself."

The fanged boy's heavy gaze fell towards his slippered feet.

"I . . . didn't."

Words failed to come to the blonde geokinetic. So, instead, she gently twisted her fingers into the rough material of his sleeve and tugged until he raised his eyes to match her own once more. The bleak expression hung on his face for a long second before another bark of mirthless laughter filled the air.

"I guess what I'm really trying to say, is that when I was trying to save you, I was really just trying to save myself . . . just – just a _better _myself."

"A _better _yourself?" she parroted quizzically.

A gentle sigh. "Terra, when the whole world was collapsing down around you, you found something inside of yourself that gave you the strength to do the right thing. When I was placed in a similar situation, I was ultimately found wanting."

She gasped when she noticed a drop of water trail down his cheek.

"Not only did I break, I broke so _spectacularly_ that I nearly killed everyone I ever cared about. Heh, I can still imagine the headline: Jump City sinks into the Bay because a young boy couldn't _take it_ anymore."

He turned back to face her, a strained look in his eyes.

"It just seemed so unfair to me. I mean, what kind of justice _is _that? You do the right thing, save everyone, and end up a statue; while _I _get to survive after coming within a hair's width of wiping out everyone I know?" He shook his head solemnly. "No – no, when all was said and done, you needed to be saved . . . because – because if someone so much better than me didn't have someone looking out for them, then what the hell kind of chance do _I _have?"

A hush filled the air for a long moment, interrupted only by the gentle pitter patter of raindrops on the umbrella over their heads. Just as fascinated by her own footwear as her companion was, it was finally Terra that broke the heavy silence.

"I'm not better than you . . ."

Ryouga snorted not-quite-derisively. "You don't need to patronize me."

She glared heatedly at the grim male. "It's not like that!"

This time his response was a cynical grunt. It annoyed the thin geokinetic enough that she slugged him in the shoulder . . . though she regretted that decision instantly. _Sheesh, does this guy carry metal plates in his pockets?_

"Look, I don't know what it is you did," she exclaimed, "Beast Boy and Kasumi tried their best to tell me what kind of guy you were, but they never really told me about any of the stuff you've done. But none of that matters to _me_! I don't know what you did, who you might have hurt, and I don't have a clue how you could have possibly even come close to destroying the whole city, but I do know one thing for sure."

She took a step forward and turned to make sure that he had no choice but to meet her gaze. She could feel the ticklish tingle of raindrops splashing across the back of her exposed heels as she stood at the very fringe of the umbrella's protective radius, but didn't even spare the sensation a second thought.

"You _saved _me. You saved _me_. The traitor, the villain, the monster. There are probably a thousand people in this city that would have taken a sledgehammer to my statue if they'd known about it, after all the things I did. Ten times that number probably thought that being turned to stone was a fitting punishment for what I'd done, and would have been happy to see things stay that way."

She offered him a weak, but sincere smile. "But you, someone that never even knew me, you took the time to see beyond all that. Whatever reasons you may have had, you decided that I deserved a second chance and you . . . you gave me back my life."

Playfully bouncing her knuckles off his chin, her smile grew wider. "If that doesn't make you a good guy, than I don't know what does. And I'm _not _going to take no for an answer, _got it_?"

She finished with a pointed stare that would make females the world round swell with pride.

Apparently Ryouga was well versed in being on the receiving end of female ire, as he nodded quickly in capitulation. He even went so far as to offer her a weak grin, one of his oversized canines peeking out teasingly. "Heh, I guess we can call it a draw, then."

She nodded positively, heartened at the small grin twisting his lips. "Now, enough of that grim stuff. You and me are gonna be friends, whether you like it or not, so cheer up already."

Her companion shook his head in amusement at her righteous demand. "I can hardly say no to that, now can I?"

It felt kind of odd, acting so cheerful with this person. No, actually, the odd part was that she wasn't 'acting' at all. When he'd started falling into his personal well of despair, she could almost feel herself being dragged along with him. However, now that his spirits were lifting, she felt her own flagging mood begin to rise as well.

She remembered feeling this way before, so long ago, when she had first met the Titans. The hopeful optimism of meeting people that had a chance of understanding her. She'd completely ruined that wondrous bond she'd forged with Beast Boy and his friends, and despite what Ryouga said, didn't feel at all like she'd made up for her past mistakes.

It would be impossible to tell how long it would take before she finally felt like she actually deserved the forgiveness that the Titans had so freely given . . . but with this person, this _Ryouga_ . . . she didn't feel anything like that at all. Maybe it was just selfish, simply turning her head to the side to look to this new, flawed companion, rather than crane her neck looking up at her perfect friends.

Was it just her, or were the Titans drawing pretty heavily on the ex-villain community to fill their ranks?

There was just one thing bothering her.

"You know," she stated, fixing him with another pointed stare. "You really have me at a disadvantage here. You sound like you know all there is to know about me, but I hardly know anything about you besides your name and what Kasumi told me. I think if we're gonna be friends, here, that you need to tell me something about yourself."

Her companion scratched his chin in consideration. "Hmmm, well . . . I _guess _that sounds fair. So, what did you want to know, then?"

Again, a thousand and one questions ran through her head. 'Where were you born?', 'What's your favorite color?', 'Which of Starfire's recipes is your favorite?', 'Do you have a girlfriend?'

She quickly shook her head to rid it of that last errant thought. _That _was assuredly _none _of her business. She was just glad that it was the middle of the night so the burning of her cheeks would only be known to herself. So, instead, she just latched onto the last thing she could think of. Turning back to face Ryouga, she asked the question which had been haunting her since just before coming up the stairs.

"So, why are you standing up on the roof in the middle of a rain storm, anyways?"

Despite the rather innocuous nature of her question, it had an effect that was as startling as it was stark. Instantly, Ryouga tensed up like he'd been stuck with a cattle prod. The young man quickly looked around, panic in his eyes, as if he'd just realized something very, very, very important which had slipped his mind up until that point. Confused, Terra gazed out into the heavy rain that was coming down all around them, fat drops of water falling within just a few inches of her face. . . but she couldn't see anything that would have evoked such a reaction.

"Heh, heh . . . heh," chuckled the fanged boy weakly. "You know . . . I – I actually _forget _why I'm up here . . . yeah. W-why don't we head backstairs – quickly."

Something seemed kind of odd about his response, but Terra shrugged easily. Sure, she would have liked to stand out in the rain a little longer; it was so invigorating, especially considering how tired she was feeling, but then again, sitting on a warm, soft couch also had its own merits.

With movements that she wouldn't _quite _call frantic, Ryouga turned about and began to head back to the elevator, umbrella still held up protectively between them. With the idea of a warm couch and a fluffy blanket now firmly entrenched in her mind, Terra quickly turned to follow suit –

Which was pretty much the exact moment that her legs decided they'd had just about as much of this being stood on crap as they were gonna take. Perhaps standing on the roof, in the chill September air, just hours after being revived from being a statue hadn't been a great idea_, _Terra lamented as her narrow legs buckled and gave way beneath her.

Luckily, falling face first onto a soaking wet roof would not be her fate this night. With reflexes just as fast as Beast Boy had boasted, her companion reached out to catch her faltering form mere seconds after her loss of equilibrium. The ebony umbrella slid from his hand as he did.

And just like that, her (very unlikely traumatic) fall ceased, and a second after that, she felt the rain begin to soak through her clothes. Feeling terribly embarrassed for getting them caught in the rain just seconds away from the elevator after spending so long on the roof without getting wet, she turned to offer Ryouga a sheepish grin . . .

Ryouga returned her grin with a classic 'deer caught in the headlights' expression. She wondered what was up with . . . him . . .

It took her about three seconds to process the information that her eyes were feeding to her brain.

But only a single second to faint dead away.

* * *

_Well, that went about as well as possible, _Ryouga groused to himself. That had been about as predictable as the sun, really. And for that matter, why had he even considered trying to hide his curse again?

With a grunt of annoyance, he flipped back onto his bed to stare at the ceiling hanging above him. Despite the fact that he have 'lived' there for months now, the plain white ceiling was still as foreign to him as his parent's dining room.

Of course, that might have had something to do with him spending most of his time down in a cave. Unfortunately, he doubted anyone would be so generous as to walk him down there every night to sleep. Besides, it probably wouldn't be nearly so comfortable without Terra down there to keep him company anymore.

Speaking of tiny little blonde heroes, Ryouga counted himself lucky that most of Terra's fainting spell had been attributed to exhaustion, rather than shock. He didn't even want to imagine how much worse Beast Boy's revenge would be if that hadn't been the case.

Not that he imagined, even for a second, that Beast Boy's revenge for him causing Terra to faint wasn't going to be terrible . . . but, hey, it could have been worse, right?

All of which left him where he was: lying awake in bed, with nothing to do but wait in dreadful anticipation. Absently, he popped his communicator out of his pocket, if only to stop the damn thing from digging into his side in such an annoying manner.

_I wish there was something to do_, he lamented.

Sure, it was well after midnight, but he just wasn't feeling tired. Probably something to do with drinking over a gallon of caffienated soda back at the movies. Idly, he began flipping his communicator over and over in his hands. The alternating patterns of yellow and black were almost hypnotizing.

_Wasn't there something I was supposed to do tonight?_

The errant thought caught him by surprise, but as soon as it did, that niggling feeling that he'd forgotten something bloomed quite blatantly in his mind. Now he _knew _he was forgetting something.

_But what could it bee?_

That brought the Lost Boy up short. 'What could it _bee_?' Now why the heck would he have thought that? He looked at his H.I.V.E. communicator again. That was pretty silly, thinking 'bee' instead of 'be'.

_Heh, bee, be . . . be, bee . . . BB?_

Instantly, hand met forehead in a meaty smack. He let out a groan of disgust; he'd _totally _forgotten that he was supposed to call Bumble Bee.

Should he still call her? It was pretty late, but then she _was _a super hero. It wasn't like their kind kept regular hours. _Meh, what the heck. What's one more girl being annoyed with me?_

Soon enough, his communicator was open and beeping in wait of someone picking up at the other end. He wasn't left waiting long as the familiar face of the lovely bee themed woman filled the screen. It only took a second for recognition to fill those big brown eyes.

"Hey, Ryo. I was starting to think you stood me up, here."

Ryouga grinned his fanged grin. "And risk getting on your bad side? I may be reckless, but I'm not suicidal. So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Bumble Bee's playful expression dimmed noticeably at his inquiry. She quickly replaced it with a serious gaze aimed in his direction.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you if you've seen Jinx at all lately."

The Lost One could only stare at his communicator for several long seconds. The question was so out of the blue that it completely threw him for a loop. "W-what? Why are _you _asking _me_? I mean, you're the one fighting with Nabiki over there. Jinx left with them, didn't she?"

His dark skinned companion looked at him in confusion, until understanding suddenly lit up her face. "Oh, _right_! You were totally out of it when that happened, weren't you?"

He shot her a sardonic look. "To the best of my memory, yes."

Rolling her eyes in that penultimate female mannerism, Bumble Bee stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't be smart, Ryo, it doesn't suit you. Man, I can't believe no one bothered telling you. Nabiki told everyone that Jinx _wasn't _gonna be on her team. The girl might have left with them, but Jinx isn't with them anymore."

Ryouga's eyes widened at the news. It sure didn't sound like a shocking revelation, Jinx going her own way, but for a reason he couldn't explain, even to himself, Bumble Bee's statement struck right to his core.

"J-Jinx _isn't_ on Nabiki's team?" It felt odd to ask the question, since the very notion of Nabiki's team had only been a vague concept in the back of his mind until Bumble Bee herself had mentioned fighting them earlier that evening. "But, if she's not with them, then where is she?"

The tiny representation of Bumble Bee shrugged. "No one knows . . . Well, I haven't actually had the chance to ask Nabiki or anything, but no one I _work_ with knows. It's like the girl dropped off the face of the planet."

Ryouga wavered for a moment, before squaring his shoulders and setting his face straight. "Well, be that as it may, I'm not sure what that has to do with me."

It was his lovely companion's turn to don a shocked expression. "_Ryouga Hibiki_! How could you even _say _that? That girl would have stolen the moon for you!"

His grim demeanor slipped for a moment. "Well, if anyone could . . ." He quickly shook his head. "Hey! _She_ was the one that left me, remember?"

"But did you even _consider _that she might have had a r_eason _for doing that?"

The sudden question cut into his angry rant, causing his jaw to click shut. He stared at the young woman for another moment. ". . . You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Ranma. Why _is _this so important to you guys, anyway?"

He could see the bee clad girl fidget around uncomfortably before she could finally look him in the eye again. "Look, Ryo, Cyborg's been telling me how you kinda got a thing for Raven going on-"

He prepared to offer up his standard, sputtering denial-

"-_But_, but, can you honestly tell me that she needs you more than Jinx does?"

Ryouga did his best impression of a deer in headlights (second time that night, not bad, even for him). "Huh?"

Bumble Bee sighed loudly. "It's not that I have anything against Raven. It's just, well, that Jinx is a friend, _our _friend, and I was hoping that you might have been able to bring her around, save her from herself, y'know?"

Despite himself, Ryouga found himself smirking fondly. "The Jinx _I _know has _never_ needed saving, and I'd be the last person to want to change her . . ." He released a resigned sigh. "I still don't know why _Ranma _cares so much about this, but you two _are _right. In spite of everything, and no matter how much I try to tell myself otherwise, I _do _miss her. She – she deserves so much better than what fate dealt her . . ."

It was his companion's turn to smile fondly. "She isn't the only one. This isn't all about her, you know? I want you to be happy too, Ryouga. I just happen to think that the odds of happiness are higher with vivacious, slightly unbalanced femme fatales, than they are with gloomy, reclusive bookworms."

One of Ryouga's eyebrows quirked upwards. "I thought you said you didn't have anything against Raven."

Coughing uncomfortably into her hand, Bumble Bee's gaze wandered all around the perimeter of the tiny view screen. "Of _course _I don't. I mean, it's not like she effortlessly pounded XL and me into the ground back in the Martial Arts Obstacle Race . . . I mean, I'd have to be pretty unprofessional to hold a grudged over something silly like that . . ."

The Lost Boy began chuckling, even as his companion finally broke down into girlish giggles. "Well, just so long as I know your opinion isn't biased. Hmm, you know, now that I think of it, I might just know a person that might be able to point me in the right direction to find Jinx."

Bumble Bee burst into laughter instantly. "Wow, this guy must be _amazing _if he can point _you _in the right direction!"

"_BB . . ._" growled the fanged martial artist.

"Sorry, sorry, it was just too easy to pass up."

Annoyed now, he fired a mild glare at the giggler. "Look, I'm only doing this because Jinx was our friend. I can't make any guarantees that I'll even be able to find her, or how she'll feel if I do. Remember, though, that Raven is my friend too, and I'm not going to turn my back on her for 'what if's'."

Bumble Bee shot him a pointed look. "Hey, now. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life. I'm just giving some friendly advi-"

"_**Bonzai!**_"

In an explosion of motion, the bedroom door flew open and a flurry of spherical projectiles came flying in the Lost Boy's direction. Acting on reflex, his arm shot out to deflect the attack-

Which only served to burst the salvo of water balloons all the more dramatically. H2O splashed everywhere, soaking the walls, the carpets, the bedspread . . . and, of course, Ryouga himself.

With a growl roughly three octaves to high to be anything but adorable rumbling in his throat, the pint sized Hibiki could only stare at his communicator in shock. The loss of a good ten years was likely the only thing stopping said communicator from being crushed into the electronic equivalent of diamond.

On the distant end of the communiqué, his lovely companion struggled vainly to stop herself from bursting into uproarious laughter.

"W-what the _heck _was _that _about-" Bumble Bee must have seen the familiar signs of his temper about to snap messily all over Beast Boy's hide, because she quickly amended, "-You know what, you can tell me later. Go kick that grass stain's butt already."

Ryouga was only too happy to comply.


	30. Titan Rising! Chapter 5

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 5

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

Battling off a wave of grogginess, Terra opened her sapphire eyes, only to immediately regret it, as several treacherous lances of sunlight chose that exact moment to assault her. Muttering a minor curse at the evil, sleep depriving sustained fusion reaction in the sky; she quickly flipped away from the window and pulled her blanket over her head . . .

_Wait a sec . . . Blanket? _Opening her eyes again, the ensuing darkness confirmed that she did, indeed have a blanket pulled over her head.

Well, that was odd. She didn't even remember going to bed; the last thing she remembered was . . .

"_Aw maaan_!" she groaned in embarrassment. Tearing the blanket from her head, Terra sat up and slapped a hand to her forehead. "I _fainted_?"

"Like a Southern Belle!" came Beast Boy's helpful voice.

She groaned again. "I can't _believe _I _fainted_! I'm a geokinetic super hero that hangs out with aliens and robots! How could I have fainted from _that_?"

"Don't forget _actual _shape shifters," Beast boy reminded her, "Don't worry, though. Robin and Kasumi said it was mostly fatigue and junk. All Ryo did was just give you that little push over the edge."

Terra considered that, before letting out a small sigh. "Well, it's still pretty embarrassing. I . . ." She trailed off as she finally unburied her face from her hands and turned to regard her companion.

"What the heck happened to _you_?" she asked incredulously.

Contrary to her assumption, the changeling wasn't sitting in the chair by her bed. Instead, he was occupying the next bed over. Various bruises and bandages were visible, and Beast Boy winced a bit as he offered her a sheepish grin.

"Beast Boy apparently chose to avenge your fainting spell," supplied a perky Kasumi. The woman, who was currently standing by a large, complicated looking machine, turned to look at them and tapped a graceful finger to her chin. "I must say, it was a rare lapse in judgment on your part Gar – um, Beast Boy."

Terra couldn't help but giggle at _that _statement. She then turned a suspicious eye in Beast Boy's direction. "So, what did _you _do?"

The jade teen shrugged helplessly. "I kinda defaulted to the old water balloon prank, though, in Ryo's case it's just _sooo _much more effective."

Terra's eyebrow rose. "He beat you up over a water balloon? Seems a bit extreme, doesn't it?" A little too extreme; she found herself strangely hoping that her savior wasn't some kind of maniac.

Kasumi sighed politely. "Ryouga has always been rather temperamental concerning his curse. He might have been slightly harsh, but it was by no means unexpected."

"Umm, curse? What curse?"

The lovely brunette smiled knowingly. "You've already seen it in action. In fact, it's why you are here right now."

Suddenly, everything clicked . . . though the picture didn't really make any kind of logical sense. "So, Ryouga turning into a kid . . . that was a _curse_?"

Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah, totally freaky, eh? Even weirder, it's turned on by cold water and off by hot water."

"_Really_? That is kinda weird . . ." A sudden thought caused a giggle to escape her lips. "So, does that mean that big bad Beast Boy got beat up by a _cute widdle _eight year old?"

"_Hey_! It wasn't like that! He's, like, some kind of super ninja kid!" proclaimed the flailing changeling.

"_Suuure _he is."

"He _totally _is! He even beat the tar out of Robin when he was a kid."

That brought Terra up short. Sure, she had been _told _how good Ryouga was, but it was more a nebulous concept than anything else. On the other hand, she _knew _how good Robin was, and the idea that this Ryouga person could defeat _him _while half his normal age . . .

Just what kind of fighter _was _he?

"Is that so?" Kasumi asked. "Robin told me that that fight ended in more of a draw."

Beast Boy waved dismissively. "_Pfft_, only cuz Raven broke the fight up before Robin could really get his butt handed to him."

The young blonde rolled her eyes. "Where _is _Ryouga, anyway? We never really got the chance to finish our talk."

Her emerald friend shrugged helplessly.

"I believe he's down in the gymnasium. He was telling me that he wanted to begin training again," offered the surprisingly knowledgeable Tendo woman.

The green teen shuddered visibly. "Maybe you should wait till later to talk to him. If Ryo is training in the gym, then it's a good bet Robin is down there too. I don't know about you, but _I _don't feel like getting suckered into any early morning training."

Kasumi nodded absently as she read the monitor on yet another obscure medical device. "Exactly. Why do you think I'm here checking these same three machines for the fifteenth time this morning?"

The brunette then graced them with a smile so innocent, that Terra's hand nearly reached for her wallet to buy the woman a puppy before she even realized what she was doing. Thankfully, before the geokinetic could break her brain trying to figure out if the older woman was kidding or not, Kasumi broke down into a fit of girlish giggles.

Apparently her immune system was still very weak, as Terra quickly found herself infected by the errant strain of giggles. Beast Boy, on the other hand, succumbed to a mutated variety of the virus known as the chuckles.

Finally, Terra was able to shake the giggles and slipped her feet off of the edge of the bed, letting them dangle freely. "Hey, I'm still injured, remember? No training for me, doctor's orders. I think I'm safe to head down."

Across from her, Beast Boy let out a resigned sigh. "Oh, fine, I'll go too, then."

She shot him a queer look. "Um, you don't have to if you don't want to . . . in fact, shouldn't you stay here if you're still beat up?"

In a typical display of macho male ego, the changeling waved off her concern (only wincing three times as a result). "Naw, I'm as fit as a fiddle, right, Kasumi?"

One of Kasumi's eyebrows arched. "If you are implying that you are as healthy as a delicately crafted piece of wood being held together by so much string and glue . . . then yes, I suppose you are."

Terra giggled shamelessly at the look on the changeling's face when he realized that Kasumi had actually made a joke. Kasumi followed it up with a resigned sigh of her own. "Well, I suppose if _both _of my patients are leaving, then it would be hard for me to justify my staying up here alone, now wouldn't it?"

Beast Boy smirked happily. "True that! Alright, field trip to the gym and I've got _both _of the most beautiful Titan girls to accompany me. I'll have to remember to thank Ryo for pummeling me later!"

Despite the cheesiness of the line, Terra still felt her cheeks start to burn. Kasumi just giggled in that wonderfully airy manner of hers.

"Oh, my! You had better not let Starfire hear you say something like that."

Terra nodded, but before she had the chance to add 'or Raven', the changeling leapt to his feet (apparently magically healed of his _crippling injuries_) and pulled her to her feet as well. Beast Boy then turned to Kasumi and winked. "I won't tell if you don't. Now, let's get goin'!"

With their miraculously pessimistic-turned-optimistic guide to lead them, it only took the trio a handful of minutes to reach their destination. They hadn't even managed to make it through the gymnasium doors before they were given a very audible hint as to the kind of training that was going on.

A bone rattling '_Klong'_ rumbled down the corridor, followed quickly by the boisterous laughter that could only be Cyborg's. The unexpected noise brought Terra up short, uncertain as to what it could mean. The look of excitement that spread across Beast Boy's face, though, promised that whatever it was was likely going to be cool.

Instantly, the shape shifter grabbed her wrist, his excited look growing by the second. "Dude! It sounds like Ryo and Cy are goin' at it! I'd know that '_Klong'_ anywhere!"

At hearing that, Terra scarcely needed the changeling's assistance to increase her pace. Together, they ran forward eagerly, while the lovely Tendo followed at a rather more sedate pace. They burst into the massive training room just in time to be treated to an impressive sight.

Moving so fast that the blonde could barely follow, Ryouga flowed forward, weaving just an inch to the side of Cyborg's furious haymaker. The martial artist then seemed to slide up the length of the cyborg's arm, effortlessly piercing his defense, and landing punishing strikes to the elbow, neck and temple at a tempo that reminded her of someone playing one of those metal drums.

A fraction of a second later, the bandanna clad warrior was forced to leap up and over Cyborg's head to avoid a devastating roundhouse kick.

Cyborg followed his kick by spinning around and throwing out a wild backhand, obviously hoping to catch Ryouga before he landed. His swing came up an inch short, though, as the nimble martial artist had planned obviously planned his jump to land just beyond the larger boy's reach. Then, rather than break off and reorient himself, like Terra imagined she would, Ryouga's hands flashed out to latch onto Cyborg's extended fist, holding it fast. The martial artist then allowed himself to fall to his back, pulling his opponent with him. Before the enormous teen could flatten him, though, Ryouga's feet shot out and-

Terra's eyes widened.

-launched the massive bulk of Cyborg _thirty feet _into the air.

The titanium Titan ricocheted off the gym wall, a wide spider web of cracks forming in testament to the force of his flight, then plummeted to the floor with a calamitous crash.

Even as Terra watched in awe at the display, her companions seemed to be taking the battle in relative stride.

"Get up, Cy! You can't let the rookie beat you!" crowed her emerald companion.

"A most exemplary application of the Pentakian Reverse Leverage Thorax maneuver I demonstrated for you!" cheered an equally excited, though oppositely gendered, voice from across the room.

It was about then that Terra realized that Starfire, Robin and Raven were all present as well. While the vivacious Tamaranian cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines, the latter two leaned against the far wall, watching with varying degrees of interest.

In a decidedly casual manner, Cyborg rose to his feet, taking a moment to brush some errant rubble from his shoulder. The wide smile on the larger teen's face spoke volumes. "Heh, what's the problem, Ryo? You're only hitting me with seventy three percent of the force you were using the last time we fought. How the heck do ya expect to beat me like that?"

Ryouga grinned a fanged grin. "Handily, I'd say. Besides, I _am _two months out of practice, not to mention the fact I don't feel _quite _the urge to kill you that I did back then . . . yet."

From the far wall, Robin shook his head in amusement. "Don't get cocky, Cyborg. Remember, I asked Ryouga not to use his Bakusai Tenketsu for the same reason I told you not to use your missile launchers."

To the vigilante's side, Raven rolled her eyes. "If that reason was to prevent the gymnasium from being destroyed, then it seems to be failing utterly."

"Ha!" crowed Cyborg. "Like I'm worried about Ryo's Finger of Doom. Cyborg don't get taken in by the same trick twice!"

Considering that Terra had absolutely no idea what anyone was talking about, having become utterly lost around the Back Yard Tent Sale part of the conversation, she was caught completely off guard when the cybernetic Titan made a rather overt display of the simple act of pressing a button on his arm panel.

With startling speed, gleaming plates of metal suddenly began to slide out from Cyborg's limbs, moving to cover every inch of the blue, glassy material that covered so much of his frame. It only took a handful of seconds to complete the bizarre transformation from blue tinted hero to silver plated knight.

"Hah! How do ya like _them _apples, Ryo? I'd like to see you try your puny little BT on me _now_!"

In response, the fanged warrior's grin spread out into a vicious looking smile. Lifting a fist, he extended a single finger before him, holding it out like one might brandish a lethal weapon. "Don't tempt me, Tin Man."

"Okay, guys. Remember this is a _nice_ clean fight. Try not to go overboard," Robin reminded the pair.

Sighing sadly, both combatants dropped back into their respective combat stances. Seconds ticked by until, suddenly, at some signal known only to the cyborg and the martial artist, the battle resumed, both surging forward as one.

The two warriors met in a flurry of blows. Cyborg was in rare form, launching punches and kicks as quickly as Terra had ever seen him. His opponent was on another level completely, though, threading through the attacks and launching savage strikes of his own in return. The larger Titan might as well have been fighting a phantom . . . no, that wasn't quite right.

This fight was more basic than that. It was like watching furious ocean waves crash against the rocky shore, the old 'unstoppable force, meet immovable object' cliché. The bandanna clad fighter was absurdly fast and attacked with ferocious abandon, but Cyborg was too resilient to be harmed.

Though she wasn't sure why, the blonde geokinetic found herself willing the smaller warrior to win. Not that she wanted Cyborg to lose, per se, but it felt important to her that her savior was, maybe, just a teensy bit invincible.

"Ha!" cheered Beast Boy, "Ryo can't hurt Cy! It's just a matter of time before he tires out and Cy finishes him off."

To their side, Kasumi tapped her chin. "That is quite possible. I suppose that in ten or twelve hours Ryouga will start getting winded . . . though he _has _gotten much stronger since that time him and Ranma stayed up training all night long for that Rhythmic gymnastics duel. My, those two always did work so hard."

Terra and Beast Boy both stared at the brunette, eyes wide. "You can't possibly be serious," mumbled the former.

Kasumi's head tiled to the side as she regarded her. "Whatever do you mean? Why wouldn't I be serious?"

The changeling groaned loudly. "Man, there's no way my attention span can last that long! Not even for an awesome fight like this." He turned back to the battle. "Hey, Cy! What's your battery level at?"

"Twenty hours!"

"_Aww maaan_!"

Using the second's distraction, Ryouga launched himself into the air, soaring into Cyborg's chest with a bone shattering double kick. Of course, considering the massive teen's titanium frame, Cyborg was barely even unbalanced by the attack – at least, until Ryouga used the large teen as a springboard, using the massive strength of his legs to send himself flying up into the air . . . and send Cyborg careening into the floor. The titanium Titan's body dug a furrow half a dozen feet long before grinding to a stop in a shower of sparks.

Ryouga landed on the far side of the gym, smiling. "Don't worry, Beast Boy, I don't plan on letting the fight go on _that _long."

And then the fanged warrior descended on Cyborg's rising form like a plague of locusts . . . and with roughly the same results that a swarm of small insects would inflict on the steel plated titan.

Slowly, Terra turned toward Kasumi. "Um, Kasumi? You guys said that Ryouga was a normal human, right?"

The elder tapped a long finger to her chin. ". . . well, _normal _can be such a subjective term . . ."

Terra giggled. "I mean, he's not an alien, or a meta human, or dunked in toxic waste or anything?"

Kasumi smiled back, looking quite tickled. "I can't say for certain about the last one, but yes, Ryouga is a normal human, by that rather loose definition."

The young blonde tilted her head to the side. "Then why exactly is he bouncing around like he was Starfire's and Robin's lovechild?"

The second the words slid from her tongue, Kasumi's face flushed bright red. An explosive outburst of laughter erupted from her other side, as Beast Boy nearly collapsed at roughly the same time.

Even though she had asked the question far too quietly to be heard beyond the three of them, the green teen's outburst quickly drew pointed glances from the far side of the room. Acting quickly, Terra waved innocently to Robin, Raven and Starfire, then immediately turned her attention back to the battle.

A particularly fast jab from Cyborg forced Ryouga to block, rather than dodge. Absorbing the impact on crossed forearms, the martial artist was still sent sliding backwards over a dozen feet, until the gymnasium wall was kind enough to stop his enforced retreat with only minor buckling.

Terra's eyes widened again. It didn't look like Cyborg was pulling his punches at all.

Impressively, Ryouga dug himself out of his shallow crater and shook his arms out gingerly. "Not bad, even with all of my training that _actually _hurt."

"Well, if ya liked that-" Cyborg's bragging was suddenly cut off by the roar of his boot jets flaring to life and launching him over a dozen feet into the air. Even as he flew up, twin bursts of azure flame carrying him aloft, his right arm clanked and whirred loudly as it reconfigured itself into the familiar sight of his sonic cannon. "-Then you're gonna _love_ _**this**_!"

With a deafening '_Thoom'_ of white noise, the torrent of sonic waves tore into the ground and shattered the wall . . . exactly where Ryouga _had _been standing just a second earlier.

Terra had to blink twice before she registered that not only had the fanged fighter vanished from ground zero, but he was already in the air and closing the distance to Cyborg in a blur.

The metallic fighter's human eye widened in shock as the martial artist quickly began to fill his vision. He desperately tried to reorient his over-powered energy weapon, but before he even had the chance-

Ryouga flew past him in a flash of yellow and black. Cyborg nearly laughed out loud at his opponent's wild miss – but found his elation cruelly curtailed by a savage jerk on his arm. All the titanium teen had time to notice was the strip of yellow and black spotted fabric wrapped around his sonic cannon before his entire existence became a spinning whirlwind.

Terra winced in sympathy as Ryouga finally released Cyborg from the aerial death spin, launching the larger man into the distant wall with all of the poetic grace of a cruise missile.

The martial artist wasn't done yet, though. Ryouga landed lightly near the center of the room, only to cross his arms over his chest tightly. Terra was just about to ask Kasumi what was going on-

When Ryouga started _glowing_. An oddly familiar feeling washed over her as he did, like an echo of something she couldn't remember, but could never imagine forgetting . . .

"Ryouga, _wait_!"

"_Shishi Houkodan_!"

Whatever warning Raven had tried to offer was drowned out by the crackling roar of the sphere of azure energy which flared to life so dramatically, hanging in the air, dancing wildly to some unheard samba, right before the warrior's crossed arms.

Terra silently tallied another check mark to her 'Starfire/Robin Love Child' scoreboard.

_Maybe my definition of normal could use some work_, she mused silently.

Then Ryouga extended his hands forward, almost appearing to push the glowing orb of energy towards his staggering prey. Obeying with vicious glee, it blasted off like some kind of roaring bullet, bearing down on Cyborg –

Who frantically tore his sonic cannon from where it was embedded in the wall and swung it around –

"_Sonic Cannon Blast_!"

Cyborg's transmogrified limb flared to life once more, unleashing a lance of pale blue energy of incredible intensity.

To Terra's surprise (not to mention Ryouga's, judging by the fact that his eyebrows just shot up to vanish beneath his bandanna), Cyborg's sonic bombardment tore through the hurtling comet of energy without even slowing; the beam of force carried on to smash into the fanged boy's chest.

Apparently Ryouga wasn't much of an impediment, either, as the boy was blasted right off his feet. The lance of sonic waves carried him the entire length of the gymnasium, slamming him into the distant wall with enough force to smash a crater over two yards in diameter into the resilient material.

A moment later, Ryouga's smoking form collapsed to the ground.

Terra gasped loudly at the sight, but was quickly drowned out by the rest of the audience's reactions.

"Alright, _Cy!_" cheered Beast Boy enthusiastically.

Robin and Starfire applauded as well (to varying degrees of enthusiasm).

"Way to pull off the upset victory of the month, Cyborg."

"Indeed! Your ability to resist the savage beating you were receiving was _most_ impressive!"

Even as the former three ran forward to congratulate their friend, Raven just rolled her eyes. "_Sonic Cannon Blast_? You are _such _a dork."

Cyborg flashed the dark teen a winning smile. "Hey, it was either that or '_I'ma Firin' mah Lahzar_!'"

And with that, the rest of _that _discussion dissolved into a series of uproarious laughter and disgusted groans.

To Terra's side, Kasumi simply sighed. "Terra, would you be a dear and check on Ryouga for me? He'll probably be feeling a bit down after a loss like that."

The young blonde stared at the woman incredulously. "_Down_? Isn't anyone even worried that he might be dead?"

It was the Tendo woman's turn to look strangely at Terra. Kasumi shook it off quickly though, and offered her a charming smile. "Don't worry about Ryouga. I'm sure his pride is more wounded than he is. Now you go cheer him up while I go start breakfast. I want to see if I can find the things I need to make his favorite."

Then the tall brunette turned and left, leaving Terra to stare after her for a long moment. She quickly shook her head, though, and dashed over to the fallen fighter's side. Much to her surprise, the elder Tendo's prediction proved true. By the time she arrived, Ryouga was already pushing himself up to his knees.

She quickly knelt down at his side and dropped a hand on his shoulder to help him up. "Hey, are you alright?"

Apparently he hadn't noticed her until that point, as his quiet stream of expletives stopped abruptly. He quickly looked up to stare at her, and she could practically see the male's ego begin to erect a solid wall of macho posturing around itself.

Instantly, the young man sat up, smiling and acting as if he weren't hurt at all. "_Terra_! I didn't see you there!" The fanged warrior chuckled nervously. "Don't you worry about me. It'll take more than a love tap like that to hurt me!"

He followed his declaration with a nonchalant chest thump, _almost _managing to hide the wince as he did.

Terra rolled her eyes at the display. Still, Kasumi had asked her to cheer him up, and he didn't _appear _to be seriously hurt. She quickly wracked her mind for something to talk about that didn't involve his embarrassing loss.

"So . . . um, that spinning around move you did on Cyborg was pretty cool, where did you learn it?"

_Oh, so close . . ._

Ryouga looked at her oddly for a moment, before shrugging. "I guess you could say a . . . _friend _of mine taught me that move." The fanged boy quickly mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like: 'Through first-hand experience.'

Hmm, well, that hadn't worked. Now the martial artist looked even more annoyed. He was obviously too macho to accept any help up that she might offer, too; even despite his sour face, he was still maintaining his prideful facade tirelessly-

"So, is anything broken?"

A little shocked at the sudden intrusion, Terra quickly looked up to see Raven standing over them, an uncharacteristically soft smile on her pale lips. Terra scoffed mentally, _Let's see how she deals with Mr. Macho-_

"I – I think I felt a rib give a bit . . ."

The geokinetic heroine spun, her eyes widening as she stared incredulously at the Hibiki. There wasn't even a trace of the over developed male pride that he'd foisted off on _her_. The look in his eyes as he looked up at the cloaked Titan was what could only be described as sincere gratitude.

Raven casually knelt down at Ryouga's other side, bringing a glowing blue hand to rest on his chest.

"I tried to warn you," she chided gently. "Even I could tell that your mindset is miles away from being able to use that technique."

Immediately, Ryouga let out a long sigh as the blue energy suffused into his skin. Then, grinning sheepishly, he turned to regard Raven. "I know that . . . It's been getting steadily weaker since we fought Red X, but – but my body still wants to use it."

The genuine frustration in his voice annoyed Terra slightly, as it was all aimed in the darker Titan's direction. The blonde bulldozer quickly felt that there was a loop forming here that she wasn't a part of.

Raven grinned – _Raven _actually grinned. "You know, most people would consider being unable to use such a technique to be a _positive _thing."

Ryouga chuckled, "You and Kori, both-"

Terra silently mouthed the word 'kori' to herself, wondering who he could be talking about.

"-Besides, it's not like it would have mattered. I knew that Cyborg's sonic cannon was powerful, but not _that _powerful." Ryouga winced as the power around Raven's hand surged for a moment. "_Hunh_. Man, I feel like I got hit by _ten _of Ranma's Mouko Takabishas."

This conversation was getting really weird. Not only did Terra have absolutely no idea what they were talking about, but what kind of guy openly admitted to being beaten so easily? He'd told _her _that he was fine, after all.

_Oops_, her negative thoughts must have been too obvious, as Raven suddenly turned to shoot an inquisitive glance in her direction. Thankfully, before she could even begin to cobble together some kind of lame excuse, the violent eyed woman's gaze softened.

"Terra, would you help me lift this indelible bulk?"

"Hey! . . . I don't even know what that means . . ."

Terra giggled at the comical expression on the fanged boy's face. Feeling a little better at her minor inclusion, Terra quickly slid under Ryouga's arm to help lift him up-

"_Hunh_!"

To _try _to lift him up. Her eyes nearly bugged out as she strained vainly against the martial artist's weight. She looked across to see Raven struggling just as unsuccessfully. Heck, there was almost a tinge of color on those pale cheeks of hers.

As one, both girls turned to fire pointed glares at the piece of dead weight hanging between them. The amused grin on the guy's face, with just a hint of fang peeking out, spoke volumes.

"_Oh, _you were trying to lift _me_? Here, why don't you let me help you with that?"

Without warning, (unless you counted the mischievous grin) he leaned down and wrapped his arms around both her and Raven's knees. Then, without even the slightest effort, he stood up, hefting the both of them up onto his shoulders.

Exhilarated with the sudden lift, not to mention the free ride, Terra cheered excitedly as Ryouga began to walk them back to the rest of the Titans. Looking over to her fellow passenger, the blonde instantly burst into giggles.

Raven's face was _bright _red, now. A look of mortification clung to the female's face as she perched on the fanged boy's shoulder. _Heh, well, she always was a prude._

As soon as they rejoined the others, Cyborg raised a titanium hand in greeting. "Yo, Ryo, awesome fight there!" The bulky teen then took a moment to examine the pair of ladies resting on Ryouga's shoulders. "Heh, what's that? You provide the bleachers for your cheering section, too?"

Ryouga smirked in amusement, even as Terra whooped happily. "Naw, these two are helping me walk, on account of me being so injured."

Starfire donned a somewhat confused expression. "Does not such assistance appear to be counter-productive?"

"Put. Me. _Down_."

Lost in the moment, Terra leaned over and wrapped a friendly arm around Raven's shoulder. "Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Raven!"

A second later, she leaned back hastily as Raven turned a heated gaze in her direction. Apparently sensing the imminent danger as well, Ryouga quickly knelt down and let both girls slide off his shoulders and back to their feet. Immediately, Raven disappeared into the depths of her hood and floated back several feet, trying to hide her flaming cheeks firmly behind a look of abject annoyance. Ryouga also skidded back, blushing badly himself for some reason.

Apparently nothing had come even close to approaching normal with these people during her absence . . .

"So, Terra, Kasumi cleared you to come down for some exercise, did she? I have to say, that's some pretty admirable dedication on your part," stated Robin. While her attention had been elsewhere, the colorfully clad hero had approached her, wearing a cheerful grin on his face.

Immediately, warning sensors went off in Terra's head. "Um . . . not exac-"

"Hey, that's great!" exclaimed Ryouga, clearly desperate to jump onto any change of topic. "Some stretching and light calisthenics would go a long way towards helping your body recover."

"Ah, y'see . . ." she started, looking around desperately. Unfortunately, it was right about then that she remembered Kasumi had already left. Maybe Beast Boy would be able to back up her story . . .

She caught a fleeting glimpse of Beast Boy's rear end just a second before he vanished through the gymnasium doors.

_He is __**such **__a dead man!_

With no argument forthcoming, Robin nodded sharply. "Alright then, we should get started right away."

Ryouga nodded agreeably. "Yeah, between the two of us, we should have you back in top form in less than a week."

Unable to withstand the overly optimistic faces of the two martial artists, Terra manufactured the most enthusiastic expression she was capable of, despite the massive lead weight that it felt like she'd just swallowed.

"Um, yeah . . . can't wait."

* * *

-Less than a week later-

Terra shifted nervously as she took in her surroundings. It was an odd feeling, this sensation of unease that settled across her, especially considering she was finally back on her home turf. All around her, the vast expanse of the island spread out in all directions, the massive form of Titan Tower looming not too far to the south.

It felt amazing, after a week of bed rest, to finally be outside once more. The wind in her hair, the sun on her face and the nearly forgotten feeling of the earth beneath her feet. She could almost hear the planet singing to her, a soothing, sonorous melody played for every living thing to enjoy . . . but sadly, so very rarely heard. It was so clear, too, now that she had her feet planted solidly on the ground, more so than she ever remembered. Probably just a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, or something.

Of course, that wasn't what was causing her anxiety to bloom so magnificently. In fact, the comfortable caress of the earth was the only thing keeping her from freaking out. The reason for her nervous fidgeting was sprawled out before her.

The Titan Obstacle Course.

She remembered the cruel construct well, bursting at the seams with laser canons, death traps and any other form of mechanical horror that Cyborg's twisted mind could imagine to inflict bodily harm to her admittedly fragile frame. Over there would be the giant trap door; over there, giant metal fists would burst out of the ground in an attempt to flatten her out even further. The blonde heroine didn't even want to imagine what other kinds of horrors had been installed since then, eith-

"Well, that's that, then," proclaimed Cyborg loudly.

Terra spun quickly to see the Titan in question straighten himself up from where he had been hunched beneath the control panel of the dreaded obstacle course. Brushing his hands off quickly, Cyborg proceeded to slam the panel close before firing a heated glare in Robin's direction. "I don't know what you did, Robin, but the obstacle course is totally boned."

Robin fired back with an incredulous stare. "_Me?_ I told you that the obstacle course wasn't functioning _weeks _ago."

Cyborg poked a metallic digit to the masked vigilante's chest. "Hey, you were the last one to use it. So it _must _have been you that messed it up."

"The last time that _I _ran through the course, it was working _fine_," growled their spiky haired leader, "It wasn't until I was going to run Kasumi through it that the computer system suddenly froze up. If you ask _me_, it sounds more like _someone _wasn't performing maintenance checks like they were _supposed _to."

"Ex-_cuuuuse_ me? You'd _better not _be tryin' to pin this on me-"

Whatever else that Cyborg was going to say died away instantly. The gentle hand that came to rest on the massive boy's shoulder silenced him with the finality of a mute button, just as the hand's mirror did the same for Robin. Kasumi then pushed the two young men apart, a supportive smile on her lips.

"Now, Cyborg, Robin, this is hardly the time to be arguing over something as silly as this. I'm certain that whatever minor programming glitch is affecting your little obstacle course will work itself out soon enough."

Instantly crimson bloomed on the cheeks of both Titan's and they began mumbling apologies to each other. Terra watched in silent awe at the awesome power that Kasumi seemed to possess in that sweet smile of hers. The geokinetic hadn't been around terribly long before she had betrayed the Titans, herself, but she'd seen Cyborg and Robin go at it before, and she had _never _seen them bury the hatchet so quickly.

Terra was just glad that there was no way that Kasumi's powers could be used for evil.

"Umm, so what are we gonna do for Terra, then?" asked Beast Boy. The emerald changeling shot her a supportive grin. "I mean, she's gotta show that she's still the most butt-whoopin' Titan there is . . . after myself, of course."

A smile curved her lips at the kind words, though it didn't really do much to quell the tight little knot rolling around in her tummy.

From his lawn chair off to the side of the course, Ryouga waved dismissively. "I'm sure we can find something better to do. That obstacle course was _way _over rated anyway."

Raven, sitting to the left of the bandanna clad martial artist smirked wickedly. "Are you just saying that because you've never actually been able to _finish _the course?"

"_No!" _Ryouga barked. "It's just . . . Cyborg didn't _have _to make it such a labyrinth, did he?"

Starfire, floating to his right side, rolled her eyes. "Even _I _was astounded that you misperceived Mr. Chan's Dry Cleaners to be a section of the obstacle course."

"Well maybe Cyborg should have thought about _that _before he built his obstacle course right beside it!"

"_It was on the other side of the bay_!" hollered the offended Cyborg. "I'm _still _not sure how you got over the bridge so fast!"

Thankfully (or maybe not, since Terra would have been quite happy to have her friend's amusing bickering last all day) Robin stepped in to end the argument. Though it looked like even their caped crusader in training was on the verge of laughter himself, he quickly composed himself enough to speak. "Okay, that's enough, guys. I still want to see how Terra handles herself on the battlefield now that she's recovered, so we need to think of something."

Immediately, seven pairs of scrutinizing eyes descended on Terra as everyone present began considering alternatives to the defunct obstacle course. Sadly, the possibility of a pie-eating contest seemed remote, considering the looks on their faces. In fact, she was pretty sure that the nature of her _test _would be a foregone conclusion.

"Well, seems pretty obvious to me," voiced Ryouga, "I guess we need to have a little 'Terra Tournament'."

Terra started groaning somewhere around 'seems pretty obvious', but didn't finish till well after the fanged boy was finished. That was _exactly _what she _didn't _want to do. Even if the very concept of fighting her friends (even in play) didn't cause her stomach to twist all up around itself, there was also the very basic fact that each of the Titan's had had nearly a _year _to get stronger in her absence . . .

Robin rubbed a knuckle against his chin as he considered the idea. "Well, that's pretty much what I was going to suggest. Alright, let's go with that." The colorfully clad young hero turned his attention her way, a wide smile splitting his face. "Okay, Terra, remember that this is just practice. Don't worry about impressing anyone, and don't take things any faster than you're comfortable with."

Terra nodded shakily, but didn't reply out of fear that her voice would break embarrassingly. He thought she was worried about _impressing _anyone? Utter humiliation seemed like a much more likely fate for her.

Robin then turned to the emerald changeling. "Beast Boy, why don't you go first?"

"_First_?" barked the irate shape-shifter, "Dude, what's up with that?"

Amusingly, it was Cyborg that replied, dropping a friendly hand on the green teen's shoulder. "BB, seriously, you ain't gonna last five seconds against Terra over there."

"_Wha-_"

Cyborg's bark of laughter cut Beast Boy off sharply. "Dawg, don't take it personal, but this is _Terra _we're talkin' about. All she's gotta do is wink at ya, and you'll be hittin' the ground before she can even lay a mitt on ya."

The emerald changeling looked ready to argue the point . . . considered it, then, "Hmm . . . yeah – yeah, you're probably right about that."

Terra giggled loudly at that proclamation. Maybe -just maybe - she was over thinking this whole thing. Like Robin had said, it was just practice. There was no way that Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, or even Ryouga, would really try to hurt her. And as long as she threw a fight to one of them, she wouldn't even have to worry about fighting Robin or Raven.

_Sometimes I'm so smart it's scary_! She cheered in her head.

Smiling just a little easier now, she nodded to Beast Boy as her green tinted friend came out to join her on the Titan's spacious backyard. Almost immediately, the changeling began to bounce lightly back and forth on the balls of his feet. A wide, fanged smile spread across his face as he began to circle her slowly.

"Y'know, if you _were _planning on using your feminine wiles, I think I would be _especially _susceptible to a kiss on the cheek . . . just sayin' is all . . ."

She shook her head, smiling despite herself. She might keep that option open, just in case, but wanted stretch her legs a bit first (metaphorically speaking). After all, she doubted that Starfire would be swayed by a kiss on the cheek nearly as much as Beast Boy.

Knowing that this opponent, at the very least, would likely be more than happy to wait for her to make the first move, Terra closed her eyes and drew in a long, calming breath. The sounds of the changeling's feet swishing across the earth as he circled her helped her keep track of the young man as she tried to figure out just what it was she should do.

_Something small, something easy; just like Robin said . . . take it niiice and slow._

Slowly, she opened her eyes, locking gazes with the green Titan.

_Yeah, something nice and small._

Terra's pinky twitched-

* * *

Battling off a wave of grogginess, Beast Boy opened his emerald eyes, only to immediately regret it, as several treacherous lances of sunlight chose that exact moment to assault him. Muttering a minor curse at the evil, sleep depriving sustained fusion reaction in the sky; he quickly flipped away from the window and pulled his blanket over his head . . .

_Wait a sec . . . Blanket? _Opening his eyes again, the ensuing darkness confirmed that he did, indeed have a blanket pulled over his head.

Well, that was odd. He didn't even remember going to bed; the last thing he remembered was . . .

"_Terra_!"

The changeling shot up – about five inches. With a flare of pain that he hadn't felt since his first battle with Kunou, his entire chest _howled _in protest to the sudden movement and dropped him back to the bed instantly. With eyes clenched tightly shut, the only sound he could manage was a weak groan as his body finally informed him that waking up had been a _bad, bad _career choice.

Then, without warning, the inexplicable pain subsided . . . well, not _subsided_, but it lessened to the point that he could bear to breathe, anyway. Cracking his eye open slightly, the familiar sight of a delicately pale hand resting gently on his chest greeted him. The otherworldly blue glow that surrounded the hand, and most of his chest – his heavily bandaged chest – made it pretty obvious who was fondling him and why.

"H-hey . . . Rae . . . I'd make some k-" A weak cough, "-some kinda joke . . . but I-I wanna know why my-" a long wheeze "- _chest_ feels like someone tipped over a . . . china cabinet . . ."

His grim faced friend looked up from her work, offering him a pained smile. "It's good to see that you've woken up, but you might want to refrain from speaking until I've finished healing you."

Beast Boy started at her words, and especially the pained look on her face. As quickly as his aching body would allow, he grabbed the sorceress' hand and pulled it away from his chest. The pain flooded back in just as quickly as the funky blue energy stopped seeping into his skin, but compared to what it _had _been, it felt pretty manageable.

"W-what are you _doing_, Beast Boy?"

He chuckled a little wetly. "Y-you think I don't know how . . . your mumbo jumbo works?" he asked sardonically. "I kn-know that you gotta hurt yourself to help me . . ."

The dark Titan's eyes widened at his declaration, before narrowing sharply. She struggled against his grip for a moment, but stopped the second a pained grunt escaped his throat. "Stop it. If you know how my power works, then you also know that my recovery rate and pain tolerance are both much higher than your own. _I _can handle it."

This time he almost managed to laugh. "Big mistake, R. . . Rae. N-now if I _let _ya help me, I-I'll look like a wuss . . ." Raven's eyes narrowed further at his macho boast, but before she could tear her hand from his grip, he gently lowered her hand to her side and graced her with a sincere smile. "Besides, as much as . . . as _this _hurts . . . seein' you hurt cuz'a me'd be twice as bad."

For just a moment, he could have sworn he'd seen a flash of color grace his friend's cheeks, but it passed too quickly for him to be sure. A second later, Raven let out a defeated sigh and took a step back from his bed. Staring at him with resignation in her eyes, she shook her head.

"Will you at least let me administer some painkillers, then?"

"Oh, _God _yes!"

And there it was, the rarest of the rare, the one thing he had sought since first entering this tower.

Raven laughed.

It was short and sweet, very much _un_-like the girl herself, but it almost made the pain worth it. . . . _almost_.

In short order, Raven did as promised: supplying him with a generous handful of Flintstone Chewable Morphine, and the worst of the pain subsided once again, replaced with a familiar, cottony sensation wrapping itself around his brain. He wasn't any stranger to pain killers, though, so with that unpleasantness out of the way, Beast Boy figured it was time to finally get some answers, as he was _very _confused.

"Ra-"

"How is he doing, Raven?" Robin's voice, and coming from the entrance of the medlab. Both Beast Boy and Raven turned just in time to see the Boy Wonder, flanked by Cyborg and Kasumi. The latter pair wore excruciatingly worried expressions on their faces, while, in true Robin fashion, their leader hid any possible emotions beneath a mask of cool indifference.

Before Raven even had the chance to explain his condition, the three newcomers saw his condition for themselves and like the flipping of a light switch, joy flooded their features. Quickly, Cyborg and Kasumi rushed past their now smiling leader and made their way to his bedside. The former pulled up just short of dropping a massive, titanium hand on his shoulder, but the latter glided right past and wrapped his head in a gentle hug.

"Garfield! Thank _goodness_ you're alright. You had us all so worried," exclaimed the lovely Tendo woman as she oh-so tenderly embraced his head to her bosom.

_Must . . . hide . . . bliss . . . _was the closest thing to a coherent thought he was able to process until the lovely brunette finally released him to step back in line with Cyborg.

"Yeah, how ya feelin', little Buddy?"

Beast Boy looked between the concerned duo for another moment, before finally pulling in enough breath to reply. "Heh, I'd say I'm fit as a fiddle . . . right, Kasumi?" He shot her a teasing wink.

Surprisingly, a small sniffle wracked the young woman, before she nodded with a bright smile. Even to the changeling's admittedly lax perceptions, he could see the tell tale signs of someone that looked to be on the verge of tears.

_Man, what is up with everyone_?

"So, what the heck happened, anyway?" he finally asked. "Why's everyone actin' so weirded out?"

All around him, the weirdness only compounded. Cyborg and Kasumi suddenly began to look at each other uncomfortably. Raven pulled up her hood, as if the shadows which bathed her face would hide her from his inquiry. Thankfully, Robin proved to be just as unflappable as his namesake wasn't, and stepped forward with a comforting certainty in his step.

"What is the last thing you remember?" he asked in his 'all business' voice.

Hmmm, well, that was easy. It had been the first thing he'd thought of before he'd noticed Raven trying to heal him. "I was outside. Me and Terra were just about to have a sparring match . . . then . . . nothing."

Well, _that _was troubling. As with _every _memory involving the blonde Titan, every minute detail had been captured with crystal clarity: the curtain of her hair blowing in the breeze, the delicate curve of her lip, the endless depths of her eyes . . . so why was there a sudden blank there?

He looked around absently. "Say, where is Terra, anyway?"

The guilty looks on everyone's faces only deepened, and even the Boy Wonder tugged at his collar nervously. "She's on the roof . . . with Ryouga and Starfire."

Beast Boy looked at his leader oddly. "Why the heck would she be up there?"

Still looking uncomfortable, Kasumi answered for Robin. "She is . . . distraught."

"Why-"

"Look, BB," interrupted Cyborg, an unusually serious look on his face. "Terra dropped you, man; dropped you harder than I've ever _seen_."

Beast Boy's entire world flip-flopped for just a second. There was something profoundly wrong with what his friend had just said. His confusion made itself more than apparent.

"Wha . . . No, she wouldn – _couldn't_ have . . ."

Robin shook his head slowly. "It wasn't intentional; we know that much for certain. She just . . . lost control."

A disdainful sniff came from deep within the folds of Raven's hood. "If only it were that simple."

Beast Boy tried to fashion his glare into cold steel as he swung his eyes her way. "What's _that _supposed to mea-"

The rest of his outburst was cut off as the dark Titan lifted a hand to silence him. Not exactly sure why he stopped, he continued to level his scowl in her direction.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Beast Boy. This situation is much more complicated than Robin is indicating," Raven explained . . . not at all, really.

Mollified only because it was one of his closest friends that made the statement, Beast Boy allowed himself to calm down enough to repeat his question more calmly.

Robin sighed in defeat and nodded to Cyborg. "Cyborg, maybe it would be better if he saw it, first. Can you help him to the window?"

Despite looking more reluctant than the time Starfire had offered him a plate of her home made Glork, the cybernetic teen nodded. Without even a pretence of effort, Cyborg gently scooped Beast Boy out of his bed, eliciting only a few groans of pain, not to mention several pointed glares from Raven and Kasumi.

The changeling chuckled internally; with so many beautiful ladies working in the medical ward these days, maybe he should get beat up more often-

A sharp twinge in his rib cage quickly disabused him of that idea.

A few steps later, Cyborg had him at one of the large windows that presented a pristine view of the outside world. It was still light out, though the few clouds hanging in the sky were tinted orange by the setting of the sun. (Hadn't it been morning when they'd gone out to train?) Overall, if he had been the mushy kind of guy to think about that kind of stuff, he'd say it was a pretty sight.

So what the heck was it that his friends wanted him to see? Slowly, his eyes trailed down from the clouds, past the distant city that sat across the bay, trailed over the vast waters that filled the bay . . . finally rolling across the beach that rested several . . . stories . . . below?

"What the . . ." he trailed off weakly.

There, rising up from the center of the beach, was a massive stone spire, resting at roughly a sixty-degree angle. The jagged peak had torn itself from the bedrock of the island, rising over forty feet in height, vicious looking spurs of solid stone jutting out at every possible upward angle from the impossible construct. The base, nearly as wide around as the tower was high, tapered quickly to a rounded point no more than a foot around . . .

Roughly the size of a certain changeling's ribcage . . .

The angled spire wasn't the whole of it, either. Shooting off in the exact direction that the spire was pointing, and traveling beyond the view that this window afforded, a trail of demolished earth carved a shallow crevasse across the island. It looked to Beast Boy almost as if a comet had slammed into the beach and bulldozed its way across the island until it finally pushed up too much debris to continue . . . though, disturbingly, he knew that was likely the exact opposite of what happened.

For some reason, the sight of a trio of shattered lawn chairs half buried in the rubble, several meters back from the spire caused Beast Boy to shoot a quick glance back in Raven's direction.

The empathic woman simply shook her head, her blue hood swaying from side to side. "I wasn't injured. Ryouga was nearly caught in the . . . event, but Starfire was able to get him out of the way in time."

Kasumi nodded thankfully. "It was actually Raven that saved you, Garfield. She managed to catch you before you landed . . ." The elder Tendo offered Raven a look of sincere gratitude which set the dark Titan to shifting uncomfortably. "I can't even say how relieved I was."

_But why the heck would Terra use such a deadly attack on . . . me? _Beast Boy's unasked question trailed off as he slowly turned back to look at the devastation that had so neatly bisected their real estate. It was easy to remember where he had been standing, what with the forty foot high monument to him getting his butt whooped, which meant that Terra had been standing . . . there.

He closed his eyes again, as a strange thought entered his mind. Again the crystal clear image of Terra entered his mind. The subtle curve of her lip as she smiled so nervously. The endless depths of her sapphire eyes; the tiny twitch of her pinky finger-

_Her sapphire eyes!_

He gasped suddenly, realization washing over him. "B-but her _eyes_ weren't glowing!" he choked out.

It wasn't like he hadn't seen such displays of power from Terra before. She was easily on par with Raven as far as sheer destructive potential was concerned, and like Raven, there were several pretty obvious signs when she used her powers to their utmost. Beast Boy gasped for a second time as the ramifications of his realization suddenly slammed home with freight train force.

"She wasn't even _trying_!"

Side by side, now, Raven and Robin nodded forlornly. Silence pervaded for a moment, as Cyborg returned him to his bed. The mild discomfort of a chest full of shattered glass barely even registered as he tried to come to terms with his epiphany. Again, it rested on Robin's shoulders to break the silence.

"Exactly . . . We can't even begin to explain why, but something happened to Terra, something which has increased her power . . . we don't even know how much, yet."

Cyborg gestured dramatically to the walls around them. "The girl nearly shook the whole Tower apart when she realized what she did to ya, man. She didn't even know she was doin' it, either. Why the heck do ya think we got her up on the roof?"

The massive teen quickly shrunk back from Kasumi's disapproving look. Beast Boy just did his best to try to take in the information he was receiving. He didn't have much success in sorting out his thoughts before he noticed Raven shaking her head from side to side.

"It is hardly a shocking development. In fact, I'm ashamed I didn't foresee this problem myself." Raven's gaze slowly drifted across the room to match the questioning looks she was receiving from everyone. "Consider this: If what Ryouga told us concerning Terra's petrified state was true, and I have no reason to doubt him, then in her last ditch effort to save us all from the volcano she created, Terra expended nearly all of her power."

Beast Boy nodded slowly. He remembered the golden fires of her power which had consumed Terra, setting the slight girl alight like an avenging angel from on high.

"And," continued the violet eyed Titan, "Due to her armor, her energy was unable to return to her body naturally, as Ryouga believed it would. Thus, for nearly an entire _year_, Terra's power, her very _essence _was trapped in the earth itself, the _source_ of her power, blending together to such a degree that it took Ryouga over a month to even be able to differentiate between her energy and the planet's."

Cyborg waved his hand dismissively. "Pfft! That's just mumbo jumbo! I'm sure there's an actual, _scientific_, reason for this."

Had they been physically capable, Raven's eyes would have hurled daggers at Cyborg by the handful. "Well, by all means, enlighten us, O' Master of Technology."

"Ahh-"

"None of that _matters_," interrupted Beast Boy. He looked to Raven emphatically, as she was the only one that seemed to have any real answers. "So Terra's more powerful now. That's a _good_ thing . . . isn't it?"

The dark Titan's annoyed scowl melted away to nothing in the face of his imploring expression. Her shoulders rose in a helpless shrug. "Beast Boy . . . Terra could barely maintain control of her powers before. And even though months have passed for us, Terra has been trapped in time. To suddenly be awoken from her imprisonment and then burdened by such a dramatic increase in her powers . . . I'm – I'm not certain that it's safe for her to remain here any longer."

Beast Boy's shocked gasp was drowned out by Kasumi's. The normally docile woman spun on Raven, a look of pure outrage (well, on anyone else it would have been mild disappointment, but on Kasumi it was the equivalent to foaming at the mouth). "You couldn't _possibly _be suggesting asking Terra to _leave_? For all of this vaunted _power _you keep talking about, that poor girl is filled with confusion and loneliness and guilt. She – she would be _helpless_ if we abandoned her in such a state!"

Beast Boy's eyes widened. He couldn't remember hearing Kasumi sound so passionate about anything . . . _ever_.

Raven's violet eyes narrowed within the depths of her hood. "You think that I don't know the emotional turmoil she is experiencing? I-"

The dark Titan's retort was cut off when Robin suddenly stepped between the clashing females (once again proving Beast Boy's theory that the Boy Wonder had a serious death wish) and held up his hands to placate them both. The masked hero then turned a serious look to first Raven, then Kasumi.

"Raven, Kasumi, please. This isn't the time to be arguing, and you both raise valid concerns." Robin turned to look at Raven. "You are absolutely correct, Raven. Terra's unexpected increase in power and her already shaky control of that power make her a serious danger to all of us with every moment that she is here."

Before the disbelieving looks in Beast Boy's and Kasumi's eyes could develop into disbelieving outbursts, Robin quickly turned to look Kasumi in the eye, a small smile spreading on his lips.

"Which is exactly why we _can't _let her leave."

Beast Boy's shout (which had been about ninety percent likely to be an expletive) died on his lips. He maintained his disbelieving expression, though it was for a different reason, now.

Robin shook his head. "Raven is right, Terra is almost a ticking time bomb the way she is. It would be irresponsible of us to send Terra out into the city in the state she's in . . . so what safer place, for the city and all the people that live in it, for her to stay than right here, on an island in the middle of the bay?"

Cyborg nodded in complete agreement. "And, really, who out there is better equipped to help Terra train her power than us? Girl ain't gonna learn nothing up on no Satellite, that's for sure."

Beast Boy finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He'd been really worried there for a minute.

Raven shook her head ruefully, a small, knowing smile gracing her lips. "You speak as if that outcome was ever really in doubt. I do have one question, though: Who, exactly, is Terra's miraculous instructor to be?"

Every set of eyes (excepting one) quickly came to rest on the dark Titan, appraising looks abounding. Kasumi's smile was positively sunny as she studied Raven. "It _would _be a wonderful chance for the two of you to bond. It's obvious that there is still some small amount of tension between the two of you."

Cyborg grinned wickedly. "And, if Terra's power is all mumbo jumbo like you said, then who better to teach her than you?"

Raven's eyes narrowed to slits. "You did _not _just compare _me_ to that top hat-wearing nit-wit."

Even as the massive teen quickly ducked behind the much narrower frame of Kasumi to hide from Raven's growling visage, Robin nodded in agreement.

"Terrible analogies aside, no one here has more knowledge of energy control than you. Between your normal meditation techniques and everything you've learned from Cologne, I can't imagine anyone better to train Terra."

The dark Titan seemed to consider Robin's words for a long, long moment (far longer than Beast Boy was able to pay attention – _Hey, shiny monitor_!), only to shake her head. She quickly raised a hand to forestall any coming arguments.

"You all know Terra as well as I do. Do you really think that meditation and self-restraint would suit her? Then, of course, there is the fact that I've never actually trained anyone in anything before. I find it highly unlikely that I would have the patience for such an endeavor, or that Terra would respond to my methods," explained the hooded Titan matter-of-factly.

Beast Boy grumbled loudly. "But, _Raven_, you gotta do it! It's not like we have a butt-load of experienced meta-human trainers sitting around the Tower. I mean, you don't wanna send her off to train with Batman or something, do you?"

Even as Robin blanched at the mental image of Terra training under his old mentor, Raven shook her head again, her smile growing more sly. "Actually, we _do _have one experienced meta-human trainer under the roof. In fact, considering just how close Jinx came to defeating me in our last encounter, I would say his credentials are quite excellent."

Beast Boy, Robin and Cyborg all shared a singular confused look. Kasumi, on the other hand, suddenly brightened considerably.

"Oh, my! Do you really think that would work? He did focus mainly on combat training, after all."

Raven shrugged. "His knowledge of energy manipulation is second only to mine, and where Terra would likely resist my influence at every turn, I believe that she would respond positively to any lesson he offered."

The three males continued to share their confused glance, until Robin's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "_Oh_! Right! Ryouga was a combat instructor at the H.I.V.E. Academy." His look of revelation quickly descended back into confusion, though, as he turned back to Raven. "But, what makes you think she would respond to Ryouga's training any more favorably than yours?"

At that, Raven simply smiled, the twist of her lips as unfathomable as the ocean.

"Oh, I have a feeling, is all."

* * *

A low growl rumbled in Ryouga's throat . . . but it quickly died away as his anxious pacing once again brought the huddled form of Terra, so tenderly held in Starfire's powerful arms, back into view. The flame haired beauty continued to run a gentle hand through the younger girl's long blonde hair while she whispered into Terra's ear.

Terra was still awake, though she had cried herself out a few hours earlier. A good thing, that, since even thirty stories up, some of the slight girl's outbursts had caused the tower to tremble worryingly.

And then he turned again, and the dark growl welled up in his throat once more. It was a problem of his, he knew, letting his anger rule him so easily. It was even worse in this situation, since there was absolutely nothing for him to pin his anger to. Who could he blame? Beast Boy, for getting himself hurt? Terra, for an accident she couldn't have possibly foreseen? Or himself . . . for some reason even he couldn't figure out yet.

Damnit, where was Ranma when you needed a scapegoat?

It was so hard to accept that this was just . . . just an accident. Wasn't there always someone at fault when something bad happened? Life had always seemed so much simpler when that had been the case.

Again his aimless meandering brought Terra and Starfire in sight, and again the growl in his throat was silenced. What kind of jerk was he, anyway? It was obvious that _Terra _was the one really suffering, and all he could dwell on were his own feelings of uselessness. If only there were someth-

"W-would you _please _stop pacing? You're starting to drive me crazy."

Ryouga started at the young blonde's ardent request. "_Ah? _Oh – yeah, yeah, no problem, Terra!"

Not sure what else to do, he quickly moved and knelt beside the pair of girls. His would-be sister offered him a weak smile as he did, though the strain of that smile was woefully apparent. Wanting to do more than just sit there, he tentatively dropped a callused hand to the blonde's narrow shoulder.

". . . You – you really shouldn't feel bad, Terra," he offered uncertainly. "I – I mean, Beast Boy is gonna be fine. Kasumi told us herself! It's only a matter of time before he wakes up."

Unfortunately, his words didn't seem to help, as the young woman suddenly sniffed loudly, her voice choking up with unshed tears. "B-b-b-but – but now he'll _hate _me!" she cried fervently. "I'm gonna . . . I'm gonna have to leave, I _just know it_!"

Ryouga quickly lifted his hands in a warding gesture. "Hey now! That is _not _going to happen!"

Starfire pulled the nearly crying girl to her chest tightly. "_Never_ would we allow for your ejection from the tower. You are our beloved friend, and we will _never _turn our backs on you!"

Slowly, Terra looked up, catching the Tamaranian's brilliant emerald eyes with her shimmering, sapphire gaze. "D-do you _really _mean that?"

The alien girl simply nodded, her smile filled with boundless confidence.

The fanged warrior nodded, trying to match the vivacious girl's boundless certainty. "And I'm pretty sure the only person more fanatical about keeping you here than us . . . is Beast Boy. There's _no _way that he'll let anyone even _think _about kicking you out."

Terra looked to him, then back to Starfire, before shaking her head forcefully. "But I _hurt _him. I hurt him _so _bad! There's no way he would want to see me again."

Starfire shook her head slowly, an ironic smile spreading across her lips. "I believe that there is nothing that would please our dear friend so much as the sight of you."

"But . . . but how could he _possibly _forgive me?"

It was Ryouga's turn to shake his head. "You . . . would be surprised at just how forgiving the Titans can be."

Unexpectedly, the blonde haired hero fired a heated glare his way. "How would _you _know? How could _you_ understand?"

The martial artist rocked back slightly. "I-"

_The sickening crack of bone snapping rang through his ears as his leg collided with the dark Titan's side . . ._

"- I . . . Just – just trust me . . . I understand," he muttered in a low voice. He felt a strong desire to run to the elevator right then and there. The unsettled feeling that just surged through his stomach made the prospect of finding a washroom very appealing.

Something in his voice, or maybe even in his eyes must have registered to the youngest Titan, since she quickly took to staring at the toes of her dusty running shoes.

"Do not worry yourself, my precious, precious friend," came Starfire's soothing words. "This troublesome scenario was an accident and nothing more. You are no more at fault for what occurred than I, myself, was, and I know, with all of my heart, that you will find forgiveness to be in great supply this day."

Ryouga almost cracked a smile at his dearest friend's whimsical words, would have, if not for the vile sting of memories-best-left-buried. How lucky he was, all of them, really, for the presence of the Tamaranian princess. She had been his life raft through the darkest days that followed his escape from the Academy, and so it seemed fitting that she would do the same for Terra.

The blonde in question turned a weak smile Starfire's way. "T-thanks . . . Starfire. That means a lot to me. Terra then turned her gaze his way, a bit of guilt flooding into those saucer sized sapphire eyes. "I'm . . . I'm sorry, Ryouga. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I know that you've had problems too . . . and you're just trying to help.."

He smirked at that. "I think _trying _is the operative word, here. You know, if Ranma was here, he'd probably be making some lame joke about _me _actually trying to cheer someone _else_ up."

"Heh," came a weak, heartening chuckle, "T-this Ranma guy sound like kind of a jerk . . ."

Instantly, Ryouga's smirk bloomed into a _wide _smile, even as Starfire's emerald eyes rolled with aplomb.

"You just let me _tell _you about Ran-"

His excited rant was cut off by the audible sound of the rooftop elevator door sliding open. The three Titans turned quickly, palpable anticipation in the air, to regard the duo which exited the transport. Robin and Cyborg joined them on the roof, the glinting rays of the setting sun reflecting brilliantly across the latter's indestructible armor. A hush covered the roof for a moment, even the eternal whisper of the ocean breeze muted itself as the pair stood over the huddled trio . . .

And then Cyborg smiled.

All at once, relief flooded Ryouga, and he saw Starfire nearly collapse to the roof with an audible sigh of joy. Terra, though, leapt to her feet and ran forward to drop her hands desperately on Robin's shoulders.

"Beast Boy, he's alright, right?" she asked with equally intense desperation.

Not wasting a moment, the Boy Wonder nodded, a smile growing to match his cohorts. "He just woke up a little bit ago. He's still pretty sore, but he'll make a full recovery in no time . . . provided he actually lets Raven help him."

Terra's groan of relief was enough to drop her to her knees, and tears began to flow anew from her eyes. Thankfully, these new tears didn't evoke the same feelings of guilt and uselessness that the last ones had, as the girl's joyous laughter proved quite quickly that she was ecstatic about the news.

All too soon, though, both the tears and the laughter dried. Slumping back to rest on her bottom, Terra stared avidly at the ground between her knees. "I . . . I guess it's time for me to leave, then? I-I completely understand, I don-"

She was cut off by Robin's gentle pull on her arm, raising her back to her feet. The wide smile that had adorned his lips had vanished as well, replaced by a grim line. With a sort of finality, the masked vigilante shook his head from side to side.

"We didn't come up here to ask you to leave, Terra . . ."

Hopeful expressions began to bloom across the rooftop-

"We came to tell you that you _can't _leave," stated Robin, deadly serious.

" . . . Huh?"

Ryouga wasn't sure if it had been him to say it, or Terra, or Starfire, or even all three of them. Hope crashed into confusion at the alien statement, and the trio could only stare at their leader in anticipation of an explanation.

Robin took in a long breath, only to release it in a beleaguered sigh. Cyborg, looking extremely uncomfortably, crossed his arms before his massive chest, and stepped up to support his friend.

"Terra," Robin began slowly, "This wasn't an easy decision for me to make, however, we cannot, in all good conscience, allow you to leave the tower as things stand."

Terra tilted her head to the side inquisitively, apparently still a few bananas short of comprehension. Slowly, Starfire rose to stand beside the slight blonde, a questioning look in her eyes as well.

"Please explain yourself, Robin. Your words are joyous, but the tone with which you speak them is highly disturbing. How could the prospect of our friend remaining in our company be such a difficult decision for you to arrive at?"

Ryouga found himself in total agreement. There was a wide difference between telling someone they could stay, and telling them they _couldn't _leave. What was the masked vigilante's angle?

Carefully, Robin rested his hands on Terra's shoulders and matched her gaze with white, pupil-less eyes. "Terra, you _know _why we have to do this. Your powers have grown beyond your ability to control them. We can't risk letting you out into the city."

Dismally, Terra's gaze dropped back to her toes. At the same time, Ryouga felt his hackles raising; his unruly heart and his common sense argued back and forth to balance both sides of the situation, but considering how uncommon said common sense was, it was a fairly one sided debate. He prepared a scathing response –

When Robin smirked knowingly.

"We can't risk letting you out into the city . . . until we've completely helped you to bring your powers under control again," stated the Boy Wonder happily.

Even as Ryouga's anger flagged, Terra's hope surged forth again. She looked up, an expression of joy in her eyes that was more commonly found in certain Tamaranians. "You – you really _mean it_? You're actually . . . you're actually going to _help _me?"

Robin nodded. "That's what friends are for, Terra. Besides, now that Ryouga isn't busy trying to revive you, he's obviously going to need _something_ to fill all of his free time now."

Ryouga nodded-

"_Wha_-? Hey, wait just a second! What do you mean, 'Ryouga'?"

Cyborg let out a bark of laughter and dropped a hand onto Ryouga's shoulder. "Dawg, why are you even acting surprised?"

Terra leveled an unreadable glance his way. "What? You don't _want _to train me?"

_Oh, crap_ . . . "_No_! No, that's not what I meant! It's just – just that-"

"I believe what Ryouga is attempting to state," came the blessed assistance of Starfire, "Is: Would it not be Raven whom would be the more obvious choice to train Terra in the use of her power?"

Even Ryouga noticed the visible wince from Terra the moment that Raven's name was mentioned, but wasn't completely sure what it could mean. "Yeah, Kori's right. Raven knows a lot more about this kind of thing than I do."

Suddenly, Cyborg slid closer, wrapping his arm around Ryouga's shoulders. "Hey, you're preachin' to the choir here, Ryo. It's just that _Raven _suggested that you should be Terra's teacher."

"_Oh_ . . . she did?" asked the fanged boy quickly. Well, that changed things. If Raven thought he could do it, then obviously she had a good reason. "Well, I guess that's alright then."

Cyborg and Robin just smiled knowingly while Starfire rolled her eyes fondly. Terra, on the other hand-

"What? That's it? Suddenly you're all ready to play Mr. Teacher?" Hmm, for some reason, the young girl looked to be annoyed, though for the life of him, Ryouga couldn't figure out why.

"Um . . . yes?" he replied tentatively.

The young blonde held her glare for another second, before finally dropping it with a loud sigh. A moment later, she looked up once more, a cheerful smile beginning to split her face. "Well, I guess it isn't all that bad. One on one lessons with a legendary martial arts master?"

"This could be pretty fun!"

* * *

The familiar sensation of ancient wood crushing into her shoulder heralded an explosion of searing pain which wracked her entire body. It was quickly followed by the feeling of the ground being torn from beneath her feet. Even as the stars danced through her vision, she managed to herd up just enough of her scattered senses to twist in the air so that she didn't land straight on her neck.

Another explosion of agony, as that same shoulder slammed into the roof beneath her, though it was short lived, as the force of the blow sent her skipping like a stone. All semblance of control was left behind with that first impact, the second and third bounces landing on her leg, then her back at awkward and painful angles.

Then, for just a flash of time, everything went white. Her head cracked into the masonry of the rooftop bunker with a crunch that would have been worrying had she had the sense to hear it. The rest of her body rebounded from its harsh contact with the wall, dropping her to hands and knees, but through some miracle, not completely into the darkness of unconsciousness.

A wheezing cough rocked her narrow frame, and even through the darkness of the night and the swimming of her vision, the dark crimson stain that sprayed onto the roof was quite vivid.

Again with the taste of copper in her mouth . . . she was really starting to hate it.

With a wet groan, Jinx lifted her gaze to her attacker, the look of determination never leaving her slitted eyes.

With a resigned sigh, Happosai slowly shook his head. "Sloppy, Jinx, very sloppy. Honestly, sometimes I feel that training you is like trying to train a Ming vase."

Despite the pain that ravaged every inch of her body (. . . actually, her little toe was feeling okay . . . either that or it was too numb to feel any more) Jinx chuckled, doing her best to ignore the red line of spittle dangling from her crimson lips.

"H-heh . . . does that . . . does that mean you think I'm priceless?"

Her master's wizened lips twisted up into a warm smile (was it odd that she could tell it was genuine?) and casually tapped out his pipe on the ledge. "At the very least, I will say that you are an investment. Only time will tell if it will pay off, though." He looked her over, a calculating look in his eye. "Having trouble getting up, Disciple? You don't need a hand, do you?"

Jinx shook her head furiously (only pulling two more muscles in the process). Drawing on reserves of sheer will that she hadn't even imagined existed mere months ago, the slender sorceress pushed herself to her feet and used her sleeve to wipe the blood from her lips. A single step forward informed her that her left ankle had been twisted in that last tumble, but not badly enough that she couldn't walk on it.

Wincing with every step, she eventually managed to cross the twenty feet to shakily sit beside her master. By the time she did, he had already refilled his pipe and was taking in a long draw from it.

"I wasn't sloppy," she mumbled darkly after a long silence. "There was no way I could have dodged that one."

Her master let out a lungful of air, whimsically shaping the forming cloud into the shape of a brassier, apparently by sheer force of will. Taking a moment to study his work before he was satisfied, the ancient warrior then shook his head. "You weren't meant to, Disciple. I wanted to see how well you recovered from the attack. Sloppy . . . very sloppy."

Her eyes clenched shut and her fingers curled into the torn and stained ruins of her skirt. He was right, of course. She knew how to fall, had learned those basics long before starting this insane training. She had just let herself get distracted by the pain, and the surprise of the sudden increase in his speed. Even her first landing had been sloppy, but bouncing twice and slamming into a wall? Who the hell was she supposed to be: Mammoth?

"Tut, tut, my dear." She felt a tiny hand on her shoulder, offering a small amount of comfort. "Don't tear yourself up over it. That _is _why we're training, after all."

Her eyes opened at that, and she turned her pink orbs towards her master, a weak smile forming on her stained lips. "Don't worry, I'll get it perfect next time."

"Heh, I've no doubt, no doubt at all." He met her determined gaze, a trickle of pride sneaking into his owlish eyes. "Despite your glass-like constitution, your training has been coming along quite well."

Jinx rolled her eyes at the backhanded compliment. Her body might not have shattered the brick wall to dust, but neither had the brick wall crushed her body to paste.

"And you've very nearly mastered the technique I've been teaching you. Even faster than I expected, considering the . . . complications," he continued proudly.

Jinx nodded again, though her attention was only half on her master by that point. The catalogue of ouchies that her mind was tallying up was nearly done, and some of the nastier scrapes were starting to burn in the cool, night air.

"In fact, your training is coming along so well, that I think it's almost time that we finally made our rendezvous with Nabiki. You've more than earned a short vacation."

The young sorceress perked up immediately. "You really mean it?"

She would have injected a little more excitement into her inquiry, but the ringing in her ears was starting to annoy her. Judging by recent experience, it shouldn't last more than another minute or two, but then, mild concussions always _were_ bothersome.

Her master nodded again, taking another draw from his pipe. "Indeed. However, before we do, I wanted to set up another small test for you, considering our last one was . . . co-opted, if you will."

Jinx's lips twisted into a vindictive sneer. "So what hero are we going after next, then? I could use a good punching bag after these past few weeks."

Happosai graced her with an odd look for a moment, before shrugging his tiny shoulders. "You know, my Disciple, there's more than one way to build a reputation. Sometimes the only thing more impressive than defeating your enemies . . . is besting your allies."

She returned his odd look with interest. "Huh?"

His chuckles rustled like fallen leaves. "Think about it, girl. Heroes aren't the only ones with reputations. Villains have reputations too . . . and very few villains on this continent have darker reputations than those of Gotham city."

A shudder of apprehension ran down Jinx's spine and her eyes widened at the very thought. Fighting villains? But villains fought for keeps, villains fought dirty, villains were just plain _evil_.

She would know, considering she was one!

"Wha-? But why?" she asked in confusion.

"HA! What better way to confuse the heck out of everyone? Besides, Gotham city is on our way to Steel City, anyway."

"But . . . fighting other _villains_? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Apparently she wasn't hiding her nervousness very well, as her master matched her gaze seriously for a moment. "I know it might be an intimidating prospect, but think about it, Gotham is the _perfect _place for you to make your move."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Explain."

He smiled a knowing smile. "Well, consider this Joker fellow I've heard so much about. Here's a man that paints his face and dresses like he was blind, and yet his name is spoken in hushed tones from one side of the country to the other."

Jinx nodded. The Joker was practically required reading back at the Academy. 'Keep your enemies close, and keep your friends at least ten yards away at all times.' As the old motto went.

"However, despite his reputation, he is still just a man; granted, a bit loopy, but a man nonetheless. He doesn't have any powers, nothing I've read about him indicates he's much in the way of a fighter. So, once you look past the glitz and glamour of the legend, what, _really_, is stopping a highly trained metahuman like yourself from just waltzing in and trouncing the young upstart?"

Jinx just stared at the diminutive master for a long moment. Her common sense battled her pride in a one on one showdown for the ages. The former screamed at her that she was a colossal idiot for even considering the idea, while the latter crowed that even humiliating Superman would be nothing compared to the name she would create toppling the Crown Prince of Crime himself.

Happosai must have been able to see her internal struggle, since he chuckled in amusement. "Not that I'm saying you need to go after _that _one so early in your training. The Batman has gathered himself a most cunning gallery of rogues, and powers or not, if you let yourself play by their rules, you'll likely find yourself dead before you realize it."

Her eyes rolled dramatically. "Yeah, that makes me feel _sooo _much better."

Another bark of wheezing laughter. "You just have to learn to pick your battles, Disciple, and learn how to make your opponents dance to _your _tune and not the other way around. Don't you worry, though, I'll help you understand what I mean on the way."

The young sorceress considered his words carefully, already trying to piece together his intended meaning. Overall, the plan sounded stupid and dangerous . . . but no more so than was usual for her master's plans, now that she thought about it. Besides, it was just one more hurdle between her and finally getting to see Ryouga again . . .

A wistful sigh escaped her lips as the image of a certain fanged boy filled her mind. It had been so _long_. Months filled with nothing but her training and her master. Granted, she'd grown fonder of the ancient pervert than she would ever, _ever _admit, but ever since her chance meeting with Mousse, it seemed like the only thing keeping her going lately was the thought of seeing her clueless Lost Boy again.

Okay, sure, so maybe she was traipsing a little close to the edge of obsession, but it wasn't exactly like she had any _other _over-arching life goals to strive for.

"Alright, then, Happi, let's get this show on the road!"

Her ancient master leapt dramatically to his feet in response, brandishing his pipe with flair. "Happosai and Jinx of the Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling are going to _Gotham City_!"

And may the gods have mercy on their souls.


	31. Titan Rising Chapter 6

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 6

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

Terra was nervous.

Now, to put this into perspective, one had to remember that Terra was a frightfully powerful geokinetic. Combine that with the fact that Terra also possessed no small amount of experience battling villains and heroes too terrible and wondrous to describe with disturbing frequency. And to top off this badass sundae, it was quite recently revealed to Terra that she was now more powerful than she could even imagine due to strange forces beyond her understanding.

And yet, Terra was nervous.

But then, being trussed up in a burlap sack and hung up from a twenty foot metal post while your (supposed) savior was busying himself with the activity of gathering a good sized pile of boulders while eying you appraisingly . . .

Terra was nervous.

She looked to the hand of her right arm - the other arm having been tied behind her back- or, more specifically, to the single finger which poked out of the cloth bandanna which he'd wrapped around her hand. She wiggled the digit experimentally, comparing the slender finger to the hefty stones piling up before her 'instructor'

"Ummmm . . . Ryouga?" she inquired nervously.

Ryouga looked up attentively, a wide smile on his face. "Don't you worry, Terra. I think I've got just about enough boulders. We should be able to start real soon!"

A nervous bead of sweat trickled down the frail girl's brow. The slow sway of her body in the wind only accentuated just how uncomfortable she was in her trussed-up state. Normally, she was pretty sure that any girl would have balked at the idea of letting a guy tie them up so thoroughly; the idea of leaving oneself open to unthinkably lewd acts being too disturbing to ignore . . .

But _nooooo_, she had trusted Ryouga's intentions. She _knew _he would never do anything _lewd _to her!

Another boulder dropped onto the pile with a sharp crack.

Oh, how she _wished_ he was just planning something lewd now-

_Wait, that didn't sound quite right . . ._

"Ah, Ryouga?" she started again. "About this training. Don't you think it's a bit . . ." she struggled to find an appropriate term.

"Intense?" her trainer offered helpfully.

"_Psychotic!_"

Ryouga effortlessly lifted one of the two-foot spheres of roughly hewn rock and examined it critically. He then looked her way in confusion. "What? These are way smaller than the ones I used to learn the technique. Besides, with your power, you shouldn't have any trouble finding the breaking point."

She stared at him incredulously. "You do realize that you still haven't explained exactly _how _I'm supposed to do that, right?"

His head tilted to the side in puzzlement. "What? Sure I did. You just gotta see it with your mind's eye. That's how Cologne taught me to do it, and it only took me a week. I figure you should have it down way before that."

"_It took you a week_?"

Ryouga nodded amiably, before hefting the hefty boulder over his head. "Six days, actually, but time really flies when you black out. Now, let's get started!" With that, he reared back to throw-

Terra's shrill scream of terror rang in her own ears as she instantly panicked and hid behind her free arm in an act of futile desperation. The crushing impact would come any second now.

. . . um . . . any second _now?_

Gradually, the bound blonde's scream petered off and she slowly peeked out from behind her narrow arm.

_Hey, when did that pillar get there?_

And indeed there was a stone pillar before her, roughly eight feet high and four feet in diameter . . . and standing in close proximity to the large pile of rocks that Ryouga had gathered. She stared at the monolith for another moment, confusion replacing concentration . . .

As she did, the pillar suddenly seemed to lose cohesion, splitting in half straight down the middle. A moment later, each half of the large monument fell away, crashing to the ground with a pair of great, hollow 'Thuds' . . .

To reveal the crumpled figure of one Ryouga Hibiki standing in the center . . .

* * *

From her position on the roof, Raven winced in sympathy as she watched the bandanna clad warrior collapse to the ground in a crumpled heap. Slowly, she turned to look to her fellow Titans, also watching the spectacle from the (relative) safety of the tower's roof. One by one, she pierced each of them with a knowing glance.

"And _that _is why Ryouga is better suited to training Terra."

Oddly, no one argued her point.

For her part, Kasumi just sighed in resignation.

"I'll go warm up the crash cart."

* * *

Raven released a forlorn sigh as she ran the ornate brush through her hair yet again. Her hair had long since been reined into utter perfection by her efforts, falling to frame her face as perfectly as it ever had . . . And yet she continued to stare at her reflection in the long, full length mirror before her. She should already be in bed, she knew; was already wearing her nightgown for that matter, and yet there she was, brushing hair that rarely dared to fall out of place at the worst of times.

A small part of her still felt guilty for sacrificing Ryouga unto the altar of pain that was Terra. It had been a necessary sacrifice; while her tolerance for pain was leaps and bounds above Beast Boy's, the Lost Boy existed on an entirely different plane when it came the exquisite art of suffering . . . physically, anyway. And she had no doubt that the unavoidable clashes between her own personality and that of Terra's wild spirit would have yielded similar results.

Not that she had _expected_ him to start off with such a boneheaded maneuver. Really? Training Terra in the Bakusai Tenketsu? Maybe she should call Ranma and have him remind Ryouga that he wasn't in Nerima anymore?

Unfortunately, that was hardly the only thing on her mind preventing her from falling into the clutches of sleep that night. Absently she turned to and fro, critically examining the young woman standing before her in the mirror. The nightgown she wore clung tightly to her frame, leaving little to the imagination beneath its midnight silk.

A single question had been occurring to her with increasing and disturbing frequency lately:

_Am I attractive?_

It was so hard for her to judge. She knew that Starfire was attractive, numerous people often told the exotic alien such. But she wasn't like Starfire, she wasn't as trim and athletic as her friend, nor as tall. Her hair was short and stark, not long and luxurious like her friend's. More telling was her inability to actually remember if anyone had actually ever _told_ her that she was beautiful before.

Of course, Starfire told her that often enough, but considering that the Tamaranian thought Mustard was on par with a fine vintage of wine, it was difficult to take her opinion with less than a grain of salt. Besides, it would be nice to actually hear a _male _tell her she was attractive . . . if only for the novelty value.

She sighed again, forcing herself to place her brush on her nightstand with a thud of finality. It had been so much easier when she'd never had to bother with concerns over her physical appearance. Unfortunately, the focus of her guilt was the same focus of her very confusing self-analysis.

What did Ryouga see when he looked at her? She knew that there was . . . _something _between them. She wasn't sure what it was anymore; whatever it was, it was just a faint spark, the fragile remnants of what had come before, fiercely stamped upon by the violations of the Headmaster.

She allowed herself a small flight of fancy, wondering what the Lost Boy's reaction would be if she were to appear in his room right that moment. Instantly her cheeks flushed with color . . . only to fade back to their natural pale tone a second later.

Had Jinx ever had that very same thought . . . and if so, had _she _actually followed through with it? It was not a comfortable thought. Raven knew that Ryouga was still harboring strong feelings for the vindictive sorceress. Was it just Jinx's body that had spurred the Lost Boy's affection? Sadly, she knew the answer before she even thought the question. Whatever bond the martial artist and the villain shared, it went well beyond the base concept of lust . . .

With a weary sigh, Raven finally walked over to her bed and dropped down to the soft mattress with a dull thump. She almost felt bad for Terra. It was quite obvious to the empath that the geokinetic girl was forming a crush on the resident combat expert. If only the girl knew the quagmire of emotional baggage that she was so recklessly skirting.

Groaning now, Raven flopped back onto the bed and willed her bedside lamp to flare to life. Her current train of thought was painful and confusing and frustrating, but it was still preferable to the alternative of sleep.

As such, she was pleasantly surprised when her communicator began beeping. Considering she was currently in the tower and no alarm was ringing, it was obvious that there was no crisis in the hatching, which left only one real possibility of who it could be. In a flash of ebony telekinesis, her communicator floated to her hands and she opened it eagerly.

The familiar face of her pigtailed pen-pal flashed to life on the tiny screen, looking surprisingly sharp in his SNDF uniform and barrette.

. . . What? Just because she had doubts as to whether she was attractive or not didn't mean she was totally clueless on the subject.

"Hey there, Rae! I'm not calling too late for ya, am I?"

Raven looked to the digital readout on her communicator. _Three A.M.? Is it actually that late_?

"You don't usually call this late, Ranma, is something wrong?"

He shook his head, smiling in that dashing manner of his. "Nah, pretty much the opposite, actually. I just got finished talkin' to the Lie-ahem-Commander, and he wanted me to pass on his personal thanks to Robin. Bird Boy's idea to form a bridge of communication between Commissioner Gordon and Commander Daizo went over really well. The Commander was really happy to get information and insight from someone so seasoned in dealing with vigilantes and super villains. Heck, with just the dossiers he's gotten so far, he says it's gonna go a long way to help shape the direction the Super Normal Defense Forces are going to take."

A faint twist of her lip had the dark Titan smiling despite herself. "And you were so thrilled at the prospect of all the work that your superior is no doubt preparing to drop on your shoulders, that this heartfelt thank you couldn't wait until morning?"

The cheerful look on her companion's face dropped like a stone. "Don't remind me. Half of the stuff Daizo got from Gordon got dropped on my desk_."_ Never one to be defeated for long, the pigtailed officer's smile returned in a flash. "Besides, I had an odd feeling that calling you now wouldn't be a bad idea, and it looks like I was right."

An odd thought struck her. "Remind me again, if the Commander asked you to give Robin his thanks, then why exactly are you bothering _me?" _Not that she minded the distraction, but she had a reputation to maintain after all.

Ranma's smile grew three sizes in that instant. "Uh, let me think about that. Should I chat with a scrawny kid who plays with boomerangs, or a cute girl that happens to be one of my best friends? _Hmmm_, tough choice there."

To her credit, Raven didn't blush at the unexpected compliment. No, she was far too busy rolling her eyes at the sheer irony. _For the first time I can recall, I receive a compliment . . . and it is from the exact opposite of the person that I was hoping to receive said compliment from_. It appeared that life was, indeed, just that unfair.

It still felt wonderful to hear, though.

Apparently she had taken too long to respond, as Ranma shot her a quizzical look through the tiny screen. "Y'know, you look pretty tired. Maybe I should let ya go, let you get to bed and all that."

The sudden threat of solitude spurred Raven's hurried response of, "W-wait! . . . Don't you have any homework that you need help with? I'm not really tired and I could use something to distract me."

Ranma shook his head helplessly. "I dunno, Rae. I mean, I'm kinda at work right now . . . "

". . . oh . . . I see. Well, I suppose I should let you get back to that, then-"

"Actually, y'know, now that I think about it..." Ranma's expression softened into something she couldn't quite identify. Fond amusement? "I _do_ have a stack of metahuman dossiers that the Commander just _happens_ to want analyzed for training purposes. Considering that more than a few of these files are from your neck of the woods, I bet you could be a real help!"

Raven felt her own smile return. Somehow, she had known that the pigtailed jock wouldn't let her down. Even better, the task at hand actually sounded like something she could really assist with. Feeling better by the moment, she quickly curled herself up in her blankets while Ranma started digging through his stack of criminal files.

The work went by easily. The first few files were criminals she didn't have any real knowledge of, but it was a pleasure to watch the pigtailed martial artist systematically break down the powers and weaknesses of each metahuman based solely on the information provided in the files. She did her best to help when and where she could, but she had to admit that her mind was not so finely tuned for the intricacies of combat as Ranma's was.

As a result, after only a half hour had passed, her mind was only half paying attention to the work at hand, and her morbid curiosity finally got the better of her. The question had been rolling around her head with growing frequency of late, and since she was completely incapable of going directly to the source for the answer, her pigtailed friend seemed like a perfect alternative.

"Ranma . . . you know Ryouga better than anyone else, right?"

Ranma groaned in reply. "I should'a _known_ there'd be a catch to you wanting to help me!"

She didn't giggle at his antics; rather, she looked down, feeling the burning embarrassment from asking the question keenly.

Apparently her pigtailed companion saw this, as a weary sigh quickly filtered through the communicator. "Yeah, yeah, I know Pork Butt pretty much as well as anyone _can _know him. Why do ya ask?"

If anything, her embarrassment only magnified, burning her cheeks with crimson heat, but she forced herself to push forward. She'd come too far to turn back now, and at least she would get an honest answer in return for her humiliation.

"Do you . . . do you know why Ryouga likes Jinx so much more than me?"

It was a fortunate stroke of fate that Ranma hadn't been drinking anything at that moment, as the young man almost certainly would have painted his computer with his spit-take if he had. It was immediately followed by stuttering denials and anxious deflections of, "I-I dunno what yer talkin' 'bout!"

She waited patiently for him to calm down once more, carefully maintaining their shared eye contact. When he did finally reign in his shock, she offered him a pointed stare, reiterating her question without the need for verbal repetition.

Apparently he was learning her moods well, as he simply shook his head and released a beleaguered sigh. "Look, Rae, seriously, I know the kind of crazy, whacked out things that can pop into your head when you're all on your own in the dead of night. _Trust me, _I can relate . . . But – but why the heck are ya asking _me _about this?"

"Because no one knows Ryouga better than you. Because you're one of my closest friends, and the only person I feel comfortable talking to about this. And, because I know that you are tactless enough to tell me the truth, no matter how blunt it may be," she explained with a weak smile.

She allowed the pigtailed boy a moment to ruminate on that fact, an amusing array of emotions crossing his face as he did. She was fairly new to the entire emotional entrapment game, but she'd been learning quite quickly as of late. She might have even felt guilty, were it not for the fact that everything she had said was completely true.

Finally, after settling on a rueful smile, Ranma shook his head once more. "Well, I guess a blatant lack of common sense and good taste would be the first things that spring to mind."

"Ranma, _please_, I'm being serious, here," she implored her friend.

Ranma matched her gaze for a long moment, the smile slowly dropping from his lips as he did. "Fine, fine. Just remember that you seriously owe me one, now. If it were anyone but you, I wouldn't even be wastin' my breath on this romance crap."

Raven smiled ruefully. "I really appreciate this, Ranma."

Slowly, Ranma shook his head from side to side. "I doubt you'll think that for too much longer. You sure you wouldn't prefer the comforting lie routine over the whole brutal honesty thing?"

" . . ."

"Rae?"

"I'm thinking," she replied half-heartedly. "Is it really that bad?"

Her companion sighed loudly, obviously dreading what he had to say as much as she was. "Look, Rae, I really hate to say it, I _really _do, but . . . but yer askin' yerself the wrong question. It isn't: Why does Ryouga like Jinx so much more than you? The real question you need to ask yourself is:

"Why does Jinx like Ryouga so much more than you?"

Had Raven actually been standing, she would have been rocked back to her heels at the question. "Ex-_excuse _me?"

"Hey, now. You said you wanted the truth." Ranma met her indignant glare with steely resolve. "I don't know what happened 'tween you and Ryouga. I know even less about what happened between Jinx and Ryouga, and I know about as much about love as Akane knows about cooking, but I do know one thing for sure.

"I only got to talk to Jinx for a few minutes, but even in that short time she made a helluva impression on me." The Saotome heir rubbed his cheek at some distant memory. "Look, I dunno what happened, or why, or when, but I know that girl loved Ryouga. I mean, hell, _no _sane person woulda done what she did for hi-"

Suddenly, Ranma's jaw clicked shut, giving the very strong impression that the young man had just realized what he was saying, and that he probably shouldn't be saying it. Raven's eyes narrowed at his slip. She knew her memory of the entire Academy fiasco was spotty at best, but she couldn't remember Jinx doing anything overly memorable, and she had been with Ranma every step of the way.

"What exactly _did _she d-"

"That ain't important!" he cut her off quickly, a panicked look in his eyes. "Just think about it. Ryouga was willing to follow Akane to the ends of the earth; heck, the jackass woulda jumped on a sword if she'd wanted, and she didn't even _realize _it. Now tell me, if he had that kinda loyalty for someone that only thought of him as a friend, just what do ya think he would feel for a girl that actually _did _love him back?"

It took her a long moment to digest that question. "I . . . I don't even know what to say to that . . ."

Again, her friend shook his head, a look of guilt forming on his normally carefree features. "Look, Raven, I ain't sayin' you don't got a shot with him or nuthin'. I'm just saying that you shouldn't be thinking of this like a competition. What Ryouga thinks of you, and what he thinks of Jinx are two completely unrelated things; him likin' Jinx more don't mean he likes you less . . . just – I dunno – different . . ."

It was Raven's turn to sigh. She wasn't certain why, but her companion's incredibly strange logic had actually made some slight form of sense, for some unfathomable reason. It appeared that she did indeed owe him one; considering the pained look on his face, he didn't enjoy this conversation one bit. "Thank you, Ranma. As strange as it sounds, that actually made some sort of sense to me." She smiled weakly. "One would almost think you knew what you were talking about."

Immediately, Ranma rose to her playfully offered bait, a cocky smirk blooming on his lips. "Hey, I got three fiancée's and one certified loony chasin' after me, one of whom is my oldest childhood friend. D'you really think that I never think about this kinda stuff at all?"

Raven rolled her eyes fondly. "Yes, I do forget what a Playboy you are from time to time."

"_Hey_! You keep that up and the favor you _now owe me_ is gonna be givin' me a good ol' Mousse style foot rub!"

Instantly, Raven's cheeks flushed red. "_Who told you about that_?"

Ranma cackled maniacally at her distress. "A not so little birdy might have mentioned it. Of course, I'm a lot more active than you, so you'll probably need to wash my feet pretty good firs-"

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled darkly. "Don't you have work you're supposed to be doing?"

* * *

-Meanwhile, three floors up-

Ryouga flopped over in his bed for the umpteenth time that night. The glaring red glow of his bedside alarm clock informed him that the hour was very nearly four in the A.M. and yet sleep had eluded him as thoroughly as the concept of North and West . . . or was it South? East?

Whatever.

Life just wasn't fair at times. Finally, after months of intense training and research, he had finally managed to free Terra from her stony prison. He was supposed to be free to live, to love, to laugh, to destroy massive tracts of personal property, just like in the good old days. And yet here he was, agonizing over the latest impossible problem to be so generously shoved in his lap.

The Wanderer instantly felt bad for thinking of the situation like that. Terra wasn't a burden; she was a friend, a friend in dire need of assistance to keep her from shaking the entire city to its foundations every time she sneezed.

But how could he, of all people, teach a geokinetic super hero how to control her powers? It didn't make any sense, there was practically no comparison, no point of reference between what he did, and what she did. He'd spent all of his life learning to _do _things, and now they wanted to teach her how to _not _do something?

Why _wasn't _Raven training Terra? The dark Titan always explained that her mediation was used as a method to limit her powers, to restrain her emotions to a controllable level. That seemed like a much more obvious comparison of ability. Terra was too powerful now and needed to figure out how to tone it down, and Raven was the master of toning it down.

If Ryouga weren't so fond of the Titan girls, it would have galled him; the fact that these two girls just _were _so powerful. He had trained his entire life – at least, that's what it felt like at times – pushed himself to ridiculous extremes and endured devastating training . . . and yet, compared to so many people in the world, he would barely even constitute a blip on the radar.

Even though it was an utterly impossible scenario with absolutely zero chance of happening in reality . . . would he be able to defeat Terra in a fight? How _would _one fight a girl that could literally move mountains with a thought? Sure, the Shishi Houkodan had been created with earth moving in mind, but that was hardly a viable option any longer. Besides, even at his best, would it really have been possible to _overpower _someone like Terra?

He knew that he certainly couldn't overpower Raven, and according to Beast Boy, Terra was supposed to be every bit as formidable. But, then again, Mousse very nearly took Raven out, easily could have if he hadn't held back at the beginning of their battle. The near-sighted warrior was no powerhouse, that was certain, but he was clever, skilled and utilized a very intricate and unpredictable style.

_Hmmm_ . . .

The Lost Boy didn't like where his train of thought was leading him. The direct approach had always been his approach. Tricks and deceit, strategy and tactics, those had always been the hallmarks of another martial artist.

No, there was _no_ need to start thinking like that anytime soon. After all, even though he'd lost his ultimate technique, he still had a pretty good repertoire of skills at his disposal. Maybe if he put as much thought into his Iron Cloth technique as he did to Terra's revival, he could start improving that as well. Then there was his rather dubious 'mastery' of the Hiryu Shoten Ha, but even Starfire had already surpassed his ability with that technique. Maybe it was time to put a little more thought into that as well, after all this time.

Of course, his most impressive leaps had been with the Bakusai Tenketsu. He chuckled evilly to himself. He sure would like to see the look on Cologne's face when he told her he actually restored Terra where she hadn't . . .

Ryouga's eyes snapped wide open and he slapped a hand to his forehead.

_Cologne!_

If anyone might have a few ideas on how to train Terra, it would be her. After all, hadn't Cologne helped Raven greatly in the control of her powers?

It sure beat the heck out of the alternative: trying to track down Happosai and getting _his _help. As if that wrinkled old freak would actually do anything worthwhile with his time.

Now that he thought about it, he was actually surprised that he hadn't already thought to call the ancient Amazon about his success in the first place. Not that he wanted to brag or anything (well, actually, he did . . .) but his research into the Bakusai Tenketsu had raised a number of questions in his mind that she might be able to answer for him.

He looked to his clock again. Well, if it was early morning here, it shouldn't be too unreasonable of a time in China; no time like the present and all that jazz. Tingling with excitement, now, he quickly retrieved his communicator and flipped the device open.

He briefly noted that Raven's communicator appeared to be active, but was too excited to pay it too much heed at the moment. Taking another moment to punch in the number for the ancient Matriarch, he could barely contain his smile as the device started beeping incessantly.

He was rewarded a little less than a minute later, as the tiny view screen flared to life, the familiar and withered face of his part time mentor filling the screen. The aged woman took a moment to finish chewing some unidentified foodstuff in her mouth, peering at the screen owlishly before finally speaking.

"What's this now? Who is that interrupting my breakfast?"

_Oops_! Realizing the problem quickly, Ryouga flipped on his table lamp. As soon as the light bathed his room –eliciting a pained wince from him – recognition quickly bloomed in the ancient warrior's eyes. The fanged boy immediately offered her a fanged grin.

"Breakfast? Don't you mean supper? They don't have you working the night shift in your village, do they, Granny?"

Cologne simply shook her head in amusement. "Child, you could not even begin to imagine the magnitude of the tasks laid out before me." Her large, owlish eyes pierced his with clinical intent. "But enough of that, you obviously have a reason for contacting me, so out with it, Hibiki."

Ryouga nodded eagerly, completely incapable of keeping his grin from blooming into a full-blown smile. "I sure do! I _did _it, Granny! I actually _did _it!"

One of the wizened warrior's eyebrows arched in curiosity. "Did what? I don't have all day to play guessing games with foolish children."

His smile only grew, baring his fangs for all the world to see. "_Terra_! I finally saved Terra."

She stared at him in confusion for a short moment, before realization suddenly lit her features. "Garfield's unfortunate friend? The girl in the stone? You've revived her?"

He nodded again, beaming with pride. "That's right! It was a hell of a job, but with everyone's help, we finally did it."

Amazingly, Cologne's eyes widened, just for a brief moment, in a rare display of respect. The old lady then let out a low whistle. "Really. To imagine that one such as yourself has progressed so far in such a short time. I imagine your mastery of the Bakusai Tenketsu has increased significantly as well. Should I, perhaps, send a message of warning to my Future Son-in-law?" she chided teasingly.

Ryouga shook his head dismissively. "I'd really like to, but unfortunately, I have even bigger fish to fry at the moment. In fact, that's part of the reason I called you."

He could tell he had perked the ancient warrior's interest, as her eyes narrowed, just so, as she continued to examine him. He almost wondered if she could read his Ki through the communicator, before dismissing it as a silly notion. Rather than ask a pointless question, though, Cologne just silently waited for him to continue.

"Well," he began his explanation, "We finally revived Terra, however, we've . . . we've run into a bit of a snag."

"A . . . snag?"

Another affirmative nod. "Yeah, nothing bad, or anything . . . well, sorta bad, but not really-"

"Cut to the chase, Hibiki," Cologne barked in exasperation.

"Well, Terra is fine and all, but, for some reason, her powers are a lot more . . . well, powerful than they were before. Raven thinks it has something to do with her Ki being trapped in the earth for so long, but whatever the reason, Terra can't really control them anymore."

Cologne 'Ahh'd' in understanding. "I see your conundrum now. If the girl was as powerful as young Garfield described, then the power she may feasibly possess now would be most impressive."

"Yeah. So, I was kind of hoping that you could come by and help me train her to control her powers."

"Ah – wait a moment -" She stared at him piercingly. "_You _are training her? For what possible reason could they have possibly chosen you to train the girl? Why, with the training I provided her myself, Raven should be suitably equipped to at least begin the girls instruction."

Ryouga shrugged helplessly. "I'm not exactly sure myself. Raven and Kori were trying to tell me that knowing the Bakusai Tenketsu meant I was the best person to train Terra, though it didn't really make a lot of sense to me."

Cologne seemed to consider his words for a moment, tilting her head in thought. "Well, the Bakusai Tenketsu _does _require remarkable amounts of control, so there is some merit in their thought. Still, the fact that you are calling me likely means that you've been unable to come up with any possible training regimens of your own, correct?"

He shrugged again. "Well, I _was _gonna try teaching her the Bakusai Tenketsu itself-"

"_What_?" Cologne cut him off with an angry squawk. "You simple-minded fool! Do you know how dangerous that training method is to someone that lacks the proper conditioning?"

Ryouga nodded nervously. "Certain . . . life threatening drawbacks to that specific method of training were made clear to me, yes."

The ancient Amazon rolled her eyes.

"But," he continued, "That's all the more reason to call you, right? Not only could you help Terra bring her powers back under control faster than anyone, but there are so many questions about my Bakusai Tenketsu training that I want to ask you. Heck, if you need, I could send Cyborg over to the village to pick you up tomorrow if you'd like."

His eager optimism died quickly, as Cologne shook her head from side to side. "Unfortunately, I am embroiled deeply within tribal business at the moment. I am very interested in meeting the young Terra, and learning just how you went about restoring her, but it will take me several days, at the least, to free up enough of my schedule to allow such a visit."

A loud sigh escaped Ryouga's lips.

"However, young Hibiki, I may be able to put you on the proper course to begin the girl's training yourself until I arrive. Perhaps if you explain more of the situation to me?" she added, a wizened smile blooming on her wrinkled lips.

The bandanna clad warrior's smile returned just as quickly. "That'd be great!" He quickly scratched his chin in thought. "Now, let's see . . . I think the biggest problem is that Terra's powers are so much like Raven's. They're all in her head, really. She just thinks about something happening, and then it happens. It's pretty much the complete opposite of our training; transforming our bodies into living weapons."

Cologne smirked at that. "Heh, not necessarily so different as you might imagine, boy, but I think I can understand your problem here. Normally, in a case such as this, I would likely suggest a regimen of meditation and introspection to allow the practitioner to put their mind at peace . . . however, considering who the girl's trainer is, we'll just skip past that idea as unworkable."

Ryouga scowled darkly at the teasing, likely proving the old woman's point perfectly.

On the tiny screen, Cologne tapped her chin in thought. "Now, what to do . . . what to do – oh, _oh_, that might be just the thing!"

Forgetting his anger instantly, Ryouga sat up sharply. "What? What might just be the thing, Granny?"

Cologne's cackling laughter sounded like the rustling of fallen leaves. "Just something which Shampoo has brought to my attention recently. The girl has grown quite fond of it, and I must admit that I've found it quite charming as well. Heh, I actually hadn't considered the parallels until this very moment, to my embarrassment, but I think it might be perfect for your situation."

"_What_?" he asked, unable to hide his frustration at her continuing obfuscation.

The Joketsuzoku shook her head in fond amusement for a moment before finally replying. "The way I see it, you have two options: either you can change your way of thinking to match Terra's, or you can change her way of thinking to match yours."

The look on his face must have demonstrated the confusion in his mind with one hundred percent efficiency, as the old woman smiled slyly. "Allow me to recommend a . . . visual training aide which may help you to understand my meaning more clearly."

Ryouga leaned in closer, his excitement coming back yet again on this roller coaster ride of an international phone call.

"I'm listening."

* * *

In a classic display of male brashness, Robert swept Julia into his arms, crushing her bountiful bosom to his chiselled, rock-hard chest with passionate abandon. Even as he leaned forward, closing the meager inches to Julia's warm, crimson lips, a delicious look of worried indecisiveness bloomed on her heart-shaped face.

"B-but, Robert, we _mustn't_. You're my _brother-in-law_!"

In reply, Robert donned a roguish smile, melting away her worries with sheer charisma alone, even as he continued to press his advance. "But, Julia, you know that laws are only made to be broken."

Then, he finally moved in, about to claim his just reward-

And then it cut to a commercial.

A plaintive whine to her side drew Terra's attention to the young woman sitting to her right on the large circular couch of the Titan's main room. Starfire was curled up in a ball, clutching a pillow to her chest and watching the massive television before them with eyes so large that the young blonde was worried they were going to pop out.

For her part, Terra did her best to internalize her groan of disgust.

_Soap operas were __**sooo **__boring!_

Unfortunately, she appeared to be in the minority on that subject. Sitting to Terra's left was Kasumi, studiously reading a medical text of some sort. Or that was the impression she was trying to give, anyway, she had been doing just a terrible job of hiding the fact that she had been sneaking peeks at the screen the entire time. Even more amusing was the fact that Raven was doing the exact same thing, only from the far end of the couch, and with a Gothic novel of some sort.

It just wasn't fair! She and Cyborg had just been about to watch a really cool documentary on Monster Trucks, too. At least they _had_, until Starfire and her posse showed up and commandeered the T.V. on her. All it had taken was a single glance from Kasumi, and her titanium teammate had fled the scene faster Raven could snap a snarky remark.

That wasn't even the biggest let down, either. Getting more annoyed by the moment, she flopped back into the couch and crossed her arms over her chest petulantly. "Man, I can't believe that Beast Boy and Ryouga went _shopping _and they didn't even think to invite any of us girls," she groused loudly.

She received an immediate response in the form of a hurried shush from Starfire, who was apparently enraptured by a commercial for that 'World of Fungus' show she loved so much.

"Yes, because asking the dangerously unstable girl that's been forbidden from leaving the tower by our leader to go to the Gap is the first thing _I _think to do when I hit the town." Raven followed her snarky remark with a pointed look. "You do realize that you haven't even _begun_ training to control your power yet, right?"

Neither Raven, nor Terra paid Starfire's second 'shushing' any mind. The former likely due to apathy, the latter out of annoyance. Unfortunately, Terra didn't have any good comebacks for her oppressor's stark dose of reality, so she just settled for glaring at the violet haired girl and grumbling under her breath.

Regrettably, said grumbling prompted a small tremor which set the tower to shaking, which, in turn, prompted a knowing smile to form on Raven's lips. The 'I told you so' was so obvious it was almost palpable.

To her other side, Kasumi suddenly lowered her book, resting it gently in her lap, and turned to look at the cloaked Titan. "Really, Raven," started the serene woman in a reproachful tone, "There is no need to treat Terra so coldly, is there? One would think that you, of all people, would understand the problems she is going through."

Immediately, Raven's eyes fell, as she was unable to hold eye contact with the righteous Tendo. Internally, Terra cheered at the moral reinforcements from her brunette savior. The blonde bulldozer sat up straight and stuck her tongue out in the dark Titan's direction.

"Yeah, Raven! You don't gotta be such a jerk about it!"

Unfortunately, Terra realized her mistake just a second too late, as Raven's face snapped back up, frightfully cold fires igniting in her eyes.

"_Excuse me_?" asked Raven, her voice even colder than her gaze.

Terra scooted back quickly, almost crawling into Kasumi's lap, pulling nervously at her collar every second. She had forgotten that she lacked the elder Tendo woman's uncanny ability to mollify anger, and that Raven was not one to be cowed . . . by anyone.

"Um, er . . . eh heh heh . . ." she stammered helplessly.

"There's no need to get upset, Raven. I'm certain that she didn't mean it like it sounded," supplied the boundlessly helpful Kasumi.

Her words didn't have the desired effect, though, as Raven's eyes only narrowed. "Really, then I suppose she meant to _insult_ me in the kindest possible manner, is that it?"

"If you would just give her the chance, Terra would be glad to apologize-" Kasumi turned her gaze in Terra's direction. "Isn't that right, Terra?"

Not exactly sure what to say, Terra tried to string together the first thing that came to mind . . . however a sudden emerald glow coming from in front of the couch quite suddenly demanded her attention.

With glacial slowness, all three couch-bound females turned to regard the stormy figure standing before them. Starfire floated in front of the television, eyes burning with green flame and her long, crimson locks blowing in some unseen wind.

Terra, Kasumi and Raven could only stare in silent shock as the towering Tamaranian glared down at them. It looked like they were about to receive the tongue lashing of a life time . . .

When, without warning, Starfire seemed to deflate before them, the righteous flames in her eyes burning away to reveal a profound sadness.

"_Please_," the alien girl's voice nearly cracked as she implored them, "It is true that we have only been united as team mates for a short time, but can we not all just get along as the 'friends'?"

Terra turned to share equally confused stares with both Raven and Kasumi, before turning back to Starfire. "Ummm, what are you talking about, Star?"

The Tamaranian actually pouted at her words. "I speak of the comments of sharpness and unfriendliness which are so readily exchanged between us when we are all gathered together."

The alien warrior then gestured to the elevator behind them. "The males who reside in our home, they have all formed joyous bonds of friendship and camaraderie. Why, was it not just last week that they created the league of the 'Stank Ball'?"

Raven stared at Starfire incredulously. "You _actually _want to _play _Stank Ball?"

Starfire's nose crinkled up cutely in disgust. "Not . . . as such, no. But that is not the meaning I am trying to purvey. I am simply envious of our friends' ability to share in each other's company and enjoy such activities of bonding with such ease."

"But, Starfire," rang Kasumi's lilting voice, "We were just watching television together. Isn't that a way to enjoy each other's company as well?"

The Tamaranian shook her head fiercely. "It is not when the three of you insist on commencing an argument during critical moments of the Robert's seduction of Julia!"

With that admission, Raven rolled her eyes dramatically. "Starfire, we weren't _fighting_, we were just . . . taking great personal stakes in our discussion."

"Besides," Terra added, actually in agreement with the dark Titan for once, "The guy's are _always _fighting."

It was Kasumi's turn to nod. "Indeed. I'm certain the four of us are just as close as our young men are; it's just that the relationships between men and women are different, is all."

It appeared that the Tamaranian was about to reply-

But was rudely interrupted when the side door of the main room opened with a loud whoosh. A fraction of a second later, barely even time for the doors to open half way, a green blur arrowed through the widening aperture and exploded into the room.

The green blur resolved itself into the form of an emerald cheetah; the great cat frantically scraped its claws against the hard floor, desperately trying to both stop its forward momentum and maintain its balance.

Finally –and some might say, miraculously- Beast Boy squealed to a wobbly stop roughly halfway across the room. The emerald cheetah matched the shocked looks of the four females present with a sheepish expression –no mean feat for a feline. However, before Terra could even begin to construct a suitable inquiry in her mind-

A second blur blasted into the room, this one of the yellow and black variety. Just like his emerald predecessor, Ryouga desperately tried to stop his own mad dash. Unfortunately, _unlike _his predecessor, the martial artist failed utterly, and ploughed directly into the transformed Beast Boy.

Both boy and cat tumbled helplessly in a tangled ball of fangs and claws and more fangs for a painful distance before the far wall was kind enough to stop their forward momentum.

Terra didn't even need to look to her companions to know that their eyes were just as wide with incredulous shock as her own. _What the heck were they doing? Trying to kill each other? _She was about to vocalize said questions, and so were Raven, Starfire and Kasumi with all likely hood-

When suddenly Beast Boy leapt up, transforming back into his elfin form.

"_Ha_! Dude, you just got _owned_! I _totally _beat you!" The changeling then added injury to his insult, locking the groaning martial artist in a headlock and mercilessly grinding his knuckles into the larger boy's hair.

"_Damnit!_ I _knew _I shouldn't have taken that left through the boiler room!" Ryouga swatted ineffectually at the shape shifter, but it was obvious that he was resigned to the punishment.

Finished with his industrial strength noogie, Beast Boy leapt to his feet again. The smile on the green teen's face spoke volumes, all of them mischievous. "You know what _that_ means, _Ryo_."

Ryouga rose to his feet as well, grumbling a dark string of curses under his breath before nodding. "_Fine_, you win the bet. _Damn, _I thought I had you for _sure_," he added the last in a growled mumble.

Hooting loudly, Beast Boy scrambled up Ryouga's back and promptly sat himself down on the Lost Boy's shoulders. After locking his legs securely to make sure he didn't fall off, the changeling then laughed ecstatically. "_Hahahaha_! That'll teach you to bet against Jump City's Beautiful Green Beast!"

Which was _pretty much _about the time that the two boys's finally remembered their slack jawed audience. Instantly, Beast Boy cheered and waved in their direction, while Ryouga's cheeks flared red and he looked to the side in a classic 'I'm humiliated, but have to deal with it' fashion.

Raven was the first to regain the ability to speak. The violet haired Titan just shook her head slowly from side to side. "This scene just raises . . . _so many _questions. I'm not even sure where to begin . . ."

Apparently Starfire _was_ as she quickly asked, "Friend Beast Boy . . . for what reason are you currently riding upon Ryouga's shoulders?"

"Ummm, actually, that would be my fault," supplied Ryouga, looking even more embarrassed. "You see, we kind of made a bet that: if I won, I got to ride on T-Rex Beast Boy's back into the next fight."

Beast Boy pumped his arms in victory. "Ha! Little did Ryo know the _doom _he was calling down on himself! _No one _can beat the master of the animal kingdom in a foot race!"

Terra raised a finger. "Ummmm, do we even _want _to know how you guys even got on that topic?"

The martial artist and the changeling shared a brief, up-down, glance, before simultaneously shaking their heads. "Probably not," they answered in eerie synchronization.

"Oh, by the way," continued Ryouga, "Since we're changing topics anyway; Terra, me and Beast Boy got your new training equipment while we were up town, so we can get to work on that after you ladies are done . . . um, whatever it is you're going."

The blonde geokinetic was almost too scared to ask what he could possibly be talking about . . . so she was thankful when Beast Boy suddenly butted in once more. The changeling leaned forward so that his face was hanging almost right in front of Ryouga's.

"_Dude_, we got at least a half hour before this chick show is over! Let's head up to the roof. We can totally challenge Cyborg and Robin to a Horseback Battle Royale!"

Obviously the prospect of competing in utterly ridiculous forms of combat was a positive thing, judging by the way that the bandanna wearing martial artist perked up at the mere mention of it.

"That sounds like it could be fun! Remember, though, you promised to remind me about that call I have to make later, right? I don't want Bumble Bee getting on my case about it."

As soon as the Lost Boy received the Changeling's dismissive nod of agreement, Ryouga eagerly started towards the elevator, only for Beast Boy to bring them up short.

"Hey! I don't remember saying you could use the elevator!" The shapeshifter gestured dramatically to the wide bank of windows. "Let's take the _scenic route_!"

The emerald Titan's trusty steed grumbled darkly to himself, but two short leaps carried the pair across the room and out onto the ledge via the glass exit window set up to grant Starfire quick egress from the tower. From there, another leap carried the pair up and out of sight.

For a long, long moment, the four young women stared at each other. Eventually, it was Kasumi that finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"You know, maybe we could go out to dinner tonight, just the four of us?"

"Perhaps we could also partake in the cutting and painting of our cuticles while in the city?" added an ecstatic Starfire.

Raven lifted the corner of her robe with a blasé expression. "I _could _use a new outfit if we're planning on going somewhere nice . . ."

Terra couldn't have contained her beaming smile if she had even cared to try.

"You know, it's been over a _year _since I've gotten my hair done."

* * *

Jinx hummed to herself as she idly bounced her heels off the face of the building that was her latest perch in a long, long string of rooftop perches. She was used to long stretches of boredom such as this one by now, but she still couldn't make up her mind whether her master's extended absences were a blessing or a curse. Certainly her bruised and fractured body was glad for any reprieve in the eternal torment that was her training.

On the other hand, she _did _possess a terribly short attention span, and it was easy to forget just how traumatic her training was when faced with the prospect of sitting idle for more than twenty minutes.

Absently, she ran her fingers through her lengthy pink locks, lifting some of the colorful follicles up for her inspection. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd had her hair cut. She had always been so meticulous with her hair, what with the unique style she usually kept it in, but she honestly hadn't had time to think about such mundane things in the past few months. Sure, her hair had grown well past her shoulders now, but the horrifying number of split ends prevented her from calling the pink mass _luxurious _by any stretch of the definition.

Maybe she was due for a trim? After all, they had only been in Gotham for a few hours. Even for them, that wasn't _quite _enough time to have numerous warrants out for their arrest yet. Of course, it was also the middle of the night, so she'd have to wait till morning. Considering the gleam that Happi had had in his eye before he had vanished more than an hour ago, she highly doubted that their dubious anonymity would last even that long.

With that thought in mind, she wasn't surprised in the slightest when she heard the barely audible sound of her master alighting on the ledge at her side. However, when she turned to question the diminutive warrior about his whereabouts, she nearly fell from the ledge in shock.

"Y-your sack! I-i-i-it's _empty_!"

Happosai chuckled in amusement, pulling his out his pipe as he did. He quickly pulled a match from the near-empty burlap sack at his side before mysteriously making the bag vanish entirely from sight. Jinx still wasn't sure how he did that, but after seeing some of the things Mousse could do, it hardly even fazed her anymore.

Striking the match, her master carefully lit his pipe, taking a long draw before taking a seat at her side. "Indeed, Disciple. It wasn't my usual treasure that I was hunting for this night, but rather something of . . . oh, roughly a third the value."

Jinx fired him a quizzical look. "What's that? Socks?"

Happi fired back an equally incredulous look. "What? _No_. I'm talking about _information_. Wherever would you get a bizarre notion _like_ that from?"

The young sorceress rolled her eyes. "I couldn't _possibly _imagine . . ."

"Hmph!" grumped her master. "Whatever. We've no time for your eccentricities at the moment, Jinx. You see, the first portion of your test is at hand."

"Well it's about time," she muttered darkly, "It feels like I've been practically _living _on roof tops for the last couple months. I want to get this over with so I can crash in a _real _bed for a change."

Instinctually knowing what was coming, she held up a hand to stop her master's response. "And, _no_, Master, I don't mean that even _remotely _like you're hoping."

Happosai deflated at bit at that, a sad puppy look in his eyes, but in true Happi fashion, he rebounded almost instantly. "Heh, all in good time, my Disciple. Now on your feet, and be quick about it!"

She prepared to launch into her typical 'put-upon annoyance' spiel, but didn't get the chance as, without a second thought, Happosai suddenly launched himself to the west and onto the roof of the adjacent building. It was all she could do to sputter in shock before she clawed her way to her feet and took off in dogged pursuit of the ancient martial artist.

He led her on quite the merry chase, buildings zipping by in a blur as she effortlessly pranced from one roof to the next with all the grace of gazelle. It was something of an old game between them, this oddly appropriate game of feral cat and diminutive mouse, but even after all of these months she couldn't seem to get any closer to her prey than when she'd first begun.

Thankfully, this chase only lasted for a mere twenty minutes, as opposed to some of their all night marathons. Jinx wasn't even breathing hard by the time she caught up to her Master. She landed beside him, balancing precariously on the ledge of yet another building, this one overlooking the street several stories below.

She was about to ask him what was going on, when he gestured grandly to the rather large building that stood proudly on the far side of the street –

The notorious Iceberg Lounge.

Jinx offered her erstwhile mentor an odd look. "What, _him_? But isn't he, like, retired or something? How are we supposed to make a big splash doing that?"

Again, Happosai chuckled in amusement, taking another long draw from his pipe. "Jinx, Jinx, Jinx . . . You aren't forgetting the basic lessons you learned back in the Academy, are you? You need to gather information before you can plan your strike, my dear, and the people I've . . . _spoken _to tonight have said that this is the place to go for that."

She perked up quickly at that. "Hey, I get it! So, I just go ruffle some feathers and see who's up to something, right?"

Her master nodded happily. "Roughing up the barkeep for information is a time honored tradition in any culture. And if you're lucky, you'll even manage to land yourself a big fish while you're at it."

Hmm, yea – _Wait a sec_! Her head tilted in confusion as she addressed her master. "_You'll_? _You're_? You aren't coming in with me?"

He shook his head quickly, an amused look on his wrinkled features. "That wouldn't be much of a test, now would it? But make sure to be careful, Disciple. Just because a warrior is retired doesn't mean they've forgotten their skills."

Jinx scoffed loudly at his concerns. She then casually lifted her hand before her and five jets of intense pink flame ignited from the tips of her fingers, 'unsheathing her claws'. "Pfft! Whatever, he'll be _lucky _if he's smart enough to tell me what I want to know."

The unimpressed look on her master's face drew her up short.

"What?"

He shook his head slowly from side to side. "_That _was your witty one-liner? I thought you were going to go with a cat and bird analogy, what with your claws and all."

Jinx looked down to the tiny flames dancing at the tips of her fingers. "Well . . . I was going to, but then I thought about Shampoo and it really lost its appeal. Besides, the whole luck gig is really my thing, don't you think?"

Happosai shrugged in a non-committal manner. "I suppose, but you're going to have to work a lot harder if you don't want your lines to stink up the whole city."

Her lips pursed up into a tiny pout at that. "Was it really that bad?"

A quick nod was her reply. "Yes. Now, go get'em, Disciple. Make me proud!"

"Pfft. Like _that _would take much." She rolled her eyes as she crouched down for her impending leap.

"This is gonna be _cake_."

* * *

Mr. Cobblepot sighed loudly, one might say theatrically, as he slowly spun around in his chair. Said sigh was not due to any exhaustion on his part, but more for the benefit of the fledgling he was conversing with on the phone. To anyone that knew him better, or anyone that knew him by his more . . . avian themed moniker, that sigh would have been a keen warning that his patience was being tested and that it was a good time to leave.

Children these days, though, just seemed utterly intolerant to the idea of subtlety.

"Yes, yes, I readily admit that I found our conversation to be most entertaining, but that is hardly relevant to the present. How many times must I inform you that the gathering and redistribution of information is _not _a charitable industry?"

The entrepreneur waved his hand errantly as he listened to the boy's latest plebeian petitions. While his heart was in the right place, most ironically so in this particular case, his wallet was miles off the mark.

A sudden thought crossed Oswald's mind. Quickly, he stopped his spinning and sat up, a smile slowly growing beneath his sharp nose.

"Actually, boy, now that I think about it, there _is _a service which you could provide which might be suitable as payment for the information you seek."

He could actually hear the nervousness in the young man's voice as he inquired what that service could be. Oswald only smiled wider.

"I believe you already know where my . . . interests lie. It shouldn't be too hard for you to imagine what I want."

He savored the fellow's hesitant inquiry.

"Yes, that is _exactly _what I want from you."

He scowled darkly at the young man's reply.

"What? Of _course _I know I would never be able to lift the thing, but such a magnificent, hand crafted oriental umbrella would be an excellent addition to my collection."

The fledgling sighed forlornly before eventually agreeing to his terms.

"Oh, don't you worry about that, my boy. Your word that you'll begin constructing the umbrella is enough of a down payment for me. I'll begin my investigation immediately. However, I expect my payment to be completed before I divulge the results of said investigation."

He smiled once again, as the young man agreed with a marked lack of enthusiasm. He did so enjoy swin- ahem, working with young people. They haggled so poorly, and generally accepted whatever terms he set on the assumption that he was experienced enough to always know what was correct.

With that transaction completed to his satisfaction, he dropped the phone back into its cradle and rose to his feet. It was past time to make his usual round of the club; it was important that people remembered the face and the reputation that kept the establishment running.

He would have to make it quick, though, as he still had other work to do, as well. Foremost were the requests from that Benton woman. Whoever she was, she was a refreshing change of pace from his usual patrons; nearly as adept at the art of haggling and dealing as himself.

Unfortunately, he only made it around his desk before he realized, too late, that something was amiss. The door to his office, he noticed, was not _quite _closed, jutting out from the door frame just a quarter of an inch.

This was all he had time to realize, as a pair of dainty feet swung down at him from the roof. The darling little pumps adorning said feet slammed into his chest with enough force to lift him into the air to crash back onto his desk. Then, with the speed and grace of a feral predator, his assailant dropped down from her . . . inexplicable grasp on the ceiling, to land directly on him, straddling his chest and leaning down until her wide, Cheshire smile was only a scant few inches from his face.

The two held the tableau for a long moment, as Oswald attempted to take a measure of his situation. Despite all of his best precautions he was no stranger to unannounced visits like this one. However, normally he had a foreknowledge of his assailant's disposition.

Then, the young woman suddenly sat up, a positively amusing tinge of pink on her cheeks as she realized their mutual positions. She let out a weak laugh before speaking. "Um, heh, ah . . . sorry 'bout this. I've kinda been training with an ancient and perverted master of the martial arts for the past few months. I think my personal boundaries are a bit outta whack."

And, instantly, Oswald was put at ease. Whoever this youth was, she was just like the young man he had been speaking to. Quite probably powerful, but lacking the truly malicious streak to make them genuinely dangerous. That in mind, he decided to have a little fun with the slit-eyed beauty.

"Apparently," he agreed with a crooked smile. "However, if you are attempting to bait me into jail, as it were, then you should be warned that the feline motif is much more suited to snaring _bats_ than birds."

The exotic girl's head tilted to the side, her pink, feline eyes twinkling with confusion. "Huh?" she asked in all eloquence.

He shook his head in amusement. "A newcomer to our fair city, I see. That one usually _slays _them at poker night."

His very companionable companion displayed her adorable confusion once again, before shaking her own head. "Wait a second! I do _not _have a _cat _motif! Now quit trying to distract me. I came her looking for information, and you're gonna give it to me."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, and no doubt you used whatever tremendous power you possess to battle your way past all of my assorted guards and thugs and will do even worse to me if I don't comply. Does that about sum the situation up?"

The young woman tapped her chin in thought. ". . . Actually, the bouncer just took one look at me and let me in. Come to think of it, he didn't even ask me for I.D. or anything."

Oswald sighed. He'd forgotten that Blaine was on door duty tonight. That one had the habit of letting anything in a sufficiently short skirt through the door. Not that he begrudged Blaine that, since more than a few of his regular customers enjoyed that policy. Still, one would imagine that bright pink hair, deathly pale skin and curious, cat-like eyes would have set off an alarm or two . . .

Alarms started ringing in Oswald's head. '_Noooooo_, surely fate could not be so fickle of a force.' To think that he had been taking that Hibiki's calls for nearly a week in the hopes of finding any information of the possible location of a pink haired, pale skinned, cat eyed girl roughly the boy's age . . .

Only to have her literally fall into his lap just as he'd finally bartered a suitable payment for her location. If life was unfair, then surely its full brunt was falling upon some other unfortunate soul that night.

Still, this was hardly a dignified position from which to do business. "My dear, as you obviously are aware, by merit of your very presence, I am indeed a font of valuable information. However, if you are truly keen on doing business, then I would kindly ask for you to remove yourself from my person."

The young woman eyed him warily for a moment, but he made no movement at all, let alone hasty ones. Hesitantly, she began to rise up. "Alright . . . but only because this is as embarrassing for me as it is for you. No funny business now, alright?"

Once the girl was finally off of him, he gingerly sat up, smoothing the wrinkles out of his suit carefully. He then gestured for her to take a seat even as he moved to retake his own favored chair. "Trust me, my dear, my business is always of the utmost seriousness," he lied smoothly. This situation was quickly becoming very amusing.

"Now," he continued, "You are, as you stated, here for some information. I can also divine, from your, let us say, less than subtle entrance, that you have no currency with which to pay for said information, and were intending to intimidate it out of me, correct?"

She shrugged helplessly, her pink locks bouncing around her shoulders as she did. "Maybe just a _little_ . . ."

Despite his attempt at seriousness, Oswald couldn't refrain from chuckling. This girl was positively charming. He was glad of that, since he would have hated to be forced to kill her if she had pressed her intentions too hard. "Well, before you resort to that, perhaps we can come to an alternative agreement. You see, I am far more receptive to information than bludgeoning. Maybe if you can answer a simple question for _me_, then I will be able to help you."

She looked at him oddly for a moment. "That sounds strangely reasonable . . . what exactly do you want to know?"

"Just a yes or no question, really." He smiled charmingly as he gestured towards her with his hand. "Tell me, my dear, would your name happen to be Jinx?"

The widening of those exotic, pink eyes confirmed everything he needed to know. Immediately, the young woman began sputtering in shock. "H-how the heck did you know _that_?"

He considered the merits of playing the mysterious puppet master, compared to simply telling her the truth . . . the latter held much better prospects for entertainment, though. "Heh, Jinx, what a strangely appropriate name, for it is most certainly a strange quirk of fate that brings you into my lair. As it happens, there is a young man very interested in learning about your whereabouts. A . . . Mr. Hibiki, I believe?"

"R-Ryouga?" she whispered in shock. Suddenly she shook her head. "Wait just a second! Are you telling me that _Ryouga_ resorted to dealing with a notorious super villain _just _to find information on my whereabouts?"

He nodded amiably. "Well, _super _villain is a bit pretentious, I think, but . . ."

Jinx's body nearly slid out of her chair and it took her no small effort to catch herself and pull herself up. She then quickly began to fan her face with her hand. "Whoo! I'm sorry about that. I think I nearly _swooned _there."

Oswald chuckled in amusement once again. "How Victorian of you. And I can take it, from that response, that you are not exactly disagreeable with the idea of Mr. Hibiki learning of your whereabouts?"

His exotic companion nearly leapt from her seat in excitement. "Of _course _I'm not!" Only for her excitement to die down a moment later, slowly lowering her back to her seat. "Well . . . not really, I mean, I _wanna_ see him, it's just that there's something I have to do first, y'know?"

Obviously, Oswald did not, but he had his suspicious. "Tell me, does your impromptu visit to my fine establishment hold any correlation to said task you must perform?"

She nodded forlornly, a sad pout adorning her face now. The pink haired girl quickly shook her head, though, replacing her pout with a weak smile. "It does. My master set me a test and I need you to help me complete it."

Well, wasn't that interesting? "And what kind of test might that be, that this master of yours has set for you?"

Her smile grew, curving wickedly into a Cheshire grin. "I need to pick a fight. A _big _fight."

Oswald leaned back into his chair, steepling his fingers. "A _big _fight, is it? Am I to assume that you intend to challenge the bat to battle, then? That does seem to be what most new comers do in this town."

Surprisingly, the girl shook her head. "Going the opposite way, actually. I want to take on one of Gotham's worst. This city has the most notorious gallery of rogues on the _planet_. Taking down one of them would prove, beyond a doubt, that I'm not someone to trifle with anymore."

Oswald smirked. "While at the same time endearing yourself to your absentee _beau_, who has had the misfortune of falling in with a troupe of heroes. Hmmmm, _very _clever, girl, though I'm not overly fond of the term 'killing two birds with one stone', it does seem apropos."

Jinx smiled slyly herself. "So, can you help me out, then? I was thinking I should try taking out the Joker. That would be _awesome_! I'd be a legend after that!"

Instantly, Oswald's smile dropped from his face. "Absolutely not. No matter how powerful you believe yourself to be, you are _not _prepared for the kind of trouble that he embodies. Look, my dear, thanks to your timely appearance I have guaranteed the addition of a very unique item to my collection with virtually no effort on my part, so I will help you out. However, I will _not _set you on a path that crosses with _that _one."

The girl's pink eyes widened in curiosity. "What's the big deal? He's just some clown, isn't he? I mean, I'm a bad ass meta-human that's been trained in the ancient arts of kung fu. What the heck is a guy in face paint gonna against someone like me?"

Oswald shook his head sadly. "Oh, I've no doubt that you _may _be able to defeat him but that is what I'm afraid of. Tell me, child, have you ever killed a man?"

Jinx recoiled at his words visibly. "Ah – ummm . . . not that I _know _of. I mean, things can get kinda rough sometimes, but I don't _think _I have . . ."

He could tell that the possibility disturbed the young woman, which was a very bad sign for a so-called super villain. Especially for a villain that called Gotham their home. Certainly the girl was likely selfish and petty, possibly even cruel and vindictive, but he could also sense her naiveté, an almost childlike innocence when compared to the rest of the monsters that populated the streets of Gotham.

"So, when you stood above the Joker, his broken and defeated form before you, would you finish the job? Finish it permanently?"

"Wha- why the heck would I do _that_? I'm just here to prove myself, to make a name for myself, not kill everyone I run across."

A weak sigh was his reply. "Then that weakness would be your downfall. As I said, I've no doubt that you could defeat him . . . once. But what would you do when he came after _you_? Do you think the Joker became one of the most feared criminals in the world for his ability to _fight? _When he came after you-and don't you doubt that he would -his wrath would take on forms that you couldn't even conceive of. And don't deceive yourself into thinking that his vengeance would be aimed at you and you alone. Do you think your dear Mr. Hibiki would think twice about opening an oddly wrapped package which might, incidentally, contain a lungful of deadly poison?"

He could see Jinx visibly paling, an impressive sight for the already pale girl, and shrinking further into her seat. He nodded seriously. "There are _other _targets that may be more suitable for you. Targets that, though no less vindictive, would at least lack the malicious wit of the Joker."

She nodded, nearly frantically in response. "M-maybe that might be a good idea . . . I mean . . . there's no need to go right for the Number One off the bat, is there?"

Oswald frowned slightly, as the Penguin, he was slightly offended by the idea that the Joker would be considered the most notorious criminal in Gotham, but at the same time, he could hardly deny the claim either. Instead, he quickly tore a sheet of paper from the ledger on his desk and scrawled down a name, a date and a location before handing it to the girl.

"Rumors have been flitting through my roost for several days now, about an upcoming heist. If you happen to stroll through that neighborhood on that specific day, then maybe you'll get your wish. However, I would advise caution. Though not as wickedly intelligent as the Joker, this one is a much more formidable opponent physically."

Jinx's eyes widened with interest as she read what he had given her. The intrigue was palpable on her face, as she considered the possibilities of what he proposed. A moment later, she leapt to her feet and began to move towards the large window that overlooked the street below.

Halfway there, she stopped, turning back to face him. "Thanks for the help, Mr. Penguin. I was wondering, though, before I leave . . ."

"Could you do me a small favor?"

* * *

Happosai paced anxiously across the rooftop. His eyes never left the front of the building that his disciple had entered a seeming eternity ago. There had been no sign of a battle erupting . . . yet. In fact, the girl hadn't even had to fight her way in, the bouncer had let her in without so much as asking to see the same identification that he was asking every other patron for.

There weren't any signs of violence from inside the club, which was a good sign, but she had been in there for far too long. Had he made a mistake sending her in by herself?

Happi shook his head, dismissing the uncharacteristic worry. He had trained the girl well. At the very least, she would be good enough to get herself out of any situation she got herself into, just like Happosai himself. After all, she got past Shampoo _and _Mousse, didn't she?

On the other hand, though, maybe it wouldn't hurt _too _much if he went in . . . just to check up on her. Who knew, maybe there would be some pretty ladies in their to keep him company while Jinx finished up her busi-

Suddenly one of the massive second story windows of the nightclub swung open, clattering loudly but not quite hard enough to shatter all over the street. An instant later, the familiar form of his trusty Disciple came flying through the portal –

A raging gout of flame hot on her heels!

The girl succumbed to gravity just before the expanding inferno could consume her, landing gracefully on the hood of a ridiculously expensive car parked right before club. Instantly, she leapt forward, right into the heavy traffic of the road; first Jinx performed a picture perfect handspring from the roof of a speeding sedan, cartwheeled completely over a bright yellow cab, clearing an entire lane of traffic as she did, before landing nimbly on the roof of a passing panel van.

From there, the young sorceress then launched herself up to grab the outstretch arm of a hanging light post. Jinx quickly swung her legs forward and in a move that would make most Olympic gymnasts proud, flipped herself up onto the pole, crouching with perfect balance before she leapt again, this time landing as lightly as the snow on the ledge at his side.

Jinx smiled wildly at him, her chest heaving from the exertion of her gymnastic routine.

Happosai glanced at her askance for a moment. He then shook his head, clucking his tongue.

"Utterly embarrassing, Disciple. I actually shudder to think that this is as far as you've progressed after months of training. And what kind of escape was that? I've seen more acrobatic movements from a trained elephant!"

The crestfallen look on the young woman's face was perfectly priceless. He almost wished he had a camera.

"At least tell me that you accomplished your objective, after all of those foolish shenanigans that you just went through."

Jinx scowled at him petulantly, even stamping her foot for good measure, before suddenly pulling a complete mood switch on him. Instantly, she dropped her dainty fists on her hips and smiled at him triumphantly.

"Of _course _I did, Happi. What kind of girl do you think I am here?" She dug out a small sheet of paper from her pocket and looked it over, her smile widening all the more.

"Looks like the heist isn't going to take place for nearly a week, and it's gonna be down in the dock area, but that should give us some time to finally rest and relax while we wait! This is gonna be great!"

Happosai smiled wickedly as well, though not for the same reason. 'Yes, a nice relaxing week of rigorous training will do you good, Disciple,' he thought to himself evilly. "So," he vocalized a moment later, "Are you satisfied with the results of your search, then?"

Jinx nodded eagerly, hugging the paper to her bosom.

"Oh yeah! The target that I found is just _killer_!"

* * *

Terra sat on the edge of Ryouga's bed, a sense of uncertainty hanging over her for the second time in as many days. Normally, being in a boy's bedroom wouldn't have fazed her in the slightest, not even a cute guy like Ryouga. However, this was by no means a normal situation.

Supposedly, they were beginning her training this morning, so she couldn't figure out why they were in Ryouga's room to begin with. For that matter, she was even more confused by the fact that Beast Boy was there as well. The green teen had just finished wheeling in a T.V. and was vainly trying to hook said TV up to a DVD player.

Ryouga, on the other hand, had his head poking out the door, as if on the lookout for any eavesdroppers. In fact, the entire scenario held a very conspiratorial feel about it, what with the way the two guys were acting.

And what kind of training involved watching TV, anyway?

Finally, Beast Boy cheered in victory, and the television screen blinked to the loading screen for the DVD player. As soon as he did, Ryouga eagerly slid the door closed and locked it for good measure. A second later, Ryouga unlocked the door, opened it, only to hang up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the outside, then closed it and locked it once more.

After double checking the lock, just to be sure, Ryouga then joined Beast Boy in front of the DVD player, and they pulled a disc out of Ryouga's desk and slipped it into the player. With that done, Beast Boy then skipped over to drop down beside Terra on the bed, while Ryouga moved to sit in a chair off to the side.

Beast Boy rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Ah, man! This is gonna be the most _awesome_ training session, _ever_!"

Terra looked at the young man oddly for a moment, before shifting her attention to her 'instructor'. "Ummm, Ryouga? I don't want to call your methods into question . . . again . . . but, shouldn't we be _outside _if we want to train?"

Ryouga shook his head in a wannabe-sagely manner. "Tut, tut, my student. One must first learn the theory, before one attempts the practical. As such, I have acquired this teaching aid to help you understand the training that we're going to be doing."

With that, her instructor started fiddling with the remote, skipping through the various previews and such on the DVD, until he finally the menu. She was about to question his sanity again, as the program which the menu was showing did _not _appear to be any kind of training video at all. In fact . . . was that a _cartoon_?

Beast Boy hooted in joy, as Ryouga quickly navigated through the menu and selected a given episode on the disc. Then, for some odd reason, he began fast forwarding _through _said episode, everything skipping by too quickly for her to tell what was going on.

Finally, after a few minutes, the bandanna wearing boy hit the play button, resuming normal speed. The scene on the screen seemed to be depicting some kind of underground arena, or something like that . . .

Ryouga turned to Terra then, smiling widely himself. "Okay, Terra, I want you to pay very close attention. This is the part of the show where they introduce the girl who is going to be your very closest friend for the foreseeable future . . ."

His smile nearly doubled at that moment.

"Her name is Toph."


	32. Titan Rising Chapter 7

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 7

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

The moon hung amid wispy clouds in the night sky, standing silent vigil over the ancient ruins of the castle. The ominous structure was the only landmark rising up from the small island which rested at the center of the vast lake. Such was the state of the once glorious structure that it was doubtful that the eyes of man had beheld it for many centuries. Inside the once grand edifice, flames licked across the floor and climbed the crumbling walls.

It was here that I made my stand against the foul beast. Even as my hands burned with eldritch energies, whitish flames that would sear the very souls of lesser men, there was bitter little comfort to be taken from those otherworldly powers. Glowing red eyes gazed down upon me from on high, the bass rumbling of a growl rattling the deepest foundations of the once-castle, as if the entire stone structure were quaking in fear of the creature's wrath.

The beast's slavering jaws opened wide, unleashing an unholy roar as it prepared to blast me to cinders with its flame. Despite all reason, I did not die as the blazing river of flames poured forth from the dragon's hellish maw. Rather, the unending torrent of living fire was forced to part before me, defeated by the eldritch shield summoned by my sorcerer's art. Not only did I withstand the death of thousands before me, I pushed slowly forward, plowing the inferno aside.

Another gout of flame blasted out, the unearthly wrath of the great beast smashing through my mystical defenses this time. Responding quickly, even as the hateful flames pushed me back, I harnessed the powers at my command and formed a sphere of brilliant silver light. With a mighty heave, I hurled the powerful spell at my bane. It detonated against the dragon's chest, sending sparks to flying, as if the very air around us was filled with stars.

The sweet taste of victory turned to ash in my mouth as the beast shrugged off my spell as if it were the cantrip of a yearling. It unleashed another breath of flaming death and I was forced to retreat.

The great dragon was leaving me precious little choice. My arms rose high into the air as I prepared the most powerful of enchantments. This time it was my roar that filled the heavens.

"_Necronom Hezberek Mortix_!" Even as the words spilt from my lips, glowing fissures opened in the stones at my feet and raced forward, towards the dragon; within seconds the very earth was rent asunder and collapsed into the void, dropping the beast out of sight amid a great cloud of dust.

'_**And so it came to pass that I, Malchior of Nol, did lay siege to the dread dragon Rorek**_.' So sure of my victory was I, that I began my own departure from that hellish place. However, I did not get far. Before even taking my tenth step, a pillar of flame boiled up from the smoking depths. Mighty Rorek surged up from the abyss, a single monstrous leap carrying it up to the ledge to my rear. Moving with speed which belied its massive size, the beast's tail snaked forward as quick as death, encircling my body and lifting me into the air as a child might heft a doll. **'**_**But it did seem the power of Rorek was greater than my magics could defeat. And as the fell beast struck**_-'

"C'mon, Raven, are you even listening to me?"

In an instant, the vivid and enchanting tapestry of Raven's imagination was burnt to a cinder as Beast Boy's nerve-wracking voice cut through her thoughts like a knife through butter. With a weary sigh, she began to massage her temples as she lifted her gaze to regard the changeling.

Resigned to the fact that she wouldn't find any peace while Beast Boy was pacing around her room, gesturing wildly with each step, she closed the heavy tome she had been _attempting _to read.

"Do you possess even a single ounce of self preservation instinct? It has been _days _since I've been able to find a book that can hold my interest and you choose _now _of all times to have a heart to heart?" She tried to keep a calm tone, but a low growl in her voice betrayed her emotions.

In classic Beast Boy fashion, her unwanted companion proved his lack of common sense by sticking his tongue out at her and laughing. "Heh, ya gotta have a heart for us to have a heart to heart-" Raven did her best to hide the pain from the knife which had just been so unwittingly thrust into her non-existent heart –"Seriously, Rae, this is Terra and Ryo we're talking about."

One of Raven's eyebrows arched up as she regarded the emerald changeling. "And what exactly is so interesting about our pair of resident natural disasters that it is compelling you to risk your life by interrupting my reading time?"

Annoyingly, Beast Boy waved off her threat with a carefree gesture. "Well, I was just thinking: isn't it great that Ryouga volunteered to help train her?"

For the first time since he'd intruded into her inner sanctum, Raven smiled faintly. The often clueless martial artist had hardly 'volunteered'. In fact, he'd railed against his fate until Cyborg had suggested that _she _might appreciate it. Certainly it was a bit conceited, but Raven enjoyed the thought that, in some small way, Ryouga was doing this for her.

"Actually," Raven offered with a sly smile, "I think it's much more fortuitous that Ryouga is so . . . well suited to training Terra."

The vision of a comically flattened martial artist popped into her mind and, to her mortification, she nearly burst out into a giggle fit. Luckily Beast Boy totally missed the connotations of her comment as he nodded agreeably.

"Yeah! It's totally awesome that Terra and Ryo are getting along so well. It sure is cool how they hit it off so well right off the bat isn't it?"

The sense of amusement that Raven had been fostering died quickly at that comment. Her gut reaction was to fire back with a cutting '_Is it_?', but she didn't want to confound the poor boy.

Instead she decided to reply in a more neutral manner. "I don't think anyone would begrudge Terra a friend at a time like this."

The changeling shot her a queer glance for a moment before shrugging. "Meh, whatever. I think it's awesome that those two are getting along so well. In fact, I'm gonna head down right now and see how Terra's training is going!"

Matching word to deed, the young shape shifter turned on the spot and dashed out the door. Raven watched her teammate leave and felt an uncharacteristic twinge of guilt.

"Let's hope you still feel that way after even a single week," she whispered so quietly that she barely heard it herself.

Sighing again, she picked up the book from her lap. For a moment she was tempted to open its pages once more . . . Only to let out a huff of air and rise to her feet. Gliding across the room, she found the old chest where she'd found the book and dropped it back in unceremoniously.

She certainly wasn't in the mood to read now. The lavender haired Titan tapped an elegant finger to her chin as she considered her options to dispel her boredom. Perhaps Starfire would be interested in a trip to that bookstore that Raven enjoyed so much?

Raven shook her head in amusement.

This was Starfire, of course she would be interested.

* * *

-Thursday 5:37 PM

**CYBLOG**

Ahh, Yeah! Welcome to the Silicon Jungle!

A Word To My Sponsors!

Yo, my Peeps and Peepettes, welcome to another pulse pounding edition of Cyblog! Straight from my fingers to your brains.

As you all know, the big Ring a Ding Ding around the tower has been the transcendent return of our one and only Terra!

STOP!

Stop right there, yeah, you, the ones getting ready to unload a heaping helping of HateFlame on my innocent little forum. Look, I know that our little lady might have done wrong in the past, but seriously, you guys nearly crashed my entire system with the tidal wave of angry comments you sent my way when I announced her return.

_My_ system! The one I built with my own two hands nearly crashed from the amount of hatemail I got in regards to Terra.

I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but I nearly decided to give up on the Cyblog completely. I mean, if you guys hate one of my team mates so much that you can't even exercise common decency, or _grammar_ for that matter -

Okay, calm down, Cyborg.

. . . Sorry for snapping at you guys like that. Honestly, I know where you guys are coming from. Hell, you guys didn't even get a fraction of the hurt laid on you that we did, but I can understand why you're all so scared and angry. Terra did, nearly single handedly, terrorize the entire city and chase hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes . . . Man, can I understand why you guys are so freaked out about Terra coming back . . .

I just want you guys to remember that Terra also saved the city from being destroyed by Slade, so you all kinda owe her one in that respect. Look, Little T is important to us and if we're willing to trust her after the way she betrayed us, then I think you guys need to at least give her the benefit of the doubt . . . Actually, that probably doesn't sound that inspiring now, does it . . . But please, just bear with me for a bit?

Still, I'm just glad that Terra, BB and Star don't read my blog. I can already imagine the tears they'd be crying if they read even some of the things that have been posted over the past few days.

Again, sorry for the guilt trip there. However, while I'm here anyway, I did want to set the record straight on a few of the concerns that were raised in the more coherent comments I got.

1) No, Terra will not be put on trial for her crimes . . . At least not yet. Robin has been in talks with the Mayor non-stop since Terra was revived and so far it's looking good that she'll be remanded into our custody. Since this is the case, I would consider it a personal favor if you would _not_ go ahead with that petition to get her thrown in prison.

Seriously, the girl has had a hard enough time without that kinda junk going on!

2) No, Terra is not an evil psychotic double agent whose only goal in life is to destroy the Titans. Terra is just a young, confused girl that has made mistakes. Before you start throwing those stones, ya might wanna check yourselves first. I defy anyone out there to tell me straight-up that you wouldn't have made the same mistakes if you'd had to live her life.

3) Yes, the rumors about her powers being . . . unpredictable are true. HOWEVER! However, Terra is receiving the best training we can possibly provide. I can't give out any specifics, but trust me when I saalkshdalkwjhe-

"Oh, what the heck, BB!" Cyborg cursed when the changeling's wild thrashings caused the smaller hero to slam into his arm and totally mess up what he was typing. He glared heatedly at his little buddy. "Man, what the heck are ya doin', playing a game, or having a seizure?"

His diminutive best friend didn't even attempt to apologize, just stuck out his tongue as he continued to play. "Dude, that kinda talk is socially unacceptable. 'Sides, you've been typing away there for like an hour. When the heck are you gonna put your arm away and play?"

Cyborg glowered at the green teen. "Hey, this is important, BB. I'm working on some serious damage control here. We might be happy that Terra's back, but the rest of the city doesn't exactly share our opinion, y'know?"

Beast Boy looked at him oddly. "What? Why the heck would anyone not be happy that the number of Titans protecting the city just went up another notch?"

The Titanium Titan cocked an eyebrow incredulously. "You mean aside from the whole 'nearly destroying the city' thing? People don't tend to be big fans of super villains turning over a new leaf just like that; people tend to have long memories for people driving them out of their homes with elemental powers and legions of evil robots. Seriously, we're just lucky that no one actually knows what Ryo was up to before he joined up. People'd probably start thinking that harboring criminals was our new team pastime."

His companion glared at him weakly for a moment, then looked to the controller in his hands before dropping it. "Y'know what? Weak, Dude, weak. I don't even feel like playing anymore. I'm gonna go see what Terra's up to."

Cyborg felt a bit bad for harshing his buddy's mellow, but it was the truth. "She's training with Ryo. He told me he wants to keep it solo for now, too, since it's such a delicate stage of her training."

The emerald changeling deflated for a moment before perking up again. "That's alright. I'll see how she's doing after they're done. I bet she'll be ready to beg for one of my patented shoulder rubs by then!"

"I'm afraid not, Beast Boy."

Both of the couch adorning youths looked up just in time to see Robin stride into the room. "You, Raven and Starfire are on patrol duty tonight. I'm sure Terra will be still be here tomorrow, so you can survive until then," explained their leader.

Beast Boy grumbled a vague affirmative before quickly hopping off the couch and wandering off in a manner that could only be described as 'sulking'.

Shrugging to himself, and with all that drama out of the way, Cyborg went back to work on his blog.

* * *

-Friday 8:12 AM-

"Again. Remember; _concentrate_ . . . visualize your hand actually _lifting_ the rock as you raise it," Ryouga explained in a low tone.

His blonde, willowy disciple groaned in annoyance, but obediently complied, spreading her feet apart and dropping down into a low Riding Horse stance. Ryouga studied her form for a moment, kicking her toes in a bit and forcing her fists more firmly onto her narrow hips. Once he was satisfied, he moved several feet to her side and dropped into a matching stance.

Nodding to the small pile of mid sized rocks several yards ahead of them, he continued with his lesson, "We both know that you could easily just move those rocks with a thought, but imagine you're picking them up with your hand, not your mind."

He didn't need to see behind him to know that Terra was rolling her eyes at his continuous repetition of the same concept again and again. "Now, tighten your fists and make the strike, just as I showed you. We'll do it slowly, so just follow my lead."

That said, Ryouga then began. Moving slowly, he extended his left hand forward from his hip, opening it palm up. As he did, his entire body twisted gently to the right, his right foot swinging out while his left foot slid back to a forty five degree angle, shifting him seamlessly into a Bow Stance.

Of course, as his left arm rose up, little more occurred then the displacement of air and the utterly perfect transition from one stance to another.

Behind him, though, was another story. Though her stance was weak and her movements lacked the grace garnered from long years of training, Terra's slow 'strike' yielded far more impressive results. It started as a small trembling in the pile of rocks as her tightly curled fist left her hip. However, as her narrow body twisted and her left hand rose, the pile of rocks slowly rose into the air as well -

Of course, that was more or less a byproduct of the massive slab of bedrock over a dozen feet in diameter tearing itself free from the ground and lifting up in response to Terra's upturned palm.

A moment later, the mountainous molehill dropped back into its earthen cradle, shooting up a cloud of dust with its thunderous crash. Slowly, Ryouga turned to regard his student, the young woman sheepishly digging her toe into the dirt.

Sighing loudly, Ryouga dropped down to sit on the ground, motioning for Terra to do the same. "Look, Terra, I know this is hard, especially considering that it's going against how you've always done it, but this is important." He gestured to the Tower behind them, fairly certain that a certain violet haired Titan was still in bed, sound asleep at the moment. "I've talked to Raven about this, and she told me that it's very common for many telekinetic types to imagine their power as a kind of invisible hand."

Terra scoffed loudly. "But that's _stupid_, Ryouga! If my power only worked like an invisible hand, I wouldn't be able to do, like, ninety percent of the stuff I do. Why would I want to _imagine_ a magical hand lifting those rocks, when I can just _think _about a column shooting out of the ground-"

Her diatribe was disrupted when a column of earth suddenly shot up from the ground several feet from where Ryouga was sitting. Moving quickly, the martial artist dove to the side and slid into a low crouch, but thankfully this time the errant spire of rock proved to be relatively stable and didn't collapse all over them like the last four story tower of rock did.

Terra withered under Ryouga's glare.

"_. . . _aheh . . . um sorry?" she muttered quickly.

Releasing another weary sigh, Ryouga waited for her to lower the spire back into the ground before resuming his seat. "That is exactly the reason we're doing this." An errant thought struck him, and he chuckled despite himself. "It's ironic, but as a martial artist, I will literally train a move, or a technique for years until it becomes so ingrained that I can do it without even thinking, but with you, my final goal is your starting point."

He noted Terra's head tilt to the side a bit, an inquiring glint in her eyes. "It's an old, old adage, at least I think it is. 'Power without wisdom', or something to that extent," he stated.

"I think I've heard of that," she replied, "But what does it mean?"

He shrugged. "Well, think of it this way: People like Ranma and I are extremely powerful martial artists. Ranma can punch faster and harder than a jackhammer and I can reduce boulders to gravel with my pinky finger." He brandished said pinky finger to drive his point home. "Now, how hard do you think it would be for either of us to kill an untrained person if we wanted to?"

Terra's face took on an interestingly pale pallor as she swallowed nervously.

"However, we had to train and study very hard to get to that point. We know all of the ramifications that any strike may have on a person's body, we know intimately the kind of trauma that we can inflict on another person, and that knowledge tempers every single punch or kick that we throw." He paused for a moment to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "Of course, some people learn the lessons better than others, but for the most part I don't really want to hurt people too badly, so I know, more or less, how much power, or which techniques I need to use to disable a person without harming them too much."

He then gestured to her. "Now, I don't want to come across too harshly, but you never really went through what Ranma or I did. You received your power as is, incredibly powerful and tied closely to your instincts."

Terra looked like she wanted to say something, her lips pressed in a tight line, but she waited for him to continue.

"I'll be frank," he said clearly, "You don't really understand the consequences of using your power, you just use it. I think the cliché would be the 'handing someone a gun' thing. All you have to do is pick up a few ounces of steel and lead and you have all the killing potential of a martial arts master, but with none of the restraint and control that a martial artist learns from his lifetime of training."

"I am _not_ a handgun, Ryouga!" Terra scowled fiercely as she fired daggers at him with her eyes. "And I have too trained and stuff with my powers! I don't wanna hurt anyone either, it just . . . kinda happens sometimes . . ."

Ryouga nodded, sighing loudly. "As insane as it is for me to say this, I actually wish Ranma was here to talk to you about this. I'm not exactly the best person to be lecturing you on this particular topic . . . I'm not exactly known for controlling myself. I kinda feel like a jerk sitting here and lecturing you about something that I've had so much trouble with."

Terra regarded him oddly for a moment . . . Until finally a fond smile settled on her lips and she dropped a companionable hand on his knees. Of course, he missed the faint blush on her cheeks at the contact as he stared at his own sandals.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ryouga. I'd rather be hearing this from someone that knows what it's like to actually struggle, than from a perfect, high horse sitting guy that doesn't have a clue what it's like to not be perfect," she supplied with a lopsided grin.

He looked up to stare at her, locking gazes with her brilliant blue eyes for a second, before shaking his head in bemusement. "I think you've been hanging out with me too long, Terra, though I have to admit that I like what I'm hearing."

The geokinetic girl giggled gaily.

"Still," Ryouga continued, rising to his feet and brushing some dust from his pants. "That's enough moralizing for now. How about we get back to work?"

"_Awwww_!" Terra groaned loudly, "Do we have to? We've been at this for nearly two hours already? Why can't we go over and watch Beast Boy and Robin training for a bit?" She gestured to the distant pair emphatically.

Ryouga shook his head ruefully. He had been studiously ignoring the younger pair of heroes as they trained a few dozen yards away since they had joined them on the beach nearly a half an hour earlier.

"You do realize," he turned to glance at his student, "That the only reason that Beast Boy is out here training at this hour is because he wants to watch your training, right?"

The slight girl nodded absently, dropping her chin onto an upraised palm as she gazed at the distant fighters. "Yeah, I think it's kinda sweet, y'know?" A small giggle escaped her lips. "BB's been trying to fight his way over here for the past ten minutes, but Robin stops him in his tracks every time."

Ryouga nodded in agreement. He'd noticed that, though really he was more curious as to why Beast Boy was limiting himself to his human form- _Hey, wait a minute_!

"Hey, wait a minute!" he barked, turning to glare at his pupil, "You've been watching them fight ever since they got here, haven't you? No wonder you can't concentrate now!"

Instantly Terra's face flushed a light crimson color as she began to stutter rapidly. "N-n-no I _haven't_! I'm totally focused on our training, really, I promise!"

Ryouga's eyes narrowed as he studied her face. "I doubt even Kasumi would buy that, Terra."

"_Pfft_!" Terra raspberried him heartily drawing down her bottom eyelid as she did. "Like you've never been distracted while you were training!"

The vivid memory of a suspended boulder with the name 'Akane' roughly hewn into its surface by what looked like a series of frantic finger pokes flashed through Ryouga's mind.

"O-o-of course I _haven't_! I'm a skilled martial artist, I would never be distracted from my training!"

Wide blue eyes rolled dramatically as Terra drawled, "_Riiiiight_. I doubt even Kasumi would buy that, Ryouga."

"Oh, shut up," Ryouga groused as he crossed his arms over his chest . . . well, crossly. He then quickly rose up to his feet and dropped back into the Riding Horse stance. "Alright, that's enough of a break. Let's see if you can't try concentrating a bit more this time."

He didn't 'see' Terra sticking her tongue out at him, but he was pretty much certain that she was.

With that, they began again, Ryouga and Terra both reaching out with their left hands as they shifted from Riding Horse to Bow stance. It was slow work, but with her attention back on her goal, Terra seemed to be getting the hang of it.

"Remember, your mind and your body are one and the same. Your movements give guidance to your power, your breathing gives focus to your movements and your thoughts give purpose to your actions." Moving slowly, Ryouga began to lift his hand, the thrum of his chi flowing through him. The resonance between his life force, the energy of the earth, and the wildly surging power of Terra was intense, like three strings of a piano in perfect tune.

Mimicking his movements, Terra's hand rose gracefully through the air, her chest raising and lowering in a calm rhythm and her eyes flashing brightly. Slowly, the rocks began to vibrate once more, then, after several painfully long seconds, the entire pile of stones rose smoothly into the air, lifted easily by the invisible hand of the young blonde's power.

Smiles bloomed tentatively on both of their faces as Terra held her pose, shaking only slightly, the small cloud of igneous material levitating effortlessly before her and not rocketing off dangerously, or shaking the tower to pieces, just a calm, perfect example of contro-

"Wow, Terra! You're doing really good!" Beast Boy's rang out loudly.

Shocked, both Terra and Ryouga spun to stare at the intruding changeling. The green teen was walking up, waving non-chalantly to them -

"Yo, Ryo, wha-aaa_hhhh-"_

- Just in time to be buried alive by the swarm of rocks which had abruptly flown around to follow Terra's line of sight when she turned to look at Beast Boy.

"_Beast Boy_!" Terra squealed sharply as she ran forward to start digging the poor boy out of his makeshift tomb.

Ryouga just rolled his eyes at the embarrassing display and walked over to join Robin, who was currently shaking his head. "And you people wonder why I asked for some solitude while we were training," the Lost Boy muttered lightly.

Robin shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I'm sorry about that. I knew Beast Boy only wanted to come down here to spy on you guys, but his suggestion that we try training him to try to actually use the strange 'Beast' form that he used back at the Hive Academy was too interesting to pass up."

"Ahh, is that why he wasn't transforming at all?" Ryouga asked. He absently pointing his thumb over his shoulder to where Terra was tightly clutching the moaning Beast Boy's head to her chest, his spinning eyes completely ignorant of his good fortune.

The masked titan nodded. "Yeah, I told him the only form he could use was his Beast form. I'm starting to think training it will be a lot harder than we thought. This form doesn't seem to be like the rest; he knows he has it, but he can't just bring it out on command."

Ryouga cocked his head to the side as he regarded his small leader. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, I can't be certain," Robin began, "But I think this form is bound tightly to his instincts. As long as he knows that he's not in any real danger, or as long as he knows that he's not fighting an enemy, it's doubtful that he'll be able to access that form."

The bandanna clad fighter nodded in agreement. "That explains why he didn't use it against me when I was under the Headmaster's control."

"Maybe, maybe not," countered Robin, "Frankly, we don't know enough about it to say anything for sure, and unless anyone is willing to really back Beast Boy against a wall and risk drawing it out, I doubt we'll learn anything soon."

The corner of Robin's lip quirked up in amusement as Ryouga tapped his chin, fang peeking out ever so slightly, and 'hmmm'd' loudly in consideration.

"Don't you dare!" cried Terra from behind them. The young blonde then struggled to lift Beast Boy's senseless form to her side. Then, before Ryouga could respond, she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm gonna take Beast Boy to the infirmary before you two decide to do anything worse to him. Honestly, the poor guy has had to put up with enough already."

With that, Terra began to drag her unfortunate cargo with her, leaving the pair of martial artists alone on the beach.

". . . Soo," Robin began casually, "How's the training going?"

Ryouga began to smile, but his fanged grin soon dissolved into a deep frown. "It's progressing well . . . But it's hard to get excited over that considering what I'm trying to do."

This time it was Robin's head that tilted to the side inquisitively. "What do you mean? I thought you were quite excited about your 'Avatar' based training idea."

"I was at the time . . ." Ryouga's shoulders slumped slightly. "And, sure, the martial arts aspect is a great way to teach control, but mostly it's just a cover for what I'm really trying to do."

Ryouga paused for a moment, looking less than sure about continuing, but finally he released a weary sigh. "I feel like I'm betraying her, Robin. I'm not really 'teaching her control', so much as I'm trying to forge a pair of mental blocks to hamper her use of her power."

"What? Why would you do that?"

Lifting his hands in a sign of defeat, Ryouga replied, "It's the only thing I could think of. I need to break her back down to a basic level before I can start teaching her in any meaningful way." The Lost Boy cursed to himself. "If only Raven had agreed to train her, this probably wouldn't be necessary, but I only know how to think in terms of martial arts."

Robin seemed to consider his words for a time . . . before nodding slowly to himself. "I understand this might be hard for you, but Raven says that your approach is working better than anything she could be doing at the moment. . . . Still, are there any possible side effects to this training that we might want to know about?"

Ryouga considered the question for a moment before nodding. "Raven did raise one concern. The paradox of the telekinetic visualizing their power as an 'invisible hand' often leaves them incapable of flight, since the concept of using your own hand to pick yourself up is too hard for most to overcome."

"So you're saying that Terra might lose her ability to fly?" Robin asked, not sounding too enthused.

"Only in the short term," Ryouga responded quickly. "Once the mental blocks are firmly in place, then I can begin teaching her how to break them down again. When all is said and done, I'm really just knocking her down so that I can help her stand back up again, just with a few handy pointers this time around."

The young bird's good natured chuckle helped to raise Ryouga's flagging spirit slightly.

"Well, if that's what it takes to help Terra get her powers back under control, then that's what it takes. The basics are the most important part of any training, and as long as you and Raven both feel confident in this approach, then I won't interfere," offered the masked Titan.

"Ummm . . . and if only Raven is feeling confident in this approach?"

* * *

-Saturday 9:03 A.M.-

Raven looked at her adversary warily, not trusting, for a moment, that it meant her anything but ill will.

If the simmering pot of . . . food, was at all intimidated by her narrow eyed glare, it gave no outward sign. Rather the lid continued to bounce around merrily as steam escaped from the depths of its stainless steel and Teflon coated belly.

"Again I feel compelled to ask: why am I helping to make breakfast at this ungodly hour?"

Her companions/enslavers, the crimson haired Tamaranian and the chestnut haired Tendo shared an enigmatic smile before turning their attention back to their own culinary master pieces.

"Well, we all had so much fun on our night out on the town, that I thought it would be nice if we spent some more time together," Kasumi replied happily as she began to scramble the pan full of eggs before her.

Starfire's cheerful giggle filled the air and she did her best to cover her smile with her hand. "That, and after witnessing Cyborg's most vivid reenactment of your . . . noble attempt to prepare the Cake of Pans whilst we were still stranded in the Joketsuzoku village, we believed that instructing you in the proper methods of cooking would be a most constructive endeavor."

To her credit, Raven kept her dark grumbling mostly to herself as she lifted the lid of her pot and took a quick glance inside. It appeared that her eggs were boiling satisfactorily so far . . . She still wasn't sure whether she should feel somewhat insulted that the Tendo woman had suggested they begin with 'something closer to Raven's level of ability'.

Honestly, the hallucinations hadn't been _that_ terrifying . . . for her, at least.

She was considering commenting as such, when the opening of the far door caught her attention. The unexpected sight of Ryouga Hibiki striding through the doorway, making a . . . somewhat straight line in their direction flustered the dark Titan for a moment. Several thoughts flitted through her head in an instant.

Wondering what he was doing there so early was quickly discounted as she remembered that she was the night owl, while he was the early bird. Wanting to take a second to fix her hair was equally foolish, as her hood was pulled firmly in place making it a moot point. Embarrassment that he might see her cooking hard boiled eggs, of all things, though easily the most ridiculous of the thoughts, was also the hardest to shake.

So rather than do anything to draw attention to herself, she simply attempted to hide even further within the folds of her cloak while her companions took the initiative to greet the approaching Titan.

"Greetings, friend Ryouga! It is a glorious morning, is it not?"

"Good morning, Ryouga, won't you join us?"

"Good morning, everyone." The bandanna clad warrior rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he wandered up to the kitchen area. Despite her wishes, the Lost Boy instantly zeroed in on her and circled the island counter to stand beside her, a look of interest on his face.

"You're helping out, Raven? That's cool, I didn't know you could cook," Ryouga asked/stated in a supportive tone.

Not sure whether to be flattered or insulted by the inquiry, the dark Titan responded in a neutral tone, "So much as this _can_ be called cooking. Hard boiled eggs are hardly-"

"Hard boiled eggs? I love hard boiled eggs," Ryouga exclaimed suddenly. The sudden statement not only cut her off, but confounded the dark Titan as well. She turned to stare at Kasumi for a moment - wait a moment, had the brunette just _winked_ at her? Shaking her head quickly to clear it of the possible hallucination, Raven quickly turned back to Ryouga.

"You do?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh, yeah. You'd be surprised how often it is that the only thing you can scrounge up is a few eggs when you're on the road." Ryouga chuckled to himself, looking slightly embarrassed. "And hard boiling an egg just means that many less dishes to do after you're done . . . So I guess I just kinda grew to like them like that."

Well, that was quite pragmatic. Of course, for Ryouga, the term 'on the road' likely meant 'hopelessly lost in some labyrinthine forest, miles from civilization', but she was starting to understand just how close to normal that was for the poor guy. "Well, really, it was that Kasumi suggested this was all I c-"

"Should need to do," Kasumi's interruption wasn't sharp, but it was quite effective as she continued immediately, "After all, Starfire and I have the rest of breakfast well in hand, but it certainly was nice of her to offer to help us like that, now wasn't it, Ryouga?"

The Tendo woman might as well have been laying down commandments, considering how quickly the fanged boy began nodding in agreement. For the life of her, though, Raven couldn't figure out what in the world was going on. Though it had been quite subtle, there had been a status quo lately, a barely perceptible level of passive aggressive warfare in which Raven had been steadily losing ground to brightly smiling attrition.

So when had Kasumi suddenly become her 'secret co-conspirator'?

"But, Ryouga, for what reason have you joined us at this hour?" Starfire suddenly asked out of left field, "Do you not have the training of Terra to endeavor towards this morning?"

Immediately, Ryouga's hand went to the back of his head in a classic display. The embarrassed laugh quickly followed, bringing the 'embarrassed trait' tally to two. "Umm, well . . . Actually, Terra made a . . . convincing argument that she should get today off since it was Saturday."

"_Terra's got today off_!"

The unexpected and excited outburst quickly drew everyone's attention to the elevator, which had opened mere seconds earlier to reveal the lanky figure of Beast Boy. Before anyone so much as had the chance to mutter a syllable, the emerald teen transformed into an emerald cheetah and raced out the side door in a blur of speed.

Ryouga winced at the rapid departure. "Ah, someone might want to stop him. Terra made it pretty clear that she was intent on sleeping in until at least noon today."

Raven's eyebrow arched upwards as she turned to regard the Lost Boy, his last several statements suddenly adding up to a very strange number indeed. "And . . . what exactly was this argument that Terra used to win you over so thoroughly?"

The Lost Boy lifted a hand to touch his cheek gingerly, and Raven suddenly noticed the long, rectangular red mark which looked to be slowly fading beneath his finger tips. "Well, let's just say that spending a day to work on her upper body strength might have been a mistake . . ."

Instantly, Starfire floated in between the two of them, taking an incredibly close look at Ryouga's cheek. Then, in a gesture which caused a strange twinge in Raven's chest for some reason, the Tamaranian ran a delicate finger down the Lost Boy's cheek as she inspected the 'wound'. The violet eyed Titan couldn't put her own, more metaphorical finger on it, but there was something about the scene which seemed . . . intimate, even by the ridiculous standards that the would-be siblings had previously demonstrated.

Not really sure how, or even if she should respond, Raven lifted a hesitant finger-

"What is this _War_ and _Peace_ which is imprinted on your cheek, Ryouga?" asked the curious Tamaranian abruptly.

The non sequitur brought Raven up short. _She threw a book at him_?

"I dunno, but Terra said that the next person to try to wake her up today was gonna be reading the sequel, 'if you get what I'm saying' . . . or so she put it, anyway," Ryouga explained.

Kasumi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Do you think that perhaps one of us should go warn Garfield before-"

The distant sound of a frightfully loud *thwak* was quickly followed by the dull *thud* of something heavy hitting the floor, which in turn was quickly followed by a muffled gasp of what sounded like apology.

Kasumi looked in the vague direction from which the sound had originated for a long moment . . . before finally turning her attention back to Ryouga. ". . . So, what are you planning to do with your day off then, Ryouga?"

Ryouga stared at the Tendo woman uncertainly for an instant, before shrugging. "I hadn't really thought about it, actually. Maybe I shoul . . ."

The sudden trailing off of the Lost Boy's sentence would have confused Raven - had she not seen Kasumi ever so subtly rolling her eyes over in her direction. Regardless, it still took him a moment to follow the line that Kasumi was making and make a sudden 'ah' of realization as he pieced together the older woman's ever so clever hints.

Instantly Ryouga's face began to tint red and he started to tap his finger tips together shyly as he turned to face her again. "Aheh . . . Um - ah, _hi_ there, Raven," he began uncertainly.

Though a tiny, tiny part of her was disappointed by his sudden loss of confidence, the sudden pounding in her chest reminded her that she was hardly one to be talking. She had a fairly good idea what could be coming and had no idea what to do . . . So she decided to go with her normal response to such an inane greeting.

"Um, yes, Ryouga, we've already established that I'm here," she replied drolly . . .

Hmmm, that had come across as slightly more sarcastic than she'd intended. She certainly hoped that the Lost Boy's near complete inability to detect subtlety held true.

"W-well - well, I . . . I was just wondering if, y'know, if you had any p-p-plans for the day?" Impressively, if Ryouga had been at all offended, he gave no sign in his stuttering, hopelessly pathetic inquiry into her schedule.

The dark Titan internalized her sigh of relief as she listened to Ryouga asking her out on a date in that adorably pathetic manner of his-

_Wait a moment! _Asking her out on a date!

As the implications of the innocuous question became apparent, primal flight instincts flared to life and Raven did her very best to escape into the depths of her own robe. Even as she nervously pulled her hood down to hide her face, the only response she could muster was a shaky - "P-plans?"

Face growing more crimson by the second, Ryouga nodded jerkily. "Yeah, those things . . . Not that I would expect you to _not_ have plans, in fact you probably do, but I was just thinking, on the off chance that you don't have plans, and I don't have any plans, that maybe - maybe we could . . . make some . . . plans?"

Suddenly, Raven found herself bereft of her glib wit. This wasn't at all like the other instances that the Lost Boy had dragged her into the city. Their early morning brunches had exclusively proceeded from the comforting premise of 'strategy sessions' in concern to restoring Terra.

But with Terra no longer a statue, said pretence no longer existed . . . If she said yes, then it would mean that the only reason they would be going out would be to enjoy each other's company away from the prying eyes of the others. Raven pulled a little harder on her hood, desperate to hide her smoldering cheeks.

This was a milestone moment, a landmark decision that could forever change the nature of her relationship with the martial artist. Did she do the smart thing and say 'no'? Thus enforcing the status quo and dooming herself to a life of solitude . . .

Or, did she risk everything and say 'yes'? Did she dare to hope that a relationship could actually work out for the best, despite the stark reality that the prophecy of her life entailed? Was it _really_ better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all . . . Or was that just a load of crap?

Even as the prospect of such a monumental decision terrified her, the idea of taking charge of her destiny, as futile as the gesture would ultimately be, excited her. All she needed to do was lift her chin proudly, stare him straight in the eye-

And watch in shock as Starfire dragged the helplessly resisting boy out of the room. "-and then, we can prevail upon Beast Boy to give us a most comical, though biologically accurate tour of the Jump City Zoo!"

"B-biologically _wha_-" Only for the closing of the elevator doors to cut off the rest of the pair's conversation.

Raven blinked once . . . then again, her jaw slowly moving up and down as she tried to process what had just happened. Slowly, she turned to stare at the tall Japanese woman to her side. Kasumi wore an oddly shame faced expression, but after a moment of enduring Raven's incredulous scrutiny, the brunette simply shrugged.

"How would Victor put it . . . You snooze, you lose?"

* * *

-Sunday 7:30 PM-

The Hunter prowled the many corridors and tunnels of his domain. His was a vast kingdom, but one filled with many other predators. His fellow hunters may have been larger and stronger than he, but they sought different prey, and thus they co-existed peacefully.

Moving with animal grace, he zipped around a corner, intent on following a certain scent.

And co-exist they had . . . until recently. One of the other predators - or was he prey? - had been interfering in his hunt, however unwittingly. As such, the Hunter needed to make sure his unknowing rival was indisposed before beginning his own hunt.

The Hunter inhaled sharply, the strong scent of his rival filling his nostrils. The 'Other' was close now, in all likelihood resting in the main den of their shared lair. The Hunter slithered down the hallway, then crawled, then fluttered through the air until he came to the entrance of the chamber.

With hardened claw, the Hunter inched the massive metal door open just wide enough to allow an eyestalk to slide through and survey the scene beyond.

Success!

Just as the Hunter had hoped, his rival, the fanged, bandanna-wearing predator was lounging on the couch. He was not alone, either. The fiery haired Tamaranian was nestled closely to his side and the two appeared to be reading some kind of comic book together.

To the side of that pair, Cyborg and Kasumi sat, apparently discussing a text of some sort. The titanium hunter and the Japanese housekeeper was the last of the obvious predator/prey relationships still left intact in the Hunter's mind.

Glancing to the last pair in the room, sitting at the distant kitchen counter, Raven and Robin were discussing something in hushed tones, frequently casting inscrutable glances to the comic reading duo at the center of the room.

The lines between predator and prey had been growing more and more blurred lately. The young bird, the perennial prey of the flame haired lioness seemed to have realized that the hunt had ended recently, and seemed to be uncertain as how to react.

The dark Raven was just as much hunter as hunted . . . Though always the wrong one at the wrong time. Obviously her inexperience in the hunt was leaving her vulnerable to more experienced predators.

Then, of course, there was the Japanese martial artist, the most hesitant hunter of all, so clueless about hunting his own prey, that he didn't even realize that he had been marked by two other hunters.

The whole thing was becoming a convoluted mess and the only thing that seemed imminent was a whole world of heart break for all involved . . .

But none of that was the Hunter's problem!

Confident that his rival was thoroughly distracted, his own hunt could proceed unhindered. In a flash, the predator pulled back from the door and sprinted down the hallway as fast as four spotted legs would allow. He skidded around corners, blurred down corridors and flew up staircases with speed borne of familiarity and, within minutes, he found himself standing before his goal-

A metal door with the word 'Terra' stencilled on its surface.

Taking a moment to lick his hand and smooth down his unruly hair, the Hunter leaned casually against the door frame, to best show off his own lean frame, and then knocked sharply on the door.

He was alerted to the sound of frantic scrambling from within his prey's dwelling and it took several painfully long seconds before the door slide open to reveal the perfect face of the golden haired Terra . . .

Well, as much of her face as the inch gap that she slid the door open revealed, at any rate.

"Beast Boy? What are you doing here?"

The obvious distress in the girl's voice confused the Hunter. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd appeared at her door thusly, and she'd never acted . . . um . . . thusly before.

Inquisitive by nature, the Hunter leaned forward to try to see what was different about this situation.

"Umm, hey, Terra." The Hunter opened with a verbal distraction while he moved in closer. "I was just seein if ya wanted to, y'know, hang out or something?"

His prey's anxiety level only seemed to increase as his face inched closer to the door. It almost looked like she was trying to shift her body away from the door while still keeping her face in view.

"I'm _really_ sorry, Beast Boy, but this is a _really_ bad time. I promised Ryouga that I would review the Avatar tapes again, since I hit him with that book yesterday." His prey's explanation, while somewhat logical, was also quite frustrating.

"Hey! You hit me with a book yesterday, too, and you didn't promise to do anything for me!"

His prey's eyes narrowed, never a good sign. "Yeah? Well maybe you should have thought about that before running off to the zoo with Ryouga and Starfire without even thinking to ask me!"

The Hunter gesticulated wildly in protest. "But you're still not allowed to go into the city. Ryouga hasn't cleared you yet."

The young blonde sniffed loudly. "So? It still would have been nice of you to at least _ask_, instead of just running off without a word."

The Hunter wanted to continue protesting, but keen instinct warned him to change his approach before the chase ended in disaster. Instantly, a bashful smile spread across his lips.

"You're absolutely right, Terra. I was bein' a jerk by not thinking of you. I totally should have got Robin to back down. Heck, Star, Raven and Kasumi did for that girls' night out you guys had." Leaning forward, he winked. "Why don't you let me make it up to you? I could totally whip up some snacks and we could watch the show together?"

For a moment, his prey looked torn, but eventually cast her gaze down regretfully. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but Ryouga really wanted me to concentrate on the movements and techniques with absolutely no distractions."

The Hunter frowned, chagrined. "Oh, so you're saying that I'd be a distraction?"

Terra rolled her eyes in amusement. "You know you _totally_ would be, but that's not it." For some reason, her face began to redden noticeably. "It's just that . . . Well, I got rid of all the distractions I could think of. No music, no magazines, no lights . . . No clothes . . ."

The Hunter's astute mind took several seconds to process his prey's last words, then proceeded to do the only thing it could think of-

* * *

Terra stared at Beast Boy for another minute, taking careful note of the wide eyed, slack jawed expression on his face, with just a hint of drool beginning to pool. After waiting another moment, just to be sure, the young blonde _very_ carefully positioned herself so that she could fit her arm out the door and gently press a single finger to the green teen's forehead.

In an excellent impersonation of a sand castle, the changeling instantly crumbled to the floor into a drooling heap of boy. Groaning to herself, Terra slid her door closed and went back to sit on her bed, adjusting her training bra as she did.

She was sure that if she'd had parents, they would have been _totally_ right about boys only being interested in one thing.

* * *

-Monday 6:25 PM-

**Mental Checklist: Kitchen cleaned **. . .

Taking a quick glance around, Kasumi ran a finger along the counter. Upon inspection, her dainty digit was just as spotless as the space age counter top.

_**Check.**_

-**All of Beast Boy's toys cleaned up . . .**

Across the room, she noted the large box she'd commissioned from Victor. Said box was primly pushed back into the corner and was nearly overflowing with squeeze toys, balls of yarn, unsorted CD's and crumpled comics.

. . . _**A dubious check.**_

**-Dinner prepared and served . . .**

Terra and Garfield were just finishing putting the various dishes away after washing them. Such a helpful duo, since that also let her check the next item off her list as well.

_**Double check.**_

**-Continue campaign to throw Raven mentally off balance. **

Raven, sitting on the far end of the long couch, was still staring uncertainly at the cup of tea that Kasumi had so kindly offered her. The tea was exactly the blend that Raven enjoyed, but Kasumi had placed a few drops of honey into it, to 'sweeten it up a touch'.

Now, the poor girl, who possessed no love of honey, looked torn between drinking the tea, since Kasumi had gone to the trouble of making it for her, or making another cup of tea, but possibly offending the Tendo sister.

The corner of Kasumi's lip curled up ever so slightly.

_**Check.**_

**- Subtly flirt with Cyborg . . .**

Kasumi tapped a finger to her chin as she regarded the young man sitting across the kitchen counter, contentedly typing away on his forearm. Not sure how to proceed, she fell back on her Hive villainess training and made a mental list of possible techniques she could use. List in mind, it didn't take her too long to choose a suitable approach.

Making sure to keep her eyes on the distant TV, currently showing some commercial or another, Kasumi lifted an elegant hand to her throat and let out a tiny cough, just enough to catch Victor's attention. Then, the moment he looked up at her, she gave out a lady-like yawn and _stretched_ her arms high up and folded her hands absently behind her head.

Thanks to the dark T-shirt she was wearing, the impact was as rapid as it was devastating. The titanium Titan nearly fell right out of his seat, his eye widening to a saucer. It took all of her training to stop herself from giggling as she studied him out of the corner of her eyes. Then, after a generous few seconds, she lowered her arms back down and turned to offer him a brilliant smile.

"Oh my, I must be more tired than I thought."

Victor's only response was to nod slowly up and down, his tiny arm computer totally forgotten.

_**Annnd Check.**_

Kasumi took a second to think about the rest of her possible chores, but with Ryouga, Robin and Starfire out on patrol - Ryouga had been quite insistent about the chance to get some real exercise - she couldn't complete any of the little tasks she came up with.

Which meant that she was all done for the night.

. . . Hmmm, now what to do with her free time? It would be at least ten minutes before Victor recovered enough to help her out with her medical training. Her Stories had all been Tivo'd earlier, so she could start watching those . . . but then Starfire had been quite enthralled by Dash Darrington's evil plot to replace his identical uncle and take over his eye patch manufacturing plant, all in order to win over the heart of the president's step-niece.

On second thought, this week's plot was a little simplistic.

With her options quickly dwindling, Kasumi found her attention drawn back to her pair of young assistants. Finally done with the washing, drying and storing, Terra and Garfield were now sitting, looking very chummy with their stools pulled together, chatting away.

While eavesdropping was far from polite, it certainly beat boredom. She nearly giggled; what an odd thought that was. Boredom? Had she ever even considered that word back in Nerima? Who would have imagined that moving away from home and into a giant tower filled with real life super heroes would actually give her time to get bored?

"-I mean, it's just great! I can't believe how much more confident I am in my powers already."

Oops, she almost missed what Terra was saying. Leaning back against the counter, feigning interest in the distant TV, Kasumi settled in to listen to Garfield's reply.

"Um, yeah . . . that sure is awesome how Ryo's trainin' is workin'."

"I _know_, right? I mean, I thought he was totally insane when he had me all strapped up for the BT training, but I haven't had an . . . um - accident in days," Terra continued, excitement simply oozing out of her-

Kasumi cringed. 'Oozing out'? That didn't sound very nice at all.

. . ., her voice _bursting_ with excitement.

"That is pretty sweet . . . Say, when do you think Ryo is gonna give you the all clear so you aren't stuck training all day?" Beast Boy's inference was anything but subtle.

Terra tapped her chin lightly. "I dunno. Soon, I hope. He mentioned something about wanting to test me soon . . . But who knows how much longer the training might need to go on?"

Apparently the geokinetic girl was so caught up in her own little world that she completely missed the crestfallen expression that tumbled down the changeling's face. Rather than wait for him to respond, Terra continued right along.

"I actually hope the training doesn't end too soon. Working with Ryouga is great. He's so supportive, he actually understands what it's like to mess up from time to time and . . . and he's just really amazing!" Terra's exclamation was coupled with a potent 'starry-eyed' gaze.

Seeming less thrilled with the current by topic by the second, Garfield scoffed loudly. "Pfft! Ryo isn't _that_ great. I mean, he's not even as strong as Star, he's not nearly as tough as Cyborg, Raven's got loads more firepower than him, spiritually speaking, and I can go _way_ faster than him whenever I want." The shape shifter leaned back, smirking triumphantly. "The only thing he's really got goin' for him is his mad 'foo skills."

Kasumi winced; that had not been the best approach he could have used. In record time, the blonde Titan went from smiling to scowling.

"Why would you even say that?" Terra demanded hotly. "Sure, he's not perfect, but unlike _you_ apparently, not all of _us_ are!"

The Tendo woman could only shake her head sadly as things began to spiral out of control.

"Whoa, Terra, that's not what I meant-"

Terra was having none of his excuses, though, and cut him off harshly. "Is that what you think of me, too? Am I just a dangerously unstable poor man's version of _Raven_?"

At the far end of the room, reluctantly sipping her tea, Raven looked up at the mention of her name. Upon seeing that it was Beast Boy being berated, though, she quickly lost interest and went back to reading.

Victor, finally regaining enough of his senses to realize what was going on, quickly raised his hands in a warding gesture. "Hey now, Terra, _nobody_ thinks you're anything like Raven!"

Again, the violet haired sorceress looked up, apparently trying to puzzle out whether she'd just been insulted or not, but then simply shrugged and went back to reading again.

"Of course not," Terra rebuked bitterly, "How could I possibly match up to someone as _perfect_ as Raven?"

This time, Raven didn't even look up, just rolled her eyes.

Beast Boy, on the other hand, shook his head wildly. "Nonono! You got it all wrong, we weren't talking about you at all!"

Rather than be assuaged, Terra jumped to her feet, slapping her hands to the counter. "Oh, I don't _get it_, do I? Well _excuuuuse_ me for not be smart enough to pick up on all of your _subtle nuances_!"

Her piece said, Terra then stormed out of the room in a fit of petite pique, leaving a devastated Garfield, a confused Victor and a concerned Kasumi glancing at each other awkwardly.

Raising her head yet again, Raven fired a mildly reproachful glare at the trio. ". . . You guys are idiots, you know that, right?"

At which point, Beast Boy jumped up, clutching his skull.

"_What just happened_!"

* * *

-Later that same night-

As a general rule, Raven enjoyed being right. Even moreso, she enjoyed being right when it came at the expense of Beast Boy being wrong. However, in a very rare exception to that rule, Raven currently found herself less than thrilled with the accuracy of her own prediction.

"What the heck is going on, Raven?" This whole thing is driving me crazy."

Raven sighed, rubbing her temples in anguish as her emerald teammate paced anxiously around her room. "_How_ did you get into my room again?" she asked, likely rhetorically. "I specifically remember locking the door."

If the boy heard her, he gave no sign as he continued his rant. "Seriously! If she isn't training _with_ Ryo, she's doing training _for_ Ryo. If she's not working on her own, she's too exhausted to hang out. If she's not too exhausted to hang out, then all she does is _talk about Ryouga_!"

Rolling her eyes, Raven gave Beast Boy 'the look'. "I fail to see how any of that is Ryouga's fault, or, more importantly, my problem."

Beast Boy responded with a literal 'puppy dog pout' - complete with whiskers - which pulled on even Raven's heart strings before morphing back. "Come on, Rae, you saw what happened. All I did was mention Ryo's name and Terra went all ballistic on me." The green skinned teen waved his arms around to accentuate his point.

Again, Raven rolled her eyes. "That is _hardly_ what happened. You did your best to tear down one of your teammates, one of your _friends_ just to make yourself look better."

Beast Boy frowned, opened his mouth . . . only to close it a few moments later. The look of embarrassment on the changeling's face was only slightly gratifying. "Okay, okay. I guess that I was pretty outta line there, but _still_! She took it totally personally!"

Dropping his arms to his sides in defeat, Beast Boy kicked the carpet despondently. "I don't get it, Rae. Half the time, it's just like old times with Terra, but the other half, she's getting' all mad at me, or pushing me away. She's not . . . she's not falling for Ryo, is she?"

For a few seconds, Raven considered just telling the emerald changeling to quit bothering her and leave her alone. It wasn't like he was the only one being left out in the cold, not that he would ever actually possess the empathy to realize that.

And yet, it was that self-same empathy that stayed her hand, as it were. Taking in her friend's hunched posture, his drooping ears and shimmering eyes . . .

Sighing loudly, the violet eyed Titan patted the edge of the bed to her side, prompting Beast Boy to take a seat. Not quite sure how to proceed, she awkwardly patted him on the shoulder as she tried to organize her thoughts.

"It's not really what you think. I'm fairly certain that Terra isn't falling in love with Ryouga. It's hard for me to put into words, but I think-"

"Well, if she doesn't love him, then why was she defending him like that?" Beast Boy interrupted her frantically.

Resisting the urge to go from patting his shoulder to wringing his neck, Raven shook her head. "She _wasn't_ defending him, she was defending herself, Beast Boy. I don't know how you could have possibly missed it, but Terra identifies herself with Ryouga. Any insult you aimed at him, may as well have been directed at her as well."

Beast Boy's brow furrowed as he desperately tried to interpret her words. "B-but that doesn't make any sense. Her and Ryouga don't got anything in common, and _we_ were her friends way before he was. Why would he care what I say about Ryo?"

Raven's eyes narrowed as she regarded the changeling. "Perhaps for the same reason that _I_ care when you needlessly insult Ryouga, seeing as he is our friend." She took a moment to center herself before continuing. "There are reasons beyond that, though."

"Like what?" Beast Boy asked, earning another glare.

"Well, there is no easy way to put this, but the main thing that I have been able to sense from Terra, from the very moment that she awoke, is that she feels-" Raven struggled to find a good euphemism, but ultimately failed. "Damaged, I suppose. Unworthy, perhaps, like she doesn't deserve to be here, with us."

"What? Why the heck would she think that!"

Feeling less certain of herself by the moment, Raven took a long breath. "Beast Boy . . . Terra, she did terrible things. To us, to this city, to herself . . . Things which many would call unforgivable. And yet, not one of us has even mentioned what transpired between all of us."

She noted the clueless expression on her companion's face and endeavored to explain things further. "Think about it. Since none of us have been willing to broach that subject, the issue, in Terra's mind, is hanging, unresolved over her head like the sword of Damocles every moment that she is with any of us, just waiting to drop."

Holding up her left hand, she nodded to her upraised palm. "On the other hand, you have Ryouga. Not only is there no troubled past dividing them, but he experienced a similar situation. A friend becoming a traitor, and now struggling to find his place within our team."

Beast Boy frowned, scratching his head. "I - I guess that is _kinda_ similar . . ."

"Then, of course, there is the fact that he has, in no small way, become her personal savior in more ways than one. First, saving her from her stone prison, then saving her from herself with his makeshift training. Is it any wonder that she would be idolizing him, even if only a small bit?" She asked, smirking slightly.

Growling in frustration, the changeling pulled at his hair weakly. "Argh! _No_."

Smiling wickedly now, Raven leaned back and flipped her hair absently. This was starting to get amusing. "Not to mention the fact that he's something of a role model for her. Where she's still struggling to come to terms with what she's done, Ryouga has already become a valued and trusted member of our team, giving her hope for herself."

"Okay, I get it already!"

Not quite ready to stop yet, Raven stared at Beast Boy through lidded eyes.

"Did you know, that earlier this week, Terra approached me with concerns over the training Ryouga was subjecting her to? Not certain what else to do, I told her of what Cologne subjected Ryouga to while training him and Starfire in the Hirya Shoten Ha." She shivered unconsciously, the memories of even the echoes of the emotions she felt on the few occasions she had been present still haunted her occasionally. "After hearing of the utter insanity that he willingly endured to gain control of his emotions, she was inspired to continue her own training."

A random analogy struck her, eliciting a small chuckle. "As bafflingly ironic as it may sound, he is something of a guidepost for her, letting Terra know that her goals are actually attainable."

Unfortunately, her tiny joke didn't elicit so much as a smile from her companion, who appeared to be lost in thought.

"So . . . she's not in love with him, she's just way more comfortable around him than us because she's still secretly terrified that we might start yelling at her for betraying us at any minute?" he mused aloud.

Somewhat shocked, Raven nodded. "That is actually the gist of what I was trying to explain. There is an off chance that the method Ryouga used to acclimate his chi to match Terra's that might be contributing to the ease of familiarity, but honestly I have no idea if Terra is actually sensitive enough to pick up on that."

Beast Boy looked at her oddly for a moment before just shaking his head. "I dunno what you're talkin' about with that stuff, but now that we know what the problem is, how do we fix it?"

The dark Titan's head tilted inquisitively. "Fix it?"

Beast Boy rolled his wrist leadingly. "You know what I mean. We know why Terra's acting weird around us, why she's not really that comfortable around any of us . . . So what do we do to fix it?"

Taking a deep breath, Raven released it in a weary sigh. Was he hoping for some easy answer, some quick fix? Some easy answer that would make things all better.

"Beast Boy-"

Which was precisely the moment that the emergency siren flared to life, drowning out anything she might have hoped to say. Moving on instinct, both Titans pulled out their communicators and flipped the devices open. An instant later, Robin's familiar face filled the tiny screen.

"Calling all Titans. A silent alarm was just tripped at a chemical company outside the city. Everyone meet us there as soon as you can."

Before the duo even had the chance to get to their feet, something unexpected happened, as Ryouga's face suddenly replaced their young leader's. "That means you too, Terra!"

"It's time for your first test!"

* * *

Looking down on the warehouse, the ancient martial arts master's wrinkled lips curled in anticipation. The light of the morning sun wouldn't brighten the Gotham skyline for well over an hour and their quarry was due any minute now. The cargo ship, now resting peacefully in the bay, had already unloaded its exotic cargo and said cargo had already been moved to the large storehouse below.

A whisper of sound heralded the appearance of his disciple as she alighted on the ledge to his side. The darkly clad girl bore her familiar Cheshire grin as she studied the warehouse for herself.

"How are you feeling, Disciple? Are you prepared?"

The lovely young woman nodded enthusiastically. "I have _months_ of pent up frustration just waiting to get unleashed. This is going to be the most violently therapeutic thing I've ever done."

The ancient master chuckled in amusement. "Try to leave our poor friend alive, if at all possible. I know I haven't exactly gone easy on you, but try not to take it all out of on our unsuspecting victim."

"No promises, Master, but I'll try to play nice."

A flicker of motion on the street far below, a dark shape slipping into the warehouse in question alerted them that the time for talk was over.

"Poor guy . . . Looks like his luck just ran out," she quipped, smiling brightly.

"Hmmm, that's actually not too bad." He then reached up and patted her on the bottom, giving her a not so gentle shove off the ledge.

"Now go enjoy your first test, Jinx."


	33. Titan Rising Chapter 8

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 8

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

Terra sat on her bed, legs tucked tightly to her chest, ankles crossed and chin pressed firmly on her knees. The pale, desert motif of her room offered small comfort as she rocked slowly back and forth, Beast Boy's words continuing to ring through her ears.

'_Pfft! Ryo isn't that great . . . The only thing he's really got goin' for him is his mad 'foo skills.'_

Why would he say something like that? She'd thought Beast Boy liked Ryouga . . . but now she was confused. If Beast Boy could act so friendly around Ryouga, just to talk like that behind the guy's back . . . well, what could he be saying about Terra behind _her_ back?

She had been simply amazed by Ryouga. So strong, so fast, so - so _everything , _but if the person that had saved her life didn't measure up, what did that say about her?

Sighing loudly, she flopped back to lay on her bed. Maybe she'd be lucky and her dreams wouldn't be filled with fire for a change.

The sudden braying of an alarm, quickly followed by the beeping of the communicator on her nightstand shattered her hopes for pleasant dreams. She stared uncertainly at the device. Whatever the emergency was, she could only make it worse anyway, so there was no point in even picking it up . . .

Still, curiosity was a powerful force.

With a flick of her wrist, she flipped open the lid just in time to catch the tail end of Robin's call for aid. Just as she'd expected, there was no call for her to join the battle; another night of warming the bench awaited her, again. Honestly, she wondered if Robin and the others would _ever_ trust her enough to put her back on duty.

Heck, she still hadn't decided if going back on duty was what she even wanted.

"And that means you, Terra! It's time for your first test!"

Lost in thought as she'd been, she could only stare at the tiny face of her 'master', shock evident on her features. Her first test? Ryouga thought she was ready for her first test already?

A myriad of emotions washed over her at once: dread, trepidation, fear, a rumbling in her tummy - she wasn't enough of an emotion expert to know what that last one was, but she didn't like it. Still, all of those feelings paled as she sat up, hugging herself. All she could think as she stared at her narrow knees was:

_He actually trusts me!_

Getting into uniform and making her way to the garage all seemed to happen in a blur, punctuated by loud shouts of congratulations from Cyborg and supportive smiles from Beast Boy as she found herself swept into the T-Car.

The drive was equally hazy. Any attempts at conversation were met with monosyllabic responses. Every inch of the drive saw her mind consumed with thoughts of what could possibly be coming next. Who would they be fighting? Would it be dangerous? Would she lose control?

Would she end up hurting her friends again?

She didn't even register the looks of concern on her companion's faces as she stared vacantly out the window, biting down on the thumb of her heavy leather glove the entire trip. The only reason she noticed their arrival at the chemical plant was from Raven gently pulling her out of the car.

The first sight she saw, aside from the massive, sprawling structure of the chemical plant in the distance, was not something she'd wanted to see.

Robin and Ryouga arguing.

Even from a distance, the heated expressions and waving arms made it more than obvious they were fighting about something. All that closing that distance did was confirm her fears of just what it was they were fighting about.

"-far too dangerous, I can't allow it!" Robin barked loudly.

"Too dangerous? It's just one guy, Robin. This is the perfect chance to test Terra's training. I can't have everyone interfering and getting in her way!" Ryouga fired back.

Even as Terra wondered what they could be arguing about beyond her involvement, Raven glided up beside her. The darker Titan was wearing a tight lipped frown as she muttered to herself. "Surely he can't be suggesting _that_."

"There is _no _way that I'm letting Terra fight an unknown threat alone. I wouldn't allow it even if she wasn't in such an unpredictable state. Putting her in that kind of situation is just reckless." Robin leaned forward, eye mask narrowed, and practically daring Ryouga to argue against his logic.

Of course, not being the greatest advocate of logic, Ryouga did just that, baring his fangs. "Throwing her into a seven on one dog pile is reckless! We can't keep hiding her from danger forever; she needs real fights if she's ever going to improve."

"You're willing to risk Terra's life on this?" There was a dangerous amount of ice in the smaller teen's voice as Robin leaned forward aggressively into Ryouga's personal space.

Ryouga just looked at him like he was insane. "Of course! Life and death battles are the only way to overcome your limits. . . Damnit, if you're not going to let Terra do this, then why the hell am I even training her?"

A frown creased Robin's face and the Boy Wonder shot Terra a glance out of the corner of his eye mask. He seemed to be struggling with something, for some reason. Frankly, Terra wasn't sure _who_ to root for. Robin still seemed unable to trust her, but at the same time, there was such a thing as too much trust.

Then, in a baffling move, Robin actually _nodded. "_Fair enough."

Ryouga bulled on hotly. "Robin, she needs to learn- wait - _what_?"

His sentiment was echoed by a surprised Raven, an incredulous Cyborg, a furious Beast Boy and a terrified Terra. However, Robin ignored them all, donning a smirk as he regarded the Lost Boy. "You're right, Ryouga. We've been progressing carefully with Terra's training so far. Perhaps it's time to take off the kid gloves."

Instantly, Ryouga began to swell up, an incredibly smug look spreading over his face-

"However," Robin cut in sharply, "Not even _my _mentor was reckless enough to send me into a situation like this on my own."

It seemed as if Robin was draining the smugness directly from Ryouga, the smirk on the Boy Wonder's face growing at the same rate which the Lost Boy's shrunk. At the same time, Terra felt her own lips curling up into a smile as well.

"I think it's only fitting that you, as Terra's mentor, should go into the fight with her, to make sure she doesn't get into trouble," Robin explained quite matter-of-factly.

Terra didn't even wait to hear the wryly sarcastic comment that Raven was doubtlessly mere seconds away from making. The geokinetic girl ran forward eagerly and latched onto the bandanna clad boy's arm like a lifeline. "Yeah, come on, Ryouga! It'll be great: A student and her master fighting against all odds . . ."

Terra paused for a moment.

"Umm, what exactly _are_ the odds again? What the heck is this big lunk signing me up for?"

Robin smiled knowingly, then gestured to the chemical plant several dozen yards away from their current position. "We've only spotted one intruder so far, though Starfire is scouting ahead to see if that is actually the case. From the rough look we got, it seems to be a robot . . . Either that or someone in a really big suit. Surely nothing that a _master_ martial artist can't handle."

Responding to the obvious barb, Ryouga crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at Robin haughtily. "Feh. Obviously I could handle a weakling like that on my own. However, I won't need to, since Terra here doesn't need any help."

The fanged fighter then spared Terra a brief glance before harrumphing. "Still, for purely _observational_ purposes, it would only make sense for me to go with my prized pupil for . . . um, observational reasons . . ."

Proudly ignoring the amused grins forming on the faces of everyone present, Ryouga then spun tersely, absently dragging Terra around with him. Even as she stumbled to a stop, quickly letting go of his arm and trying to burn a hole through his head with her glare, the master martial artist began to march forward purposefully.

"Come, Pupil. We have a criminal to capture."

Only to come up short, as Cyborg was standing right in front of him, holding up a hand to stop them. "Yo, Ryo - um - two things. First, you might wanna wait for Star to get back in case she spots any more people. Second- "Cyborg pointed to something over their shoulders. "The, uh, the ginormous chemical plant is _that_ way."

It was with a meaty smack that Ryouga slapped his forehead.

* * *

The bulky figure moved with surprising grace as he approached the warehouse. The desire, the instinct to just surge forward and tear his way through the fragile wall of the structure pulsed painfully with each step he took, but he suppressed the bestial urges by pure will. He needed to think clearly, or all would be lost.

Stopping before his first target, he studied the large transformer which supplied power to all of the warehouses for several hundred meters in every direction. If he disabled it carefully enough, it would look like little more than a random power outage, likely getting security a bit on edge, but of no real concern to the police.

Reaching out carefully, the shadowy figure . . .

Proceeded to growl furiously and tear the entire damn thing out of the ground before hurling the wildly sparking mass of steel and wire into the distant waters of the Gotham shipping port.

Immediately, he cursed himself for his foolishness. _The Plan! Stick to the plan! _It would still take time to investigate, now that the lights had died, plunging the entire district into darkness, but the police would surely be called in when this rather glaring clue was found.

Time, he didn't have as much time anymore; he needed to hurry - needed to rush. Moving quickly, the figure loped towards the warehouse that housed his goal. With the power to all of the security systems cut, all he had to do was subdue any guards that might be present before they could radio for help.

A simple enough task, and a snack was always welcome - He shook his head to rid it of the distracting thought. Using his razor claws, he climbed the warehouse adjacent to his target as quietly as he could. Once up, he studied his target from his new perch for a moment.

The sprawling, two story warehouse was solidly built; thin steel walls running between larger support beams with a broad bay of windows running down the entire length of the wall roughly a dozen feet above the ground. With only the light of the moon and the faint glow from the distant heart of Gotham city, the various patches of corrosion which stained the aging structure were difficult to make out, as was the oh-so-inviting skylight adorning the roof.

Not bothering with a running start, the figure tensed the powerful muscles in his legs and launched himself across the twenty foot gap between the buildings easily. Landing with a dull thump, he stalked forward to steal a glance through the skylight . . .

Nothing but darkness greeted him, the pale moonlight failing to illuminate the cavernous interior. His first instinct was to smash through the fragile glass and loot the place . . . But something was wrong.

Where were the flashlights? The guards would have had ample time to get them out, and yet, not a single narrow lance of light cut through the darkness below.

Cautious now, he carefully opened the skylight, the meager lock snapping off with a metallic 'ping'. Landing easily from the two story drop, the intruder began to scan the interior of the warehouse intently. His eyes adjusted quickly to the murky darkness, revealing towering stacks of crates sprawled outward as far as the eye could see.

The only sound he could hear was the rattling '_Hssk_' of his own breathing. No footsteps, no calls for help, not even a disgruntled string of curses concerning the power outage. Fortunately for him, sight and sound were not the only tools in his repertoire.

Taking a deep breath, olfactory information from every corner of the structure flowed into him. Slowly, his malformed, discolored lips spread out into an eager smile, revealing a row of raggedly sharp teeth.

"_Hsssk _- I know you're in here, girlie," he growled ominously, "Why don't you come out where I can see you?"

Sure, it wasn't likely to work, but if he could just get the mysterious female to give even a sign-

A slim figure dropped from the rafters, landing so lightly that he wasn't even sure he would have heard it had his back been turned. That alone confirmed his suspicions on who the strange young woman could be. Stalking forward hungrily, the massive criminal chuckled grimly. "So, the Bat's got himself a new girl scout, does . . . he ?"

His words died in his throat as he got close enough to actually see the girl's bright pink hair, cat like eyes and wicked Cheshire grin. ". . . The hell are you, girlie? Don't tell me Catwoman is recruitin' now, too."

Instantly, the girl's slitted eyes narrowed and she leaned forward to irately bark, "I do _not_ have a cat motif!" A second later, she planted her hands on her hips and glared at him heatedly. "And damnit, look what you did! You made me ruin my awesome, badass entrance."

He could only stare at her, not sure at all what to make of the pretty little thing. The poor girl was rail thin, be lucky if she weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet. Sure, she was a bit odd looking, but compared to him, she could be the cover girl for 'Normal Person' magazine. Whatever mental instability that had caused her to confront him like this, he couldn't be bothered to care.

"Go away, kid, ya bother me." He shooed her away dismissively as he began to walk past her down the long aisle formed by the towering piles of cargo. He smirked inwardly at the outraged expression on her delicious looking face as he stalked past her, but several seconds later, the sharp sound of someone snapping their fingers rang throughout the warehouse -

Twin flashes of pink from above were his only warning as suddenly several towers of crates on either side of the aisle suddenly toppled over in his direction. Only heightened reflexes saved him from embarrassment as he leapt backwards mere seconds before hundreds of pounds of engine parts and ladies hats could bury him alive.

Spinning around, he hissed loudly at the strange girl, now perched daintily on the edge of a crate several feet off the ground, her legs crossed demurely before her.

His eyes narrowed as he regarded her; her unusual scent - an odd mix of strawberry shampoo . . . old person and - and week old laundry? - burning itself into his memory. Slowly his lips peeled back to reveal his file sharpened teeth, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

Rather than tremble in fear at his attempt at intimidation, the pink haired girl simply shook her head sadly from side to side. ". . . Looks like your luck just changed for the worse . . . Killer Croc."

* * *

Ryouga frowned as Terra led them through the labyrinthine structure that was the chemical plant. As far as the eye could see, corroded pipes filled his vision. Horizontal pipes stretching off into the twilight darkness, vertical pipes rising into the sky. On and on it went, forming an endless jungle of ironmongery; cat walks served as footpaths and open vats of unidentifiable liquids swirled around and around ominously, promising that any fall could be your last.

They were still on the ground floor, having already passed through the outskirts, thankfully, but - "I should be leading us into the fight, not my student," he grumbled to himself.

Terra quickly turned and shushed him. "Starfire said the guy was near the center of the plant. We should be getting close, so would you stop moping already?" she whispered hotly.

Trying to vainly cover his moping, Ryouga scoffed, "And how can you be so sure of that?"

Just as Terra opened her mouth to reply, the horrible squeal of tearing metal filled the air. The horrendous sound was so loud, so grating on the ears, that it couldn't have come from more than fifty feet away.

His protégé's lips curled up into the smuggest smile that Ryouga had seen this side of the Orient.

"Oh, shut up," he muttered flatly.

Rather than press her victory, Terra just turned - a bit more spring in her step than was strictly necessary - and began to move towards the blaring sounds of blatant destruction. After climbing a staircase and traversing a narrow catwalk, they found themselves before one of the proper structures housed within the confines of the steel jungle.

There was very little of the front door left to open, as it looked as if an elephant had just charged through; crumbled concrete and shattered glass scattered everywhere. Taking a few steps beyond the destroyed entrance, though, they found themselves standing in a decidedly generic, sterile looking area which just screamed 'science labs'. Not far down the hall on the left was yet another destroyed doorway, this one a heavy sheet of metal that was quite likely the origin of the earlier ear splitting sound.

Terra turned back to glance Ryouga's way again, a mixed look of fear and excitement on her face. "Two bucks says our buddy is in there now," she whispered.

Ryouga just rolled his eyes. As if he had that kind of money on him . . . Well, actually now that he thought about it, he did have that money card, though he hadn't had much chance to use it lately. It was still odd getting used to not being dirt poor.

"Hey, wait up!" he whispered as he finally noticed that Terra was already moving ahead without him. He caught up to her just as she peeked her head around the shattered doorframe to steal a glance.

A second later, she pulled back and glared at him furiously. "Are you trying to get us killed?" she spat in a hushed tone. "That guy looks like two Cyborgs jammed together _and_ on steroids!"

Scoffing quietly, Ryouga gently pushed his student out of the way and took a peek for himself. A second later, he pulled back as well to stare at Terra. "It's like a _Mecha-Lime_!"

Terra offered him a completely clueless expression

Shaking his head, he quickly waved off her unspoken inquiry. "Never mind. You're right, though, that guy is huge."

Taking another look into the room, Ryouga appraised the situation. The room itself was quite large; several ceiling tall cylinders of some green liquid took up the far end of the room, while the rest of the walls were lined with research equipment and - disturbingly - cages upon cages of various lab animals, all crying out wildly in fear.

"It's a good thing that Beast Boy isn't here," Terra commented quietly, "He would have completely freaked out."

Standing at the center of the room was their adversary, a large piece of machinery hefted over his head. The . . . person? stood well over eight feet tall and nearly half that wide of gleaming red steel. Large vents on the chest made it look strangely like the grill of a car, making the large A at the center into an unlikely hood ornament. Were it not for the obviously human face sticking out of the massive mechanical behemoth's head, framed by stubby little antenna looking things, Ryouga would have assumed it was a robot.

With a grunt, the oversized criminal spiked the machine into the floor hard enough to embed it over a foot into the solid concrete, shattered steel and masonry flying everywhere.

"_Woohoo_! This is _awesome_!"

To his side, Terra rolled her eyes before whispering. "'Woohoo'? What, is this guy trying to destroy the Eighties?"

Before he could reply, the robotic terror lifted his leg, servos whining loudly. A second later, the battle suit wearing villain slammed his foot down onto the remains of the machine, burying the twisted metal all the way up to the knee.

Pulling back again, Ryouga glanced at Terra, who was sporting a perturbed expression. "Well, we can't fight him in there without hurting those animals, and I'd rather fight in an open area," she offered quietly.

Ryouga nodded; he preferred open areas as well, especially when fighting someone that was almost certainly stronger and slower than him. He considered the situation a moment before nodding to himself. He then gestured back towards the way they had just come in.

"Alright, you head outside and find a good vantage point. I'll get his attention and draw him outside."

Terra looked at him dubiously. "How are you gonna do that?"

Ryouga grinned as he pulled off one of his bandannas. "Don't worry, I have a plan."

The young geokinetic stared at the yellow and black bandanna dangling from his hand, then up at him. "What are you gonna do? Offer him accessorizing tips?"

"Just shut up and go already!"

* * *

With a soft click and near silent hiss of highly compressed gas, the grappling hook was fired into the darkness above. Several long seconds later, the metallic clatter of steel on concrete signaled that the tool had found purchase. Giving a firm tug to check its hold, he then pressed the retract button. Instantly, the impossibly strong motor in his hand held launcher whined to life, pulling him up the side of the building at break neck speed.

The trail of clues and rumors which he had been following this week had been a bizarre mixture of blatant and subtle. Starting with the explosion at the Iceberg Lounge, which had been impossible to miss, and tapering off to vague rumors of a catty young woman prowling the night.

He climbed up onto the ledge and began sprinting across the roof, easily clearing the chasm between buildings with a single, expert bound before continuing his run.

Gaining any further information had been like pulling teeth. Cobblepot had proven more stubborn than usual, insisting that the explosion had been a minor accident with his 'collection'; the whole time smiling like the cat after a delicious meal of canary.

Another leap landed him on the last tall building before entering the harbor area. A broad street, built to accommodate the cargo laden transports which poured into and out of the harbor, separated him from the huddled masses of warehouses encircling the bay.

Of course, the Penguin was far from his only source of information. The word on the street, as hushed as it was, was that a fight was brewing. It had taken time, but after determining the identity of one of the would be brawlers, Oracle had been able to piece together the time and place soon after.

Apparently an unknown vigilante was gunning for Killer Croc, and every bookie in town was jockeying for a piece of the action.

The caped figure frowned as he scanned the horizon for a good vantage point. A free standing crane, well over two hundred feet tall, was an obvious perch, but would require him to get closer before he could scale it.

Unfortunately, beyond the fact that the challenger was female, any further attempts he might have made to investigate her identity had been frustrated by a baffling string of . . . clothing thefts . . .

He might - 'might' have drawn a connection between the mysterious girl and the string of thefts, but considering the _unique _nature of the thefts, it seemed unlikely the culprit would be female. And the startling lack of evidence and improbable difficulty of some of the thefts would normally discount a younger perpetrator.

Now running across the roof of one of the warehouses, he pulled his grapnel gun again and fired a line up into the intersecting beams of the towering crane above him. Seconds later, he was being lifted - soaring up into the darkness.

Frankly, the famed detective wasn't sure which alternative was stranger: An improbably skilled girl with a fetish for other women's undergarments, gunning for Killer Croc, or the fact that there could be a completely unknown factor running around his city, who coincidentally arrived right around the time the girl had . . .

With a flip, he lifted himself up and onto the crane's long arm and pulled out a set of binoculars to scan the warehouses below. Everything was unusually dark, and it didn't take him long to find the cause, not with all the sparks the shredded base of the transformer station was giving off.

A sudden thought struck the dark knight with freight train force. It actually baffled him that he hadn't considered it earlier; quite likely a side effect of the frustrating nature of the panty thefts.

A young vigilante arrives in town and immediately begins looking for a brawl with one of Gotham's more dangerous residents. At the same time, a string of crimes begin, some of which would require unbelievable skill to accomplish and leaving not a single trace . . . All of which point to a master of their trade.

It was rare to see in the world of villainy, possibly why he hadn't considered it before, but he, of all people was intimately familiar with the concept of the mentor and the apprentice.

Of course, taking that one extra leap of logic lead him to a vaguely worrisome conclusion: If the apprentice was here for her fight, then her master would likely be -

"So, you must be the infamous Batman I've heard so much about lately."

It was rare for Batman to be surprised, especially by someone whose proximity he had just anticipated, but even he was amazed at how easily he had been approached. He did his best to school his features before turning around - only for his eyes to widen a fraction of an inch at what he saw.

The shrunken, withered, abjectly ancient . . . man? . . . that stared back at him was bordering on the strange, even for his most incredible definition of the word. Still, he lived up to his reputation, retaining his calm perfectly.

"The girl's master, I presume?"

The ancient warrior's eyes widened comically for a moment in response. "What? How did you figure it out so quickly? I made certain to keep as far away from Jinx as possible all week!"

_'Actually, you just confirmed my suspicion_,' Batman did not say. Rather, he replied in a completely serious tone. "Your . . . crime spree began the very same night that your apprentice interrogated the Penguin. Considering her aggressive approach to finding a dangerous opponent, and the impressive level of skill demonstrated in some of your heists, it wasn't difficult to theorize a master and student relationship."

The master nodded sagely. "Well, you certainly live up to your reputation, Detective. I honestly hadn't expected to be impressed by the man responsible for the training of that wastrel, Robin."

At that, Batman's eyes widened again. How did this person know Robin? And wait, wasn't Jinx one of the young villains whom had crossed his old apprentice's path before? For what possible reason would an ancient master be training a nearly unknown villainess? And why did this person seem to know so much about him as well?

Eyes narrowing suspiciously, Batman regarded his shrunken companion. "I'm afraid that you seem to have me at a bit of a disadvantage."

Only for the ancient master to burst into laughter. A twinkle of mirth in his eyes, the old man replied:

"Oh, you have _no_ idea."

* * *

The crate exploded into a shower of wooden splinters and geometry sets mere seconds after Jinx dove to the side. Completing a quick handstand - backflip combination - sticking the landing perfectly - the acrobatic villainess turned to smirk at the snarling freak of nature. With a sharp tug, Killer Crop tore his claws out of the shattered box and turned to glare at her.

"_Hssk_ . . . I get the feelin' that you're gonna cause me no end of trouble if I toy around with you, ain't ya?"

Jinx smiled cutely and nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, you have no idea."

At her admission, Killer Croc nodded to himself. "Hmm, thought so . . ." Tapping his chin, Croc's eyes narrowed dangerously as he studied her. "Unfortunately for you, Girly, I ain't in the mood to _play around_!"

Suddenly, in an unexpected burst of speed, the enormous crocodile man surged forward, his pallid, grey scales almost dissolving into the near pitch blackness surrounding them. Jinx side stepped quickly, only to spin pivot on her left foot and lash out with a devastating spinning back kick to Killer Croc's ribs as he passed.

A second later, she was stumbling and fighting to regain her balance. She might as well have kicked a scaly brick wall, considering the sting running up her ankle. At the very least, though, her kick did land with enough force to knock Killer Croc off his course to careen into a literal wall of crates.

Again, wooden crates burst into a wild assortment of random items as Croc spun around, furiously demolishing everything around him as he regained his own footing.

"Yer getting' on my nerves, Girl!" growled the reptilian criminal. Croc then thrust his arm out to the side, impaling his claws into the side of a metal container. Then, with a mighty swing, launched the improvised missile straight at the juvenile sorceress' face.

Surprised at her own level of calm, considering the situation, Jinx fell into a backward roll, letting the projectile fly over her harmlessly. Not even waiting until she was on her feet, she landed on her belly and thrust out her arms, snapping her fingers and launching a pair of fiery pink hexes at her prey.

The first projectile flew shamefully wide, reducing a foot round hole in the distant wall to rust. The second nimbus of power drilled right into Croc's scaly shoulder, bursting into a small flash of pink which spun the much larger villain around and left a nasty scorch mark on what passed for his skin.

Any celebration the nimble sorceress might have made as she pushed herself up to her feet was drowned out by Killer Croc's bestial cry of rage. Jinx actually shuddered at the palpable hatred in her opponent's howl as he charged forward again.

Her mind kicked into overdrive as she bent her knees, the now familiar tingle of her power flowing through her legs giving her some comfort. A second later, she straightened her legs and launched herself straight up; higher than she ever could have hoped to leap before training under Happosai. Her jump carried her easily twenty feet straight up -practically two stories in a single jump! - nearly high enough to grab the lowest of the roof rafters. Below her, tell tale swirls of pink energy danced around the spot she'd just vacated.

Twisting her body in ways that few beyond a certain pigtailed martial artist could, she managed to change the angle of her flight as she began to fall. Rather than landing right where she'd started, Jinx managed to land gracefully on one of the towering stacks of crates.

By the time she finally steadied herself, she saw that Killer Croc had already turned around. Even in the darkness she could see the puzzled look on his face as he wondered why she hadn't come back down yet.

The pink eyed sorceress studied Killer Croc intently for a moment. There were only two other times in recent memory she had felt like this, felt like a tiny mouse toying with a big, hungry cat. The most recent, and infuriating, had been her run in with Shampoo. It had been more than luck that she'd needed to survive that encounter. If Mousse hadn't . . .

She shook her head, scowling as the dark memory sparked her desire to hurt someone all over again. As if this whole situation wasn't annoying enough, she didn't need croc/cat parallels to remind her of less proud moments.

Moving silently, she skipped across the stacks of crates until she reached the far wall, then jumped down. This time, she landed with an audible thump of her thick platform heels hitting the floor. She very much wanted the reptile man to hear her this time. Then, just to put the final nail in the coffin, she lifted her hand and set it ablaze with pink flames.

She didn't have to wait even a second for the vindictive villain to home in on her. A second after that, Killer Croc was barreling down the warehouse, jaws snapping hungrily with each stride.

Jinx just smirked, equally vindictive and villainous in her own mind, as she watched him charge. Even as Killer Croc devoured the distance between them like a pound of mackerel, the young sorceress ever so subtly reached behind her back with her free hand. Her fingers gently wrapped around the smooth wood of the object tucked into her belt, bringing an even wider smile to her lips.

And then the beast was upon her.

* * *

Batman studied the tiny old man, not exactly certain how to proceed. It wasn't that uncommon for him to have no information on a new criminal, and as far as the evidence indicated, he was nothing more than a very skilled, very eccentric cat burglar . . .

And yet, every instinct of the famed Dark Knight, every fiber of his being told him that this decrepit figure was dangerous. How dangerous? Who could say? Everything about the old man, from the way he moved, the way he breathed, and something beyond that that he couldn't quite put his finger on, all reminded the bat of the many masters he had met in his own training.

It was somewhat unsettling, not knowing, but at the same time, he'd faced up to so much worse in his life that it wasn't about to stop him from doing what needed to be done.

"Who are you?" he finally asked, "What's your game here, in Gotham?"

The old man eyed him for a moment, and Batman could feel himself being weighed, before shrugging absently and pulling a pipe from behind his back. The ancient warrior then made himself comfortable on the crane and casually lit his pipe before replying.

"The name's Happosai, Detective. Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling." Happosai's eyes lit up with mischief. "Actually, I'm a bit surprised you don't already know that. Considering that an . . . associate of mine has gotten onto that Robin boy's team, one wonders how you could be surprised."

It was a very close thing, but Batman didn't sigh in regret at the thought of his old apprentice. "We . . . don't have much communication any longer. We both believe it's better for him to develop on his own now."

The grand master nodded sagely, a tinge of sympathy in his expression. "It is always bittersweet when a disciple feels they've outgrown you. Luckily for me, it will be many, many years before my newest disciple reaches that point! Of course, I guess that does answer your second question, doesn't it? My disciple needed to be tested on her training and since our last training trip . . . didn't go quite as planned, well, here we are, lost in this well known hive of scum and villainy."

Batman was quite certain he had just been insulted twice by the shrunken little man, but decided to let it slide. "And the reason you've targeted Killer Croc?"

A simple shrug. "Convenience. I was a little disappointed myself. I've heard this city offers a generous selection of beautiful ladies in need of . . . moral guidance."

The leer with which that was said almost made the detective want to give Catwoman a heads up.

"And what exactly is the end goal of this 'test'? What happens to Killer Croc?"

"Ahh, and we finally get to the crux of the matter," Happosai responded with a smirk. "Are we vindictive villains, or valiant vigilantes? Well, you'll have to wait on the answer for that one for now, but if it makes you feel any better, Jinx isn't planning on killing him, so you can have him once she's done with him."

And the old man had been right, that was the heart of the situation. It had been the difference between Batman intervening and doing his best to bring this pair to justice . . . Or not. Turning to look at the warehouse so far below them, Batman could see unusual flashes of pink lighting up the darkened windows.

"We should move closer;" he finally offered matter-of-factly.

Happosai shook his head slowly. "That won't be necessary, Detective. Jinx won't be defeated by the likes of him, she has quite a few tricks up her sleeves yet-"

The piercing squeal of steel shredding instantly drew the pair's attention down to where, quite unexpectedly, the wall of the warehouse suddenly bulged obscenely, only to explode outward - ejecting a large grey mass into the street.

Batman watched, suddenly intrigued, as the diminutive form of a young woman stepped out through the gaping hole in the wall a few moments later, twirling what looked to be a long antique . . . Tobacco pipe? He actually had to double check with his binoculars just to be sure.

An amused chuckle came from his side. "_I _taught her that one. One of my favorites, ya see?"

One of the detective's eyebrows rose up, though the expression was lost on Happosai, before he turned his attention back to Jinx. The girl seemed quite happy with herself, now holding the pipe proudly . . . for a moment anyway. Her joy disintegrated just as quickly as the pipe did, as sparks of pink energy ran along its surface, reducing it to dust in her hands.

Happosai grunted in annoyance before shrugging. "Okay, fine, she hasn't perfected it yet. Her power is just naturally entropic, which kinda makes it hard for her to use it to reinforce things . . . But I'm sure we'll figure out that tiny little problem with a bit more training, you'll see! No need to worry!"

Oddly, Batman found that assurance to be most worrisome indeed.

* * *

Moving quickly, Terra climbed up onto the pipe and knelt down to steady herself. Her new perch gave her a good vantage of the lab building that Ryouga was in, and she was only a stone's throw away . . .

The geokinetic stuck her tongue out at the cheesiness of her own pun.

Of course, now that she was perfectly situated and the adrenaline of rushing around was wearing off, a very important question suddenly reared its head.

How in the world was Ryouga going to lead anyone, anywhere?

Uncertainty gripped her as she stared at the building. Should she leave her perch? Should she go back in? Could Ryouga have already made it back to the Tower in the time he'd been out of her sight?

. . . It _seemed _unlikely . . .

What if-

A muffled shout caught her attention mere seconds before an explosion rocked the area. Apparently the front doors weren't convenient enough, as Ryouga surged out of the large hole he'd just blasted and . . . was holding something?

She didn't get a chance to find out as, a second after exiting the hole, the Lost Boy immediately lived up to his name and began running in the exact opposite direction from where she was waiting.

"Ryouga! Get back here!"

Thankfully, the bandanna wearing boy skidded to a stop, but her view of him was suddenly blocked by the massive red wall of steel that barged out of the building, doubling the size of the hole in a shower of powdered concrete and flying debris. The metal giant skidded to a stop and turned on Ryouga with an infuriated grunt.

It took Terra a second to recover from the shock of the unexpected entrances before she realized the opportunity which had been presented her: Her opponent currently had his back to her and was totally unaware of her presence.

Grinning wildly, the slight girl leapt down from her perch, landing lightly on the floor, and lifted her hands to her sides. The earth heard her plea and answered in force. In a shower of shattered concrete, the floor on either side of the mechanical jerk exploded upwards violently, twin pillars of earth and stone surging up to freedom.

Terra then swung her arms forward and clapped her hands together; the columns followed suit eagerly and came crashing together to engulf the criminal. Not even sure why she did it, the geokinetic then continued to squeeze her hands together, only to watch in amazement as the dirt and rock collapsed in on itself as it compacted down around her quarry.

"Alright!" she cheered enthusiastically. "I did it, Ryouga! I caught him!" The slight blonde pumped her fist into the air as she marveled over the stony tomb she'd erected so perfectly-

"Terra, get back!"

The warning came a second too late; as abruptly as she'd made it, the column exploded, blasting dense slabs of stone in every direction. On instinct, Terra let out a tiny yelp, squeezed her eyes shut, and threw her arms out in front of her . . .

A few seconds later, realizing that she wasn't in crippling pain, Terra mustered the courage to open her eyes, only to groan in disgust at the predictable sight of several sharp looking rocks floating harmlessly before her.

Why had she freaked out again?

The stones dropped to the floor with a clatter as the geokinetic hero turned her attention back to the tin plated villain - who appeared to be flexing as if the suit was actually composed of muscles or something. She flinched, though, when he suddenly spun around to leer at her, his fleshy face twisted mockingly.

"Did you think you could hold _Adonis_?" The giant man looked down at her appraisingly, only to snort derisively. "Who the heck are you, anyway? Anorexia girl? I came out here to play with Titans, not kittens."

In an instant, Terra's cheeks flushed red as she glared white hot daggers at Adonis. "Anorexia Girl? _Anorexia Girl?"_

Terra's whole world shifted several wavelengths down the spectrum towards gold as her eyes began to glow ominously with her power.

Had she been in a better state of mind, she might have admired this guy's level of confidence. As it was, though, she wasn't in such a forgiving mood when Adonis, completely oblivious to Ryouga's frantic hand gestures signaling him to shut up, as well as the low grade tremors beginning to rattle the entire facility to its foundations, began to laugh mockingly before saying-

"Hey, Twig Girl, why don't you come back when you actually grow a pai-

* * *

The tremor passed under their feet just a second before the massive dust plume rose up from the heart of the plant several hundred yards away. The massive column of dust twisted and swelled upwards before finally losing its hopeless battle with gravity, and began collapsing inexorably back in upon itself . . .

Raven turned to stare at Robin.

"That's . . . not a _good_ sign."

Robin nodded slowly as he lifted his communicator and flipped it open. "Starfire, report. What's going on in there?"

Several long seconds passed before the Tamaranian responded -

With a series of hacking coughs.

"_Ackies! _Please stop with the flying of the particulates into my eyes!"

The screen, which was completely filled with the brown and grays of dust and powdered concrete, finally began to clear as Starfire frantically swiped away at the cloud with her hand.

Robin did his best to hide a smile at the endearing display. "Starfire, are you alright?"

"_Cough-hack_ I am unharmed, Robin. Apparently my altitude was not sufficient while watching our friends."

The masked hero bit back a chuckle. "Understood. Can you tell me what just happened?"

Starfire's gaze turned away from the communicator and her eyes squinted cutely as she tried vainly to look down through the tower of dust. ". . . Unfortunately visibility from my vantage point has been reduced to zero. Perhaps friend Beast Boy can see more from his position?"

Robin nodded sharply in agreement. "Alright. Keep me posted if it looks like Terra might lose control, though."

A saddened look flashed across the Tamaranian's face before she nodded. "Agreed."

The communicator flickered to black for a moment before the image was quickly replaced with Beast Boy's smiling face.

"Report, Beast Boy. What happened in there?"

The emerald teen's first response was to laugh out loud. "Only the best thing ever! That lame-o they're fighting just totally dissed Terra about her looks - which is just crazy, by the way, since she's the best looking girl there is-"

It was only thanks to years of emotional repression that Robin was able to hold in his mirth as Raven's eyebrow quirked up in that 'oh really?' way of hers.

"So Terra smacked him down - _hard_! Dude totally had it coming, man."

"Is there any sign she's losing control?" Robin asked pointedly.

Instantly, Beast Boy's gleeful expression was devoured by a pack of wild scowls. "Dude, that's so not cool. Terra's doin perfect. Heck, if she hadn't clobbered him, I would have. Beast Boy out, _Dude_!"

Robin stared at the blank screen uncertainly for a moment before finally pocketing the communicator. To his side, Raven just shook her head. "It was a mistake to send those two in. You know how loyal Beast Boy and Starfire are to their friends, and yet here you are, asking them to spy on Terra for you."

"That's not what I'm doing," Robin retorted sharply, "They're there as backup in case anything should go wrong. It's just that . . . well . . . Terra might be one of those things that goes wrong . . ."

It felt terrible to say, but it didn't make it any less true. Of course, judging by the expression on the violet eyed Titan's face, she likely wasn't about to let it drop that easily. So, it was time to borrow a secret technique he'd recently learned. "I need to help Cyborg set up the Sonic Impactor. You stay here and call us if anything comes up."

Raven's eyebrow quirked up again as she impassively regarded his retreat, but, like a good team player, she stood her ground and turned her attention back to the distant facility.

Once Robin was gone, an uncharacteristic line of worry crossed Raven's face.

"Be safe . . . Ryouga."

* * *

Terra blushed sheepishly as Ryouga glared down at her. It wouldn't have been too bad, but the tiny pink piglet held protectively in his arms seemed to be matching his scowl perfectly-

Wait a minute!

"Ryouga, why the heck do you have a piglet?"

Instantly, Ryouga's glare faltered and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, it's just that she looked like an old friend is all . . . I couldn't just leave her in there . . ."

Before she even had a chance to ask how Ryouga could possibly know it was a girl pig, the fanged fighter quickly put the animal down and shooed it away from the fight. The oddly bittersweet look on his face as he watched the pig run away was bizarre, even by her standards . . .

Though even that was nothing compared to the fact that the piglet actually looked back at him before finally running off.

Then, like a switch, Ryouga turned back on her. "Let us never speak of this again. _Now, _what the heck was _that _all about, little miss rock bottom?"

Terra had no idea how to respond to that particular barb as Ryouga gestured to the fifteen foot tall pillar of stone which had erupted so fiercely out of the shattered concrete, suspiciously close to the exact position where Adonis had been standing moments ago.

The blonde Titan stared at her handiwork, then far up into the pipe works above, just barely able to make out where the cherry red villain had landed after his impromptu flight. Terra offered her mentor a mighty pout before responding.

"You heard what that jerk said. He's lucky that's all I did."

For some reason, Ryouga stared at her oddly and muttered something that sounded strangely like 'fit right in at home'. The bandanna clad warrior then shook his head. "Never mind that. Now we gotta go up there and get him. Do you know how you're gonna do that?"

Terra waved off his concern with a nonchalant roll of her wrist. "Don't be such a pessimist. That moron will be back down any second and we'll pound-"

"Hey! Rocks for Brains! Let's s see how many of your fancy dirt tricks you can pull way up here!"

". . . crap . . ."

Ryouga's snigger was extremely grating, so Terra drove a narrow elbow into his gut.

"Oof! Hey, what was that for?"

Terra glared daggers at her master. "As if you didn't know. Now come on, let's go get him already."

With that, the geokinetic willed a section of infrastructure to break free from its earthen bonds and carry her aloft . . . for all of five feet. Terra frowned before bending her knees and willing the rock to fly again - the end result being a sad little 'hop'.

Panic began to bloom in her chest as she spun to her mentor. "Ryouga! Something's wrong with my powers!"

A frown creased the fanged boy's face and he let out a sharp curse. "Damnit. I'd kinda been hoping that Raven would be wrong about that." Ryouga then raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Look, there isn't time to explain, but don't panic. That's just a side effect of your training. You just have to work around it for now, okay?"

"Okay? _This is the opposite of okay_!" She gestured wildly to the metal monstrosity several stories above them. "How am I supposed to fight him way up there if I can't fly? And for that matter, how else has your training messed up my powers?"

A serious expression settled on Ryouga's face and he suddenly moved towards her. Terra was immediately reminded of how much larger he was than her when he stopped a single step before her and dropped a pair of comforting hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Terra. I should have told you this was a possible side effect. But as far as I know, it's just a psyc- a psychonema . . . Um, just a mental block, and I promise it's only temporary."

Ryouga took a step back then, and smiled weakly. "I know it might be difficult, but you're going to need to think of other ways to do what you need now. Look, I'll go make sure he doesn't get away. If you can't think of a way to follow, I'll bring him back down here, okay?"

And with that, Ryouga bent his knees and proceeded to launch himself over three stories straight up to land nimbly on one of the wide pipelines that ran throughout the facility.

"Showoff," Terra muttered to herself enviously. She was still mad at him, too, for not telling her about her powers getting messed up . . . but at least he had apologized. Still, it wasn't like she could just launch herself into the air like a cannon ball-

A sly grin slithered onto Terra's tanned lips.

Of course, if she was gonna fight that far from the ground, she might need to take some ammo with her. Drawing inspiration from a certain girl in a certain 'inspirational video', Terra leaned down and touched a gloved finger tip to the shattered ground at her feet.

Moving as if alive, a sinuous tendril of earth and stone flowed up her arm, across her shoulder and down her other arm, making it look like she was wearing the world's heaviest feather boa. Or, perhaps an actual boa, as the serpent of earth twitched and undulated along its length.

Quite happy with her little improvisation, Terra then stamped her foot onto the hard ground. The instant her foot hit down, a stone pillar shot up right beneath her. The sudden acceleration was jarring, but the stone boa running down the back of her arms responded on instinct, stretching down to the platform to stabilize her.

And then the platform's breakneck rise stopped as quickly as it began, and Terra found herself airborne. The sensation of weightlessness was new and unexpected as she floated through the air, so very different from her normal means of flight. A yellow and green blur zipped past her, or rather her past it, as she soared past Ryouga on her way up.

Eventually, though, the familiar tug of gravity made itself known once more as she reached the apogee of her leap. The blonde felt her stomach leap up into her throat as she realized that she was beginning to fall now - and that she totally hadn't thought of a landing solution when she'd jumped.

Luckily, she had lots of friends to learn from, so her panic lasted only a few seconds before inspiration struck again. Terra swung her arm out and like a faithful companion, the earth wrapped around her arm stretched out and latched onto a nearby catwalk and quickly reeled her to safety.

Breathing heavily and shaking more than a bit, Terra pulled herself up on the catwalk. The relief of having solid ground under her again, relatively speaking, was a palpable thing . . .

Still, overall, the only problem she could find with her new rapid transit system, asides from the bone numbing terror, was that she had actually overshot not only Ryouga, but Adonis as well. While Ryouga was some ways down and the ground was little more than a black abyss now, she was sure she'd seen the red goon pass her by just a second before she'd started to descend.

She quickly leaned over the railing, just in time to see Adonis recklessly tear a massive circular safety hatch off of a large, cylindrical structure, and wind up to throw it at the rapidly approaching martial artist below.

"Ryouga, lo-"

* * *

"-ok out, you moron!"

Moving as fast as her legs would carry her, Jinx dove at the idiot security guard and tackled him to the ground just a second before the manhole cover would have taken his head right off. Why this jackass - Ray, if his nametag was to be believed - had decided to run to her aid, as opposed to away, like the rest of the small group of guards had, she would never understand.

Making sure that there wasn't even a trace of a smile on Ray's face at having her straddling him like she was, the irate sorceress quickly rose to her feet. She then pulled the inept guard to his feet with a sharp tug and blasted him with a withering glare. "Idiot, what are you doing? It wasn't even your warehouse we trashed!"

Looking pale, but trying to hide it, the twenty something guy brushed off his uniform. "Maybe so, but what kind of guy would I be if I ran from every crazed, man-eating crocodile monster I ran into?"

Jinx couldn't help it as a tiny laugh bubbled to the surface. "Jeez, I dunno . . . alive?" she shot back. She then turned to watch Killer Croc, the massive criminal already stalking towards them, vile, pink tongue rolling over his lips as he eyed the pair of them. Apparently just for added effect, Croc spread out his hands, letting his long, wicked claws glint in the moonlight.

Taking a step back, the sorceress reached back and tried to push the guard away. "Okay, Mr. Hero, time to stop being an idiot and get out of here."

She felt her hand contact his chest, but he didn't budge. "I can't do that, Miss. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left you at the mercy of that scaly bastard."

Jinx rolled her eyes in disgust. "You won't live at all if you stay. I'm not gonna get myself killed just to keep you outta trouble."

Apparently trying to prove a point, Ray pulled out both his nightstick and a nasty looking taser, grinning nervously as he brandished them. "Well, unfortunately for you, I'm not going anywhere. So instead of complaining, you should be figuring out how we can beat this guy."

The sorceress' brow furrowed as she turned back to glare at Killer Croc, now just a dozen feet away. She could already see his muscles tensing in anticipation of another charge. What the heck was she gonna do? Sure, she could dodge easily enough, but if she did, Ray would be reduced to paste . . .

If she didn't, they'd _both_ be paste.

How on earth did Raven and her moronic friends deal with brain dead idiots like this? Was it bad form to blast civilians?

A strange 'zipping' kind of sound from behind distracted the sorceress. Shaking her head, she turned to yell at Ray one last time. "Okay, that's it. Get the hell out . . . of . . . here?"

Only to find the space behind her vacant.

"Why that two faced, cowardly - _Urk_!"

The big, meaty fist slamming into her back brought her back into the moment with ruthless efficiency. It also had the added bonus of launching her through the air. Twisting wildly, she managed a halfway controlled bounce off of her hip before a nearby lamp post was kind enough to stop her flight with a metallic 'clong'.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, she'd trained for just that kind of thing, so Jinx was able to scramble to her feet quickly, managing to suppress the sharp ache that ran up her entire back.

Sadly, she'd been forced to give up any pretence of caring for her 'flawless skin' long ago.

Of course, even with her quick reaction, there was no way she'd been fast enough. Killer Croc was likely right over . . . There? Still standing where he'd been when he'd clobbered her, the scaled criminal was staring warily up to the rooftops, rather than charging to eviscerate her.

Slowly, Croc turned to regard her. "_Hssk_ Looks like I wasn't too far off, eh girlie? It's not like your boss to hide up there and leave everything to his sidekick . . . But I ain't the kinda guy to look a gift horse in the mouth. Once I've turned you inside out, I'll deal with him."

Jinx felt her jaw drop open in utter confusion. What was this guy talking about? Was he talking about Happi? But how would this walking pile of potential Prada purses know anything about her perverted practitioner of peerless pummeling?

She doubted she'd get a straight answer, though, not when she took into consideration the small car that Croc was currently lifting over his head to toss at her.

"Oh, frak m-"

* * *

"-e go, you crazy freaks!" cried the inverted security guard from where they'd so carefully hung him up. "That girl's gonna get herself killed. I gotta help her!"

Happosai scoffed at that notion - loudly. "Fool boy, you'd do nothing but get in Jinx's way. Now quiet down so we can watch the fight." He then turned and nodded to his pointy eared companion. "Good job getting this punk out of there, Detective."

Batman nodded seriously as he gazed over the ledge of the warehouse that now served as their perch. "I've dealt with overzealous novices before . . . I am somewhat impressed, though. Your apprentice realized he would endanger them both, and yet she didn't abandon him."

Happi frowned at that. "Indeed. She's not usually that foolish. I'll have to redouble my efforts to make sure those kinds of ridiculous notions don't take root in her impressionable young mind."

"_Hey_! I'm right here, you know? And seriously, are you guys actually accusing _me_ of being overzealous? Talk about the crazy bat-dressing pot calling the kettle bla-"

Abruptly, the Ray's voice cut off as Happi's arm shot out, tapping several points in the guard's neck, rendering him instantly insensate. The ancient master noted the Batman's tiny nod of thanks, only to smile in return.

"Well, now that _that_ annoyance is dealt with, all we need to do-"

The withered pervert stopped mid sentence when Batman held up a hand to silence him. Looking up curiously for a moment, the Dark Knight frowned in consternation. ". . . Helicopters - coming this way."

With a wry chuckle, Happi smiled wider. "Ah, those are probably just news choppers."

"News helicopters?" Batman echoed, "But as far as anyone could know, this is just a black out. And even so, there's no way they could have responded this quickly if that is what they were coming to report on."

Happosai shrugged helplessly. "Well, it's possible that someone might have phoned in an anonymous tip on a potential meta human brawl earlier this morning. Nothing much to worry about, really."

"You do realize-" stated the masked man leadingly, "That if the news stations were alerted to this, then the police would have been alerted as well?"

The master stared at the detective, wide eyed. "B-but what about reporter-reportee confidentiality?"

As if on cue, the distant sound of sirens began to filter in from the distance.

Batman's lip quirked up into a rare smirk. "Does that answer your question?"

Letting out a string of curses in a string of dialects, Happosai leapt up onto the ledge.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll be right ba-"

* * *

"-ck is killing me, you scaly jerk!" Jinx cried out irately as she flipped to her feet.

The smoldering remains of the car, now firmly lodged in the wall of the building behind her had annoyingly refused to explode dramatically when she'd tried to blast it out of the air with her hexes. Rather, all she'd managed to do was cause the gas tank to ignite, which resulted in her not just having to jump out of the way of a flying car, but a flaming, flying car.

Gingerly rubbing her back, Jinx glared heatedly at her opponent before dropping into a combat stance. Her right leg leading, knee slightly bent and her arms held straight out to her sides, fingers pointed straight down, she brought her focus down to a narrow point as she concentrated on just how much she wanted to maim the oversized toilet lizard in front of her.

Killer Croc let out a bellow of challenge, brandishing his claws as he took a step forward; his footfall heavy enough that she could feel the vibration from a dozen feet away.

Narrowing her eyes, Jinx's world took on a pinkish hue as she felt her eyes begin to glow with power.

"Kitty's got claws too, big boy. Let's see whose are sharper."

With twin flashes of light, arcs of power coursed down her arms, threatening to shred the sleeves of her dress, before coalescing along the backs of her hands. Jinx then flipped her hands back and splayed out her fingers, and the pooled power poured down her fingers to form the familiar jets of deadly pink flame to dance from her fingertips.

Killer Croc eyed her for a moment, before letting out an amused snort. "Heh, I'm sure _you_ of all people know what curiosity did to the cat. Now let's you and me dance, little girl."

Jinx cursed internally at the cat based allusion, before grunting in annoyance. When she was done, he'd never make another feline pun again.

Crouching down, the sorceress then launched herself forward. The ground behind her collapsed in on itself as residual swirls of pink energy ate away at it, but Jinx didn't have time to notice as she sprinted forward to meet Killer Croc's charge.

The pair of them ate up the space between them like gourmet cuisine and in seconds they collided. Croc struck first, bringing his taloned hand forward in a deadly swipe, even as he ran.

Moving with inhuman speed and grace, Jinx crouched down several feet away from him, her momentum actually causing her to slide directly under his swing. Even as her cute purple pumps skidded across the pavement, Jinx smiled up at the surprised reptile as she slid literally under his guard. Then, just before she would have slammed into his immense bulk, the vindictive sorceress straightened her legs and launched herself into a vicious pounce, all ten claws arrowing in towards Killer Croc's vile yellow eyes.

Not quite as slow as she'd hoped, the scaly criminal leaned backwards frantically. Jinx cursed as her claws slid harmlessly through the air where his face had been, but instantly began to bring her arms down to guard against his lethal claws even as she floated upwards in the air-

So she was caught completely off guard when Croc simply leaned forward again and slammed his painfully dense cranium into her chest with crushing force.

Jinx angled into the ground with bone jarring force, but quickly bounced back to her feet. Luckily she fought the urge to rub her aching chest as she'd managed to keep enough focus to keep her claws burning.

Coughing a bit, Jinx hawked a very unladylike loogie onto the ground beside her, noticing a few streaks of red laced through her saliva. "Heh, I guess that head of yours is good for something after all," she muttered mockingly.

Croc nodded, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "Oh, it gets better than that. Ye'see this?" he asked sarcastically, pointing to his gaping maw, "Food goes in here . . . Nice to meet ya, Food."

Rolling her eyes, the cat eyed sorceress moaned internally. 'I did not just get out quipped by a guy with the brain of a walnut, did I?' Shaking her head in disgust, she lifted her hands up again. "Alright, how about round two then?"

The second the words dropped from her lips, Jinx threw herself at Killer Croc again. This time the big guy lifted his leg and kicked out at her, obviously trying to throw her off, considering how sloppy the kick was and how he was telegraphing that left hand hidden behind his back.

Planting her right foot, she swung herself around the kick, swinging her arms out in a wide arc as she did. She felt the tips of her fingers graze the leg of his pants, but wasn't able to put any force behind the strike as she was already bending backwards to avoid the haymaker that was already on its way.

A hiss of pain was quickly drowned out by the cracking of the air as Croc's fist flew over her with less than an inch to spare. The second the grey blur passed over her, she landed on her hands and backflipped to a safe distance before jumping right back in.

Pirouetting through the air, she left trailing streamers of neon pink tracing through the air as she closed in. And then she was on him, lashing out wildly with hissing slashes. Croc obviously hadn't expected such a direct attack, as the much larger criminal began to quickly back peddle, holding his hands up to protect his face.

She felt her claws hit home again and again, scratching his arms, grazing his torso, deflecting off his chin on a particularly nasty uppercut, until, finally, she was forced to back off, chest heaving from the exertion.

A second later, the tables turned completely. Killer Croc surged forward like a wave, arms wide and jaws slavering. The scaled behemoth swung his arms forward, intent to sweep her up in an excruciatingly undesired bear hug.

Jinx quickly dove to the side, wincing as she rolled across the pavement before springing back up to her feet - just in time to fall flat to her face as Killer Croc skidded to a stop and swung at her with a vicious backhand. His superior reach wasn't something she'd really had a chance to train against, and it was getting annoying . . .

Even as Jinx scrambled back to her feet, her scaly nemesis spun around with more grace than he really had any right to. Not sure what else to do, she just broke into a dead run straight forward.

The light 'clip clop' of her pumps was an interesting counterpoint to the loud stomping noise that followed closely behind her as she sprinted blindly across the street.

What to do . . . what to do?

Inspiration slammed into her like a concrete wall, though slightly less painful and slightly more practical. As she finished crossing the street, the side sidewalk signaled her that her frantic run was mere yards away from ending painfully splattered against a wall -

So Jinx just ran straight up the wall instead. Feet moving as fast as her muscles would allow, she milked every iota of friction out of the soles of her shoes and with each step, left the ground that much further behind. Then, just as she felt Killer Croc slam heavily into the wall beneath her, she kicked off as hard as she could, performing a graceful midair spin.

Landing several yards behind the bewildered beast, Jinx quickly gathered brilliant pink energy into her hands. "Ha! You'll have to do better than that if you want to catch me!"

Croc turned to regard her, fury in his eyes and body nearly trembling with rage barely contained . . .

And then the massive criminal suddenly took a long, deep breath . . . and calmed down? A large smile slithered across his lips as he sneered down at her.

"Is that so, girlie? Looks to me like you're already winded, but me? I'm not even breakin' a sweat yet," he declared confidently. Taking a moment to study her more carefully, Croc then followed with a mocking laugh. "Face it, kid, you might be quick, but you just don't got what it takes to put me down."

Jinx scoffed loudly. "Really? Then why don't you try these on for size?"

Moving her hands quickly, Jinx then proceeded to fire off a number of sizzling pink hexes, each one flying unerringly towards the scaly monster -

Who proceeded to just stand there and take it as the small nimbus' of light slammed into him. Jinx could only stare incredulously as Killer Croc scarcely even winced as the six shots hit across his torso. Each hex didn't seem to do much more than nudge him back a bit, and leave a small scorch mark and an acrid puff of smoke.

Killer Croc just laughed again. "Ha! See that, kid? You're all flash, no bang. You could blast me with those firecrackers all night and one bottle of suntan lotion later, I'd be fine. _Hssk . . . _Me, on the other hand . . . All I need is one clean shot on you and it's over. Now tell me, girlie, you thinking twice about runnin' away yet?"

Dark emotions, long absent, but intimately familiar, began to bubble up in the sorceress' mind as she glared at the scaled monstrosity. She felt power begin to build up in her belly - she wouldn't let herself be insulted by this - this _circus freak _- she'd . . .

Almost against her will, a tiny smile suddenly crawled its way on to her lips.

Yeah . . . that could work, this guy wasn't _that_ strong . . .

"Is that so?" she asked in a teasing tone. "Just one good hit is all you need, is it?"

Croc eyed her strangely at the sudden change in her disposition.

Jinx's smile only grew wider as she dropped out of her fighting stance completely. She even thumped a fist to her chest in a taunting gesture. "Alright then, give me your best shot. Right here, ya big scaly bastard, show me what you got."

Croc could only stare at her. ". . . huh?"

"Heh, you heard me, big guy. Just walk yer ugly mug over here and start swinging." To emphasize her point, Jinx held her arms out wide to her sides.

Oh, he was gonna love this . . .

Still not looking too sure about what was going on, Killer Croc took an uncertain step forward, then another. With each step, she could see his confidence grow and his pace quicken in anticipation. Then he drew back one of his large, scaled fists as he took another lumbering step.

Jinx slid her left leg back slightly as Croc closed in, taking a deep breath . . .

Killer Croc's fist tore through the air with cruel abandon, aimed directly at her pretty face, mere seconds away from crushing her skull to powder . . .

Jinx smirked.

In a flash of movement, the sorceress's arm swung forward, her dainty fist set perfectly to intercept the devastating punch in what could only end very messily -

And then Jinx stuck out her finger.

Despite every law of nature demanding that the slim sorceress be crushed to a pulp . . . Killer Croc's fist stopped dead in its tracks, resting against the single outstretched digit, as still as death.

Even as Croc stared, absolutely flabbergasted, a ripple of pink energy ran over her hand, across her wrist, before flowing down her arm, crackled down her torso, then finally raced down her legs before spreading out into the ground in several concentric waves of pink and fading away.

Noting that her scaled opponent had been struck utterly speechless, Jinx couldn't help herself.

"So . . . What was that about 'only needing one hit'? I'm just getting started, Croc, and you are _so_ going . . ."

'_Crick_'

". . . down?"

As one, both Jinx and Killer Croc looked down as another sharp '_crack'_ echoed through the air. A quick glance revealed a number of deep cracks spreading through the pavement beneath their feet, spreading outwards at a disturbing speed.

"Oh crap . . ."

A second later, the street below them collapsed completely -

And then the darkness consumed them.


	34. Titan Rising Chapter 9

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 9

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

* * *

Ryouga landed lightly on the catwalk before launching himself into the air again. The dull grays of steel and dark browns of corrosion flew past him at breakneck speed as he ascended through the claustrophobic jumble of ironmongery and pipe work which composed the factory - only to do a double-take when he saw a yellow and black blur suddenly shoot up past him. Unfortunately his own flight path prevented him from following Terra's rapid trajectory, which worried him all the more.

He landed again, swinging his arms out quickly to balance himself on a treacherously narrow pipe. A quick look up revealed the large crimson frame of Adonis perched on a catwalk which encircled one of the massive towers that rose up through the heart of the facility. It also revealed Terra's suicidal ascent coming to its apogee.

"Crap." he muttered to himself.

Ducking into a low crouch, Ryouga fired himself skyward with all his strength; the metal piping beneath his feet bursting apart is a spray of green goo from the force. He kicked off the wall of the tower, arrowing further into the air, then grabbed a handful of cables and swung a full revolution around to pick up momentum before throwing himself recklessly towards his target.

He landed on a large tube which hung in the broad gulf between two of the large towers, only a few stories away from Adonis - only to nearly lose his footing. Twisting frantically to regain his balance, a quick glance down revealed his problem: green goo was liquefying the soles of his shoes!

"Ryouga, look out!"

The lost boy's head snapped up at the warning, just in time to see Adonis winding up to hurl a circular slab of metal at him. With a loud grunt of effort, the mammoth criminal swung forward and launched the oversized discus with such power that it cracked the sound barrier with its passage.

Ryouga's eyes widened and he tried to move, but his feet only slipped about uselessly - so he did the only thing he could in the fraction of a second he possessed:

He leaned back and let himself fall from the pipe.

* * *

Terra's eyes widened in terror as she watched Ryouga fall backwards off the pipe and vanish into the darkness below.

". . . Ryouga . . .?"

"Ha! Did you two really think you were a match for Adonis?"

As soon as she heard the grating voice, Terra's hands curled around the guardrail tightly, the metal twisting beneath her earth enhanced hands. As she looked down at the armored criminal, several strands of her blonde hair slid from behind her ear to cover her right eye.

The geokinetic girl vaulted the guardrail and landed on Adonis' catwalk with a loud *clang* that resounded throughout the night thanks to her additional bulk. Standing from her crouch, Terra eyed the imposing villain.

"I swear, if you hurt my friend . . ."

Adonis scoffed loudly, "You'll what? You can't do anything to me way up here, so, why don't you get lost like a _good_ little girl?"

_Terra watched, helpless, as her body moved to a will not her own. The dark voice of her 'master' slithered into her ear from across the dimly lit cavern._

"_That's my good little girl."_

`'-_hrnRhaaaaaaa_!" an inarticulate howl tore itself from Terra's throat as she hurled herself at the crimson colored criminal. The towering Adonis actually took a step back at her charge before recovering his wits and letting out a confident laugh and baring his chest for her. Her fingernails dug painfully into her palm as swung as hard as she could -

Terra's fist slammed home so hard that the report of her own strike nearly deafened her. Adonis' exposed face contorted hilariously as his massive frame actually slid back several feet, squealing loudly and shooting sparks every inch.

Terra didn't even have the chance to stare incredulously at her own handiwork, as her right hand was unceremoniously dragged to the catwalk with metallic ring. The reason for her ridiculous success became immediately evident; even as she watched, the massive stone slab wrapped around her own tiny hand began to flow back up her arm, reforming the stone serpent which ran comfortably across her shoulders.

The young hero stared at her newly uncovered hand for a long moment, a bit unsure of what to make of it. She hadn't even thought about doing that - which was a bit stupid of her, now that she thought of it, trying to punch a giant metal man with her bare hand . . .

A nasty smile, one she hadn't used for some time, formed on her lips as she looked at Adonis.

"If you think I'm going to let you get away with hurting my friend," she reminded him. "You've got another thing coming."

Standing straight again, Adonis brushed off his chest and glared down at her, finally looking serious for the first time that night. "Alright, Titan. I was hoping to test this suit out on the real Titans, but I guess you'll have to do."

Tired of talking, Terra charged forward pulling her arm back as she closed the gap. Adonis took a long step forward to meet her, his own arm cocking back in a loud whirring of servos as his hand closed into a heavy fist.

With arms nearly as long as she was tall, Adonis lashed out first, swinging around in a vicious right hook. Ignoring the warnings echoing through her head that she was insane, Terra held up her left arm to block; at the same time she stretched out her right arm and grabbed onto the steel guardrail for dear life. Almost of its own accord, the earthen boa solidified into a solid shaft of stone which ran behind her back and spread out to form an igneous shield which hovered several inches before her blocking arm.

Adonis' punch slammed into her guard so hard that it warped the guardrail over a foot out of shape. Long, jagged cracks spread through her shield and the impact shook her entire body, but the total absence of searing pain was a good sign.

Terra released the guardrail and in the same motion leaned forward towards her opponent, dragging her arm behind her. More aware now, she felt the odd sensation of inertia as the mass of her shield was rapidly reabsorbed, sliding up her left arm, then flowing down her right arm as she launched a haymaker of her own.

Her fist, though downright dainty compared to her opponent's, crushed into Adonis' chest with enough force to bounce him off the metal wall behind him. This time she was prepared for the enormous weight of the two foot block of stone wrapped around her fist to drag her hand to the ground.

Rather than panic, Terra knelt down into a low front stance, her left leg stretched out behind her and her entire weight balanced on her right leg, now tucked to her chest. Then, pushing with all of her strength, Terra leapt up into a textbook uppercut - Textbook, at least until the stone slab around her fist suddenly extended upwards into a rigid column which actually dragged her earth encased hand up with it.

Adonis staggered forward just in time to catch the earthen uppercut right to the chin. The two of them flew apart at the impact, Adonis flying up and back to slam back into the tower again, actually lodging into the metal wall several feet above the catwalk.

Terra did a gentle spin as she fell back from the strike, the stone spire which had lifted her seeming to liquefy as it flowed back up her right arm before settling across her shoulders again as she landed.

The geokinetic stared at her hands in wonder, a small sheath of stone sliding over to encompass her gloves as she did.

'_Where did that come from_?'

The sound of tearing metal told her she didn't have time to ponder the question. Ahead of her, Adonis pushed himself out of his form fitting indent and dropped to the catwalk with a rattling *clang*. Then, in an annoyingly casual manner, the bulky criminal lifted his arms and proceeded to flex his mechanical muscles in a ridiculous display.

"Heh, that wasn't too bad. You got a little spunk in you after all, don't you?" Suddenly the iron clad villain levelled a scrutinizing gaze her way. ". . . wait a minute . . . I know you . . . don't I?"

Terra's brow crinkled up at the unpleasant thought. "Um, I'm pretty sure I'd remember a tin plated jerk like you."

Adonis kept up his curious inspection for another moment before snapping his fingers. "Hey! That's right! You're that Dirtgirl, aren't you? The one that nearly took out the Titans, heck, the entire city. Man, I thought you were supposed to be dead, or something, though?"

A deep frown formed on the blonde's lips at the unpleasant reminders. "I got better," she replied in a bitter tone.

A derisive bark of laughter was his reply. "Better? You're joking, right? I thought you were supposed to be some kind of legendary monster, here, but I'm not even breaking a sweat yet." Another snide chuckle. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't run into the real Titans after all. If someone as pathetic as you was enough to take them all on, then someone as powerful as _Adonis _would'a crushed those punks like bugs!"

The sudden clatter of stone hitting steel brought Adonis' diatribe to an end. The villain stared at her in confusion, probably wondering why she had just let the stone she'd been using as her weapon drop to the catwalk.

"Powerful? You think you know what _power_ is?" Terra's words held a dark edge as she regarded the towering criminal. The slight girl lifted her hand and curled it into a fist as she stared at him; she could feel her eyes beginning to glow with yellow light.

It started off small, as a tiny tremor jolted the entire facility. Adonis staggered slightly, a fitting expression of worry blooming on his face as the catwalk continued to vibrate menacingly beneath his feet.

"Hey - hey now! What are you doing?"

Terra tilted her head to the side in mock curiosity. "What are you worried about, Adonis? I can't possibly do anything to you way up here, isn't that right?"

Another tremor, this one noticeably stronger, ran through the chemical plant. Adonis was forced to grab onto the guardrail to maintain his balance this time. Terra could only smile as she studied the look on his face -

"Enough, Terra." The reassuring feeling of a hand dropping on her shoulder caused the young blonde to spin around instantly.

"Ryouga! You're alright!" she cried ecstatically.

True to form, her mentor - barefoot for some unfathomable reason - offered up a macho smile. "Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?"

"B-but I saw you fall, how did you-"

Ryouga cut her off with an unconcerned wave of his hand before gesturing to the familiar form of the sleek, black umbrella strapped to his back, the very same one she'd seen him with when they'd first met.

"These things have a thousand uses. Now, Terra, _calm down_."

In an instant, Terra realized that the entire chemical plant was still vibrating. Taking a deep breath, Terra relaxed her body as best as she could and forced her mind to go blank . . . and a moment later, the shaking finally stopped.

A moment after that, Terra felt her cheeks begin to flush with embarrassment as she realized what she'd almost done. "I - I-"

"Hey, don't worry about it." It was offered with a smile, though even Terra could see the strained edges around it. The reassuring squeeze he gave her shoulder, though, felt completely genuine. "Just take it slow. You don't need your full power to deal with a coward like this."

"Hey! Who are you weaklings calling a coward?" Adonis finally released the guardrail and rose to his full height once more. "It's gonna take more than a few special effects to scare me!"

Terra spun to glare at the annoying villain, only to have Ryouga pull her back. Releasing her shoulder, the martial artist then cracked his knuckles menacingly. "I don't suppose I can take a turn?"

Terra simply smiled and gestured for him to pass her.

"Be my guest."

* * *

Far above the battle, Starfire let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding. That had been far too close for comfort. Though she could not be certain as to exactly what Terra's intention may have been, the physical reverberations which had struck the facility had been most disconcerting. She only hoped that no one else-

The telltale sound of her communicator activating caused her spirits to flag immediately. With resigned hesitance, Starfire flipped open the device.

"Starfire, this is Robin, come in."

The Tamaranian bit back a sigh. "I am here, Robin."

"We're reading some unusual seismic activity from the factory. Is everything alright in there?"

Starfire waffled for a long moment, not certain how to respond, until finally -

"Yes, Robin. The fight is proceeding acceptably thus far. Ryouga and Terra seem to be lacking in the area of the team work, but Terra is showing an impressive amount of improvisation with her power."

Robin smiled at that. "Well, Ryouga hasn't had any real practice with team combat yet, so that might be something to focus on later. It's good to hear that Terra's training has helped more than her control, as well. Also, can you tell us anything about their opponent, yet? I haven't been able to find any information on him yet."

Starfire shook her head. "Unfortunately, there is little I can impart upon you. The criminal is obviously wearing a powered suit of some sort, however the design of the suit is unfamiliar. The most educated guess that I can make is that it is not a suit designed for warfare, due to the lack of obvious weaponry."

"Either that, or he's just a punk that managed to steal it and just hasn't figured out how to use them. . . . Regardless, keep on watching them, and remember, if it looks like things are going badly, get down there and help them as quickly as you can."

Instantly, the professional tone disintegrated as Starfire let out an annoyed 'Hmph!' at that. "I can assure you, I would have done _that_ even had you not said so."

* * *

With a dull *thunk*, Happosai landed on the hood of the last of the approaching squad cars. With a wide smile, a cheeky wave, and deft flick of his wrist, the ancient master tossed the Happo Dai-Kabin in through the driver window. Just like the other four cars, the officers had just enough time to start panicking before grayish ball burst, instantly filling the interior of the car with paralytic mold.

A moment later, the car rolled to an abrupt stop, a convenient lamp post providing a break for the coasting vehicle.

Confident that there would be no more distractions, Happosai dusted some stray spores from his hands and turned to watch his disciple's on-going battle.

. . . Where was his disciple's on-going battle?

For that matter, where was his disciple?

A few quick jumps took him to the general area where he had last seen Jinx fighting with Killer Croc. From there, things quickly fell into place.

The massive, twenty foot wide hole in the center of the street was hard to miss.

He could feel the tell-tale tingle of his apprentice's power dancing along the edges of the shattered pavement. Though, considering the scope of the destruction, it didn't surprise him that Jinx was somehow responsible. The fact that the hole had punched straight through the road and into a subterranean culvert of some type . . . well, that appeared to be just Jinx's luck.

"Don't let an old man down, Jinx . . . You've come too far to fail now . . ."

* * *

A drop of water splashed on the edge of her consciousness . . .

It was soon followed by another, this one rolling down her cheek and tickling her nose before splattering onto the ground.

The third drop prompted Jinx's eyes to flutter open . . . and her nose to crinkle in disgust.

"W-what _is_ that smell?" the sorceress muttered to herself, still only half awake. Gingerly, her entire side protesting every inch of the way, Jinx attempted to sit up and take stock of her situation -

Which immediately caused her to topple off of the narrow ledge she'd landed on and proceed to tumble helplessly through the air for another twenty feet before splashing down in an endless seeming pool of water. Instantly blind panic gripped the young woman and she thrashed about, terrified. It wasn't until her foot inadvertently kicked the bottom, that she realized that the water she was now standing in was only chest deep.

Unfortunately, Jinx didn't have time to contemplate her embarrassment as a much more disturbing matter loomed in on her.

" . . . Please . . . please tell me that I am _not_ in a sewer!"

A quick scan around her revealed various pieces of detritus floating on the brackish water around her.

A deep shudder ran its way up the entire length of her spine.

"Don't throw . . . Don't throw up Jinx - Do _not_ throw up . . ."

The focus granted by her hastily repeated mantra not only allowed the girl to settle her rising gorge, it also gave her the clarity to realize another important fact:

'I am currently standing up to my A-cups in sewage fighting someone named Killer Croc . . .'

She managed to spin around just in time to see the little patch of bubbles in the water behind her explode into a towering geyser as Killer Croc burst out of the water, arms spread wide.

Sadly, that was all that she had time to do. She tried to dive to the side, but as deep in the . . . water . . . as she was, all she managed to do was splash around ineffectually before Croc crashed down on her in an avalanche of scales and muscle.

Jinx made the mistake of crying out in pain as Croc crushed her to his chest in a vicious bear hug, as a second later he dove forward and plunged them beneath the water. Her ribs gave an ominous creak as all the air was expelled from her lungs in an instant and a second later, water spilled in to take its place.

Blind panic ripped through her mind and she started thrashing her legs uselessly - her mouth was so filled with liquid that she couldn't even scream out. All she could feel was the implacable scales squeezing in on her sides with pneumatic force.

Pink light flared to life right in front of her as her power surged uncontrollably. The eerie pink light pouring out from her hands revealed the massive chest to which she was being crushed, as well as the snapping jaws hanging mere inches above her head!

A scream tried to tear itself from her throat, but there was nothing left to exhale. She wouldn't even have the chance to drown with the way her organs were being squeezed to pulp - there was nothing she could do, no trick she'd learned from Happosai that would let her finesse her way out . . .

Without even thinking, the desperate sorceress pressed her hands against Croc's chest and wildly poured as much power into it as she could. Within seconds the water began to bubble and boil between them; Jinx would have cried out herself if she could have, but she ignored the pain poured it on.

Bright spots began to dance across her vision and her lungs felt like they were going to explode, collapse and burst into flames all at once, but the light from her hands just kept getting brighter -

And suddenly she was in the air again - flying wildly through the air as Croc hurled her away from him, howling in pain. A mouth full of brackish water flowed down into her lungs as she tried to take her first breath, instantly wracking her with an agonizing coughing fit as she attempted vainly to control her landing.

She landed in a spectacular belly flop several yards away, pain flaring through ever fiber of her torso for a seeming eternity. Finally, though, she managed to right herself enough to actually take in a deep breath of air - which immediately prompted another series of hacking coughs which nearly made her pass out.

While she painfully recovered, she took a quick glance at her opponent . . . Killer Croc was still bellowing his fury and splashing water furiously over the two livid, jet black hand prints that were now burned into his pectorals.

Despite her very minor victory, Jinx didn't feel like celebrating. It was all she could do to drag herself out of the water and onto one of the narrow walkways that ran around the large collecting pool.

Coughing up the rest of the water in her lungs, Jinx forced herself up from her hands and knees to fire a death glare at Croc.

"You . . ." She drew her sleeve across her lips to wipe away her spittle . . . only to grimace as she made the mess even worse, ". . . you made me drink _sewer water_! There isn't even a metaphor for how dead you are!"

Instantly Killer Croc ceased his efforts to cool his chest and turned his hate filled eyes her way. Wafts of steam continued to roll up his torso and his eyes narrowed into murderous slits as he studied her.

Then the reptilian criminal slid beneath the surface of the pool and vanished from her sight . . . and within seconds, the ripples died away leaving the water as calm and dark as polished onyx.

Jinx considered this turn of events for a moment.

". . . Crap . . . I think I really pissed him off."

Maybe discretion would be the better part of valor for now?

* * *

The caped crusader dropped to the ground next to the withered master with barely a whisper of sound. Then, in a practiced motion, he pulled out his grapnel hook and aimed it down into the abyssal gulf that rested in the heart of the street. He prepared to fire a line down into the pitch -

Only to have the device knocked from his hand by an antique pipe. Even as his launcher bounced to the hard pavement and skittered away, Batman spun to stare at Happosai.

The ancient master wasn't even staring back at him, rather, all of his attention was downwards, as if he were trying to pierce the obfuscating darkness by pure force of will. "Now, now, Detective, none of your tricks."

The detective's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This has gone too far. Your apprentice is in real danger now. It's time that we intervened."

Slowly, Happosai began to nod in agreement, ". . . I'm afraid I can't let you do that, boy. This is Jinx's trial . . . and she'll either succeed or fail on her own."

"I don't think you understand just how dangerous Croc is, especially in his own environment like this. If we don't help her, she will very likely die," Batman explained in all seriousness.

Happosai shrugged. "I suppose anything is possible."

The cloaked hero could scarcely understand what he was hearing. "You claim to be this girl's master . . . and yet you would leave her to die?"

The ancient master turned on him, a serious expression on his face. "I do this _because_ I am her master. Do you think I want to see any harm come to my disciple? She won't lose to the likes of that one, not with what I've taught her, I promise you that." Happosai smiled confidently. "I know that she'll prove herself worthy of the training I've given her, and I won't let you spoil our fun."

The Dark Knight could hear the strain in the old man's voice, as if he was trying to convince himself of his own words. Batman was no stranger to the 'life and death' combat test, but at the same time, he couldn't be certain just how much of Happosai's faith in his student was confidence, and how much was bravado . . .

Despite the chill running up his spine at the mere thought of what he was about to do, the grim hero reached into the back of his utility belt and discretely slid on his electrified knuckles.

"I understand why you think you need to do this, Happosai, but I can't just allow you to throw her life away for nothing like this . . ."

Happosai let out a beleaguered sigh as he returned his attention to the pit. "Do what you gotta do, Detective. I know that my Jinx has what it takes. Of course, if he does get lucky, then your crocodile man will find that her life comes with a hefty price tag."

As tempting as it was to just let someone else deal with a psychotic monster like Killer Croc in a permanent manner, that just wasn't the kind of man he was. Though he wasn't certain if it would help at all, the caped crusader pulled something else from his belt as well.

With a sigh, Batman slammed the smoke pellet into the ground right at Happosai's feet.

* * *

Adonis smirked as he regarded the tiny man approaching him, cracking his knuckles. He had been taken off guard by the girl - who would have expected such a skinny little thing to hit that hard? - but he wouldn't make the same mistake with this one. Considering he was dressed like some kind of kung fu fighter and, more importantly, how he had leapt all the way up here under his own power, made it pretty obvious that this was no normal guy.

That in mind, Adonis spread out his stance and lifted his hands up in a loose approximation of a boxer. "Alright then, bring it on, little man."

The little fighter was more than eager to please, letting out a dark growl and baring a pretty impressive set of fangs as he charged. Even as prepared as he was, though, Adonis was still shocked at the sudden burst of speed from his opponent. The headband wearing guy nearly vanished into a blur, only to reappear at his side and lash out with an arcing kick.

His surprise only increased when the kick slammed into his side. Unlike last time, he wasn't leaving himself stupidly wide open, but it was still strong enough to send him skidding a foot to the side in a shower of sparks.

It was followed up by an even faster punch to his 'ribs' which rang his entire suit like a gong. Adonis wasn't sure how it was possible, but this guy was hitting harder with his bare hands than the girl was with a hundred pounds of stone wrapped around her fist.

Still, it was nothing compared to what Adonis could dish out! The massive criminal lifted his foot, only to slam it down a second later. The strike reverberated through the entire catwalk, shaking both the fanged fighter and the tiny blonde girl; more importantly, though, it imbedded his foot into the steel catwalk, giving him insurmountable footing.

The bandanna guy's next kick, a fanciful twisting back-kick kinda thing, struck with the force of a compact car, but Adonis didn't budge an inch. His smile growing by the second, the titanic criminal swung a devastating backhand at his nimble opponent. Unsurprisingly, the little guy ducked under it with no real problem, but the look on the fighter's face when Adonis' fist tore through the three inch steel wall of the tower beside them like so much tissue paper . . . well, that was priceless.

"Heh, you shouldn't have called off your girlfriend, Shorty. You may have some fancy moves, but when it comes to strength - _no one _can match Adonis!"

A frown spread across his opponent's face. "What do you know about strength?"

Adonis let out a bark of laughter. "I know that this suit gives me more than enough strength to deal with a pest like you! And once I've squashed you, I'll finish of String Bean over there, and then I'll deal with the rest of your Titan buddies. And _you _aren't strong enough to do anything about it, _runt_."

Much to his delight, the martial artist's face flushed red in fury. "I'll _show_ you how strong I am!"

Again the small fighter charged forward, but this time Adonis was ready. Waiting until the last possible second, he let the furious warrior close in before lashing out with a lightning quick jab of his own -

Only to be shocked _again,_ when, rather than just charge in recklessly for another combo of useless punches, his enemy ducked under his fist and spun around, only to slam bodily into Adonis and lock his arms around his waist in a vice-like grip.

"What the heck are you doin-"

His question was cut short when he suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground. His entombed foot gave a painful squeal as it was torn free from the flooring and the small fighter suddenly spun them around. The moment the hero began to arch his back and Adonis felt himself tip forward helplessly, the intent became clear.

"_Nononono_! You _idio_-"

Adonis smashed face first into the fragile steel catwalk with bone rattling force. The metal walkway twisted and warped around him like a fishing net and the meager support bolts holding it to the wall snapped off with a sound like gunshots. A moment later, an ominous groan filled the air as the staircase, now the only thing really holding the catwalk up, began to slowly fold under their combined weight.

Panic gripped the bulky criminal as the black void loomed below him. In a surge of power, the servos in his suit whined to life and swung out his mechanical arms, tearing the metal wreckage apart around them . . .

Which was more or less the limit for the stairwell. The spindly frame snapped off its base completely and an instant later, the entire section of catwalk, as well as the two fighters, was tumbling down through the air. Adonis' scream reverberated through the entire facility as several hundred pounds of twisted steel banged and rattled around him as they fell.

Suddenly, a number of yellow blurs shot out from . . . somewhere . . . the whirring discs flying into - and then through the tangled ironmongery. The shower of sparks and hellish sound of steel being sliced apart lasted for just a few seconds - and then the metallic death cage simply fell apart around them, leaving them in a slightly more solitary descent to their dooms.

Adonis' mind numbing terror was interrupted by a heavy fist slamming into his stomach.

The criminal looked down, incredulously, to stare in shock as the martial artist dug his fingers under the edges of his armor and then rammed his other fist into his chest again.

"_What the hell is wrong with you_?"

Despite the fact that he could barely hear his own voice over the whipping winds, Adonis clearly heard the feral snarl from the crazed lunatic. Rather than respond, the fighter swung his entire body back, only to pull back down and slam both feet into his mechanical chest hard enough to flip them right over in mid air. On the bright side, Adonis could no longer see where they were falling; on the not so bright side, his insane opponent was now straddling his chest and pummeling his poor, abused armor with furious right hooks.

He threw a few desperate punches at the berserker, but the dark haired warrior either ducked beneath them, or outright blocked them with angry swings of his ridiculously powerful arms.

_Screw this! _The guy wasn't actually hurting him, so he'd deal with him later! Frantically, Adonis looked around, trying to find anything to grab on to, to stop their fall.

His search proved moot when the air was blasted from his lungs when his back suddenly crushed into a heavy pipe running across their path. The thick metal walls bent nearly in half from their impact, only to be sundered completely by another hit from the crazed fighter which slammed home with freight train force.

The sounds of shredding steel pierced Adonis' ears as he was punched through the metal tube, and then they were free falling again. This fall wasn't nearly as long, since they hit the guard rail on another catwalk. They tore right through it, but it was enough to send them into a wild spin as they fell. The entire world dissolved into a blur of darkness and metal as they spun through the night air.

The pair of them, the martial artist now clinging to him for dear life, slammed into several more pipes, a few walls and storage tanks - the last one sandwiching the fighter between the heavy steel walls and the indestructible frame of his suit - before they finally slammed down onto a platform sturdy enough to bring a jarring halt to their drop.

Several long moments passed as they both lay in the crater their landing created. Labored breathing and pained groans were the only sounds for nearly half a minute as they fought to regain their breaths.

His pained grin growing, Adonis was the first to sit up. Though it felt like every inch of his body was on fire, he was certain that his suit had absorbed the worst of his damage . . . unlike his unfortunate opponent.

With a whir of servos, the technological terror rose to his feet, dragging the martial artist up by the scruff of his neck. His pained grin grew into an evil smile as he looked around them. It didn't take him long to find something suitably humiliating to punish this little maniac with. His victim's eyes followed his line of sight, only to widen in fear.

"_Ohhhh_ no."

Adonis nodded spitefully. "Ohhhh, yes."

He then reared back, martial artist in hand, and hurled him as hard as he could. The human missile tore through the air in a blur of yellow and black . . .

. . . shattering the Lavatory's roof to dust and vanishing from sight a second later to the sounds of smashing porcelain and splashing water.

Adonis dusted off his mechanical hands, laughing to himself. "That's one problem well and truly flushed. Now . . . Where did that other one get t-"

A massive stone battering ram crashed into his side, firing him off the platform with all the grace of a chromatic red pinball. He ricocheted off of something unyielding before dropping a final uninterrupted thirty feet to smash to the concrete floor. The ground shattered like glass, blasting up a cloud of dust and debris from the crater his landing formed.

Groaning in pain, Adonis dragged himself to his knees, ignoring the worrying sparks jumping angrily from his shoulder. "Damn girl . . . startin' to piss me off . . ."

As the dust finally began to settle, it revealed the blonde girl standing over a dozen yards away from him, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides and her eyes glowing with yellow energy.

He started to feel a tinge of nervousness creep in again as he regarded the angry looking girl. If he was gonna have even a chance, he needed to close in fast!

Ignoring the pain, Adonis jumped to his feet and charged forward, ripping up a chunk of concrete as he did. He tossed the slab ahead of himself as he ran, only to watch as the girl effortlessly waved her hand to the side, causing the chunk to fly wide, then lift her other hand. In an instant, a stone column rose up in front of him.

He didn't even slow his charge, just lowered his sparking shoulder and blasted through the pillar. A flash of worry flashed across her face when he smashed through the second pillar just as easily.

Just as his confidence began to rise again, though, the girl lifted both hands, and a dozen basketball sized boulders tore themselves out of the grounds and flew towards him in a swarm. He managed to swat the first two out of the air, but the rest slammed into his frame, first unbalancing him, then finally sending him flying to crash on his back again.

'Damnit!' Reaching out blindly, not even sure what it was he ended picking up, Adonis sat up and tossed whatever it was at the girl as hard as he could.

The chunk of steel pipe wall whistled through the air fast enough that it generated a crack of thunder. The blonde barely had enough time lift a stone wall up in front of her, letting out a yelp of panic, but the metal projectile demolished the hasty defense in a burst of rubble which slammed into the shocked girl with bone rattling force.

The blonde collapsed to the ground in a heap, half buried in the same earth she'd used to defend herself.

A moment passed in silence . . .

Adonis let out a bark of laughter . . . then another.

Slowly dragging himself to his feet, he took a step towards the downed girl.

"Looks like it's time to finish you off, little lady."

"Over my dead body!"

Adonis stopped dead at the unfamiliar voice coming from somewhere. Had another Titan arrived on the scene? He was just about to look around to find the speaker, when said speaker chose that same moment to drop down right before him. Adonis could only stare strangely at the new arrival.

". . . Who the hell are you, kid . . . And why are you wearing the same stupid headband that other guy was?"

The young boy, standing barely half his height, glared up at him heatedly, even as he tucked a small yellow disc behind his back..

"My name is . . . um - ah . . . It's none of your damn business, that's what! Oh, forget it, just prepare to die!"

* * *

Though it was excruciating, Jinx struggled to control her breathing as she slid along the wall. It was also a struggle to ignore the feeling of the slick sewer wall on her back, but she choked down her disgust and kept herself pressed up against it as she moved. It was so damned dark down here, away from even the meager light filtering down through the hole they'd blasted in the street, that the wall was the only thing she could use to navigate.

Moving as carefully as possible, she lifted one foot and slid it to the side before lowering it - and very nearly gave herself a heart attack when the thick sole of her shoe touched down on a metal grating of some sort, causing a metallic rattle to echo outward. Despite the fact that the sound was nearly silent, in her current state it sounded like she'd just stepped on a landmine.

Though the sorceress knew it was foolish, she had to know what she'd just stepped on. Holding her hand tightly to her chest, she turned to the wall and willed a tiny spark of power to flare to life at the tip of her finger. For an instant she was blinded by pink, but her sharp eyes quickly adjusted to the faint light. A quick look down revealed her situation.

The wall she was sneaking along ended less than a foot away from where she was standing, opening into a wide circular tunnel which ran perpendicular to her narrow walkway. What she'd stepped onto was apparently a long, floating catwalk which ran down the center of the tunnel and far off into the impenetrable darkness.

Snuffing out her tiny night light, Jinx quailed internally at what she should do. Did she go back the way she came from and possibly run into Croc where she knew he had the advantage, or did she keep moving forward and risk giving away her position in hopes of finding a better place to make her stand . . .

Letting out a tiny sigh, Jinx took another excruciatingly careful step, bringing her full weight onto the catwalk. A nearly inaudible creaking emanated from the bulky metal walkway, but her meager weight didn't appear to be enough to displace the catwalk too much.

Relatively confident now, she began to travel down the tunnel, stepping quietly and using the handrail to keep on track. As she walked she could almost see the sound waves rolling out from her every step, and did everything in her vivid imagination to try to minimize the invisible lines. Unfortunately, walking nearly blind as she was left a good part of that up to luck-

As was evidenced when the toe of her shoe kicked into the upraised lip of the next section of catwalk that some damned, lazy engineer hadn't bothered to bolt down correctly! A loud *clang* rang out, the sound meter in her mind's eye spiking painfully and the shocked sorceress let out a pretty nasty profanity.

Mere seconds later, she let out an even more vulgar curse when the catwalk beneath her began to rattle ominously. Instantly, Jinx raised her hands and pink fire encompassed them as she spun around to spot her carnivorous adversary.

As such, she was caught totally off guard when the section of catwalk right before her suddenly exploded up in a shower of sewer water and shattered metal. A second later, the massive figure of Killer Croc, damp scales shimmering unnaturally around the pair of dark hand shaped scorch marks on his chest, landed on the catwalk before her, sending her stumbling back frantically.

With a feral growl, the criminal creature lashed out with gleaming claws and only the fact that she was already stumbling out of the way kept her from being disemboweled on the spot. She bit off a pained scream as the completely unsanitary claws tore into her left arm, shredding dress and skin alike. She felt a spray of warmth splatter across her face and familiar taste of copper trickled across her tongue as the force of the strike sent her spinning into the guardrail painfully.

The panicked sorceress did the only thing she could think of, then, she scrambled to her feet and began to sprint back the way she came, hand pressed harshly against her bleeding arm. Within moments she reached the end of the catwalk and, not really knowing what else to do, simply leapt straight up into the maze of pipes and masonry that crisscrossed above the massive septic pool of the culvert.

'_What the hell am I gonna do! . . . What would Happi do?'_

* * *

Killer Croc smiled vindictively as he lifted his bloodied claw up to his nose and took a deep breath. The scent of his prey, fresh and unmistakable even in the heart of the sewer, filled him with a primal hunger. Sure, there wasn't much meat to be had on such a tiny little thing, but he had no doubt that she would be a meal he would never forget.

Moving quickly, he reached the end of the catwalk; the dim light from the distant hole in the street growing incrementally brighter by the minute was more than enough for his eyes, accustomed to such darkness, to see the vast pool of water before him.

A quick sniff told him what he needed to know. Looking upward, he began to carefully scan pipe works above his head. The nearest pipe was only fifteen feet above his head, not so far for him, and not so far for his nimble opponent from what he'd seen.

Another round of hide and seek, was it? This one wouldn't even be as sporting as the last one. It had taken forever for him to wait for her to slip up and give away her position before, but now he had her scent again . . . it was just a matter of time.

The crocodilian criminal indulged himself with a loud chuckle as he looked up into maze of ironmongery. "You can't hide from me, bitch. *Hsssk* I can _smell_ you . . . Smell your _blood_. I'm going to _enjoy_ cracking your bones open, Girly."

His voice echoed back and forth across the cavernous chamber before utter silence settled in for several long minutes. He strained his ears, listening for so much as a scuff of rubber on metal that might tell him where she was hiding; the silence seemed like it might stretch on into eternity, until he was finally rewarded with a response. The infuriating girl's voice echoed around tauntingly, but he could clearly make out the words.

"Croc, how is it that we're in a sewer and you're _still_ the ugliest thing around?"

Before Croc even had the chance to growl at the insult, suddenly several blasts of pink energy fired out randomly from above. The flashes of light slammed into any number of surfaces, most notably the rusted pipe above his own head. A second later, he was forced to frantically dive to the side as the heavy piece of steel inexplicably collapsed under its own weight and attempted to make him do the same.

A horrendous cacophony filled the air as numerous pieces of masonry and steel fell down into the pool and onto the various ledges and catwalks that crisscrossed the watery chamber. Massive splashes of water and sparks of brick on metal obscured his vision completely for a moment before the room finally calmed down to near silence again.

. . . Was this girl really that stupid? Moving quickly, Killer Croc scaled up the nearby wall, his claws digging into the crumbling mortar easily, and leapt to a nearby ledge. He quickly honed in on the general area he'd seen energy blasts originate from. Taking another deep breath, her scent filled his nose, leading him unerringly in on her.

He raced down the ledge before leaping across to a hanging pipe. Once there, he began to move cautiously once again. While more nimble than anything with his bulk had any right to be, he was no gymnast . . . unlike that damned girl. Balancing himself carefully, he stalked down the length of the pipe before swinging over to another pipe which cut across on a more direct route to his prey.

It took all of his will to stop himself from breaking into a full sprint on the precarious pipe work. The sound of his blood pumping in his own ears was all he could hear and his vision began to narrow into a tunnel of pure intent as he closed in. The smell of blood filled his nostrils, pulling him forward . . .

_There_!

On the far side of a hanging support, he spotted her. Even in the subterranean gloom, the dark lavender of the frayed, flaring shoulder of her dress peeking around the steel beam stood out keenly.

Croc took a second to stop himself, forcing himself to calm down as he crept forward. Each silent step was torture, as his instincts howled for blood, but he managed to suppress his bloodlust enough to keep his approach as stealthy as possible.

Finally, after a seeming eternity, the scaly criminal was close enough, less than three feet of air and eighteen inches of mild steel between him and the little witch. The smell of her blood was strong now, tantalizingly so. Sinister smirk growing on his pallid lips, Croc reached back, muscles tensing gleefully . . .

Then he lunged, his deadly claws cutting through the air as he swung his arms around the support. He caught the slight girl dead between his talons and felt the gratifying sensation of fabric tearing to ribbons - quickly followed by the painfully grating squeal of his claws skittering across steel.

Confused, Croc pulled his hands back . . . only to stare blankly at the torn pieces of material that hung from his nails. What was once a one piece dress was now slashed into a halter top and a miniskirt and the sight left him completely befuddled.

If her clothes were in his hands . . . then where was she?

It was in that moment of silent contemplation that an odd sound began to filter its way into his consciousness. Some kind of . . . bubbling sound? And it was coming from . . . from below him?

Morbid curiosity drew his gaze down to the pool of water directly below him. The shock of pink hair stood out easily against the brackish water, as did the wide, Cheshire grin which it framed as Jinx looked back up at him. In the chest deep water he could only see the top of her dark sports bra, but that fact was quickly forgotten in light of the roiling, churning patch of water directly in front of her.

The reason for the bubbling was revealed all too soon as the slight girl lifted her hands out of the water. For some reason, her hands were wrapped in what looked to be the very striped stockings she'd been wearing earlier - and mere seconds after leaving the dark water, the steaming material all but vaporized, revealing a disturbingly large sphere of raging pink energy dancing merrily between her cupped palms.

"_Pucker up, you scaly son of a bitch_!"

"Oh Hel-"

And then Killer Croc's world dissolved into a disgusting neon pink.

* * *

Batman dove frantically to the side as a series of explosions rocked the street all around him. In a flash of movement, he pulled out another fan of beeping batarangs and hurled the lot of them at the madly bouncing form of the tiny terror.

Happosai easily ducked and dodged around the flying blades, even as he pulled out another handful of his archaic looking explosives. The diminutive master quickly dove forward as the batarangs dug into the street around him before exploding furiously a second later.

The debris from these latest explosions joined a steady hail of shattered infrastructure which was now raining down around them. Patches of impenetrable smoke from various smoke bombs cut visibility down, fires raged in shallow craters and alternating patches of ice and mold peppered the streets from countless near misses.

Reaching behind his back mid roll, Batman checked his ice pellet compartment, only to find it woefully empty.

A second later one of Happosai's fuse bombs bounced down onto the pavement right in front of him. The Dark Knight had a split second to bemoan his opponent's apparently unlimited supply of explosives, even as he threw himself backwards and threw his arms up in front of him to shield his face.

The inevitable explosion lifted the caped crusader off of his feet and sent him flying through the air. The heat and concussion was painful, but not cripplingly so. Again, he easily righted himself in midair and landed on his feet, skidding to a stop several feet later.

A somewhat frantic search revealed that his supplies of smoke pellets, explosive pellets and standard batarangs were all exhausted as well. He'd just thrown his last set of explosive batarangs and he only had one last charge left for his grapnel hook.

None of which mattered, as the diminutive master of martial arts was already charging his way again, intent on another round of fisticuff. Batman glanced down at his electric knuckles . . . Or at least the remains of them. The right one was sparking slightly in a way it wasn't designed to . . . the left had been reduced to an expensive set of brass rings. The detective was also certain that he would be feeling the results of his hasty resetting of his dislocated shoulder for the entire week to come.

There was nothing to be done for it now. He needed a distraction or he was done for, and without ever having even gotten close to the hole in the street. There was only one compartment left on his belt that wasn't empty, the compartment that he used to collect evidence from crime scenes.

Even after being subjected to the tiny terror for several minutes now, Batman's eyes still widened at the burst of speed that Happosai poured on as he surged forward, manic smile splitting his face.

Even with decades of painstaking training, honing his body to the limit of human potential, Batman scarcely had enough time to empty the contents of his belt into his hand and throw it straight into the charging martial artist's path . . .

Only then did the Dark Knight recall the last crime he had investigated: a certain string of thefts committed by an improbably skilled cat burglar . . .

The burgundy piece of lingerie - which he had been quite hopeful to find some trace of DNA evidence on - fluttered uselessly through the air. The Batman wasn't certain what would be more painful, the incoming pummeling, or the damage to his reputation if this little mishap got out-

"_Sweeto_!"

Happosai latched onto the pair of panties like a lamprey, hugging the piece of . . . evidence to his chest with a disturbing amount of passion.

Batman could only stare for a moment as the incredibly powerful and dangerous warrior apparently seemed to just . . . forget that they were in the midst of a life and death struggle. He strongly considered attacking the ancient pervert while he was distracted, but it hardly seemed very sporting.

But still, there was a life at stake-

Both warriors were suddenly knocked from their feet when, without warning, an eruption of brilliant pink energy blasted up from the street. The towering torrent of neon power ripped open a new chasm in the street even larger than the one that had been created already, and the soaring stream of light continued to rise into the air for several long seconds before it finally began to subside and vanish back into the cavernous pit.

Several seconds after that, the familiar gray form of Killer Croc slammed into the ground with enough force to shatter the pavement even further.

Slowly, Batman and Happosai rose to their feet, at a loss as they stared at the scene of destruction.

Several silent moments later, another figure appeared through the new aperture. The slim female landed in a crouch from her graceful leap out of the septic abyss, holding the pose for several long seconds, apparently catching her breath, before finally rising to her feet.

Instantly, a dozen spotlights from a dozen news copters centered in on the young woman, revealing a dramatic change in her attire. Where before she had been wearing a dark one piece dress and long stripped stockings, the girl's mid riff and legs were left completely exposed as her dress had somehow been reduced to little more than a halter top and a micro skirt, and her silly looking stockings were nowhere to be found.

Oh, and her dress was smoking fairly heavily, both the grey wisps of ash and her flowing pink hair blowing dramatically in the wind generated by the numerous news choppers.

Slowly, the Dark Knight turned to his atypical associate. "What did you say her name was again?"

The shameless smile adorning the wizened warrior's face was impossible to miss. "That's my Jinx. Heh, I told you she'd be able to handle your circus sideshow."

Batman could only shake his head.

"I think the Titan's should know about this."

Happosai's chuckle sounded like the rustling of autumn leaves.

"Oh, don't you worry, sonny boy. They will."

* * *

The first thing she perceived was the darkness. The intimately familiar, soul crushing darkness which haunted the half of her dreams that weren't bathed in flames. Instantly, Terra's eyes flashed open, unable to stand the numbing abyss for even a single second longer. At which point, she was made aware of the agonizing amount of pain wracking most of her body.

The slight blonde let out a weak groan as she dragged herself to her knees, struggling to draw breath into her lungs. It felt like she'd had the wind knocked out of her when she'd been pummeled, but she was more than used to the sensation so she didn't panic, rather she did her best to focus past the pain and breathe.

Able to do little more than sit there, wheezing, Terra finally took the time to take in her surroundings once more.

The sight of a four foot kid battling an eight foot mechanical monstrosity made the geokinetic hero wonder if she were still unconscious and was dreaming. Luckily, before she actually thought to pinch herself, she recalled that Ryouga had that strange curse thing that turned him into a kid. She hadn't seen his curse activated in weeks, but that first time was still pretty vivid in her memory.

Sadly, the battle was going just about as well as one would expect a battle between an eight year old and a robotic power suit.

Not nearly as fast as he was in his normal body, kid Ryouga failed to evade a quick jab from Adonis. The glancing blow clipped the fang's kid's shoulder and sent him spinning like a top, only to crash to the ground in a heap over a dozen feet away.

The startled gasp of pain that Ryouga gave out when he hit the ground shocked Terra to her core. Were she not already breathless, she would have cried out herself. He hadn't cried out once the entire fight, not even when he was slamming into every piece of metal on the way down here, but minor hit like that was enough to hurt him now?

Rather than chase him down, the armor plated antagonist just let out a boisterous laugh. "Stupid brat! Your buddy wasn't strong enough to hurt me, so what are you even thinking?"

Letting out an inarticulate growl, Ryouga dragged himself to his feet. Fury twisting his young face in a way that twisted Terra's heart, the child-like martial artist suddenly crossed his arms tightly across his chest in a familiar gesture.

"_Shishi Houkodan_!"

The aura of viridian light which sprung up around the young fighter before swirling down into a compact sphere which floated before his chest gave Adonis just enough warning to cross his arms in front of his face.

Ryouga's chi blast crashed over the massive criminal in a wave of power. Terra was actually shocked as Adonis was sent skidding backwards a few yards, heels digging deep furrows in the pavement. She'd thought that Raven had said his energy attack was getting weaker, not stronger.

Adonis lowered his arms, studying Ryouga warily for a moment, before grunting in annoyance. "I don't know what the hell that was, but it ain't enough to stop Adonis!"

Even as Terra rose to her feet, finally regaining control of her breathing, Ryouga simply ducked his head and charged back in, letting out a high pitched war cry with every step.

The two combatants collided like a fly hitting a windshield. With Adonis stampeding forward to meet his charge, Ryouga slammed into his chest at a solid thirty miles an hour - in an instant, the fanged martial artist was launched backwards at the same velocity. Terra could only cringe as he rag dolled across the ground before grinding to a stop once more.

Terra began to move forward to help her friend, unable to bear the sight of her cursed mentor struggling to regain his feet, only to stop in confusion. Halfway to his feet, still resting heavily on one knee, Ryouga pulled out his communicator and growled into it. "Beast Boy, what the hell is the hold up?"

Even from the distance, Terra could still make out Beast Boy's frantic reply, "Dude! You didn't exactly leave me a lot to work with in here. Just keep that jerk away from Terra till I get there!"

Nodding fiercely, Ryouga stowed the disc away again. Standing back up, the young warrior's hands curled into tiny little fists. In response to his grim determination, Adonis simply crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.

"You just don't get it, do you? I didn't get so much as a _dent_ falling, like, eight stories. You _can_'t hurt me."

Eyes narrowing, Ryouga actually nodded in agreement. "Your armor _is_ really tough . . ." With a fluid motion, he slid his hand up behind his head and wrapped his fingers around the glossy black handle of the slim ebony umbrella strapped to his back.

Ryouga swung the umbrella out before him, holding it like a fencer might a foil. "However . . . that armor doesn't cover you entire body, does it?"

A dark sneer formed on Ryouga's face, an expression which was doubly disturbing to be seen on a child. Then, with a loud click -

A razor sharp length of steel slid from the tip of the umbrella.

The deadly intent so blatantly displayed Ryouga's face combined with the simple, elegance of the bladed umbrella was enough to set both Adonis and Terra, herself, back a step.

"_Ryouga_!" Terra shouted, appalled.

Instantly, the blade vanished back from whence it came and the fanged fighter spun to stare at her, a bizarre mixture of relief and apprehension on his face. Moving with all speed, Ryouga was at her side in a flash. "T-Terra, you're alright? I thought - thought -"

Terra frowned darkly at the deceptively old kid . . . but found it impossible to keep up the angry expression in light of the adorably shameful look on Ryouga's childlike face. Eventually, her scowl softened and she shook her head reproachfully. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious what you were thinking. But I'm alright, so no need to . . . over react."

The unnaturally young martial artist gave another nod, this one decidedly sheepish. "Um, yeah . . . sorry about that. I'm not exactly good with dealing with frustration."

Terra rolled her eyes, doing her best to hide her conflicted emotions.

"Man, you two are freakin' psycho, did you know that? Are you guys sure you're Titans at all?" Adonis called out loudly. The mechanically clad criminal stared at them incredulously. "How do they even let half sane maniacs like you on their team?"

The blonde geokinetic considered the narcissistic jerk for a moment before smirking. "That's why there's two of us. Between the pair of us we have just enough sanity to do something as insane as being super heroes."

Terra then turned to Ryouga, her smile growing. "Speaking of crazy, I think I have a plan."

Ryouga smiled in relief. "It's about time someone thought of something. Now, all I need is B-"

A sudden spray of steaming water doused Ryouga, instantly reverting him to his teenage form. Terra's eyes nearly bugged out at the unexpected change, but Ryouga simply smiled, looking much more comfortable and pointed up.

Looking up, Terra smiled widely at the sight of a bright green pelican standing a few stories above them. A moment later, the bird changed back to the familiar changeling they all knew and . . . liked. Beast Boy instantly stuck out his tongue and began to wave at it frantically while unsuccessfully crying out 'hot, hot, hot!'

"Alright then," stated Ryouga happily, "So what's the plan?"

* * *

Floating high above the continuing battle . . . Starfire finally allowed her brilliantly glowing eyes to dim down to their usual emerald hue. She had been terrified for a moment that she might have been forced to intervene . . . and not in favor of her friends.

Where had Ryouga acquired that umbrella? She had never thought on it before, due to the pedestrian appearance of the implement, but she did not recall seeing it in his possession prior to his revival of Terra.

Even now, as the newly restored Ryouga and Terra turned back to regard the crimson criminal after their brief huddle, the Tamaranian found her gaze lingering on the unnerving onyx umbrella which hung from her friend's back.

Why would he choose to use such a blatantly lethal weapon as opposed to the more utilitarian device which Cyborg had made for him?

. . . Well . . . barring the flamethrower in his umbrella, anyway.

She would need to talk to her beloved friend about this . . . but Robin and Raven did not need to know of his small . . . slip. Not yet, at any rate.

* * *

Jinx couldn't remember a time that she'd felt so utterly exhausted. Not at any point during her distinguished enrolment at the H.I.V.E. academy, not during her harrowing training sessions with Ryouga. Not even her night long marathons of chasing Happosai from one corner of a city to the other had left her feeling as drained as she was at this moment.

Of course, with all of the helicopters circling over head, the sorceress forced herself to stay on her feet. She'd never fired off such an enormous blast before and frankly, she hoped she'd never have to do so again. It had sucked that much.

The gentle caress of the night's wind caused a soothing shiver to run down her damp skin, but she loved every second of the clean, fresh air. Unfortunately she knew she'd probably be smelling of sewer for weeks to come, but for just this moment, the helicopter generated downdraft blew the errant odors away.

Jinx only allowed her to enjoy her freedom for a moment before turning her attention back to the collapsed form of Killer Croc. He hadn't moved, asides from the gentle rising and lowering of his broad chest, but she wasn't nearly so naïve as to go over and jab him with her toe to check whether he was actually unconscious.

"Yo, Croc, you dead, or are we gonna finish this thing already?"

For a moment . . . nothing. Then, a deep groan emanated from her opponent's throat. It took somewhat longer for the beast to stagger to his feet before he finally turned to glare hatefully at her.

". . . Why . . . _Why_? Why are you doing this to me? Who the _hell_ are you?" Croc cried out, almost plaintively.

For a moment, Jinx felt a twinge in her conscience; she knew all too well the pain of being thwarted by do-gooders . . . but then she recalled that she didn't really care about other people's problems, especially those of psychotic cannibal freaks that had tried to eat her face.

"Does it really matter who beats you down, Croc? If it wasn't me, you _know_ it would'a been the Bat. You should've known that you were pretty much destined to fail here." Jinx began to circle around her opponent, a frown beginning to curve her lips. She wasn't certain why she'd said what she'd just said, but it had struck a little closer to home than she would have expected.

When was the last time she'd actually come out ahead when it came to fighting heroes, teen or otherwise? The only decisive victory she'd had in recent memory had been when her and Happosai had taken on Blockbuster back in Bludhaven.

Jinx quickly shook her head. She didn't like where that line of thought was going at all, and banished it from her mind.

Apparently Croc didn't like her insinuations either, his entire body vibrating with rage as he stared at her.

It was likely only a matter of seconds before he attacked again, so Jinx took in her surroundings as best as she could without taking her eyes off of him. Vehicles lined the street, warehouses stood tall in every direction and cargo cranes towered into the night's sky.

Not exactly much to work with.

Several seconds later, her sadly predictable attacker charged forward, claws leading the way. Thankfully he didn't seem to be in much better shape than her. His rush was haphazard, nearly as much stumbling to and fro as it was a straight line.

It gave the exhausted girl enough time to roll to the side, though she cried out when she rolled over her slashed shoulder. She swallowed the pain, just as Happi had taught her, and flipped back up to her feet quickly. The sorceress then spun and fired off a hex at Killer Croc.

The hex, barely more than a pink spark, went high, soaring over Croc's head. In response, he spun on her at tried to crush her in a bear hug, which she escaped by leaping straight up. Planting a foot on his convenient face, she pushed off and forced Croc to stumble backwards before he could catch his balance.

Flipping nimbly through the air, she landed several yards away, stumbling awkwardly herself, and fired off another pair of insignificant hexes. Croc ducked, nearly falling forward, and the projectiles flew past his head, the pair of sparks lighting up both sides of his face in a macabre dance pink, red and grey.

They continued this frantic, desperate and ultimately sloppy dance until Jinx's muscles all but screamed in agony. Her already depleted reserves were now so drained that spots were beginning to dance across her vision, but she forced herself to keep firing off minor hex after minor hex, regardless of the fact that most of them missed the criminal, some of them by embarrassing margins.

Finally, she got a chance to make some space between them. Croc overextended himself on his last attack and ploughed face first into a parked transport trailer. It gave Jinx the opportunity to break out into a staggering run back to the center of the street. Making sure she was far enough away, Jinx turned to face her opponent and dropped to her knees, breaths coming in ragged bursts.

For his part, Croc dragged himself to his feet, digging his claws into the steel of the truck to do so. The scaled criminal took a moment to take a few desperately needed breaths of his own as he stared at her.

"T-this - *hssk* - this is over . . . kid."

And then, intent on matching word to deed, Killer Croc began to lumber forward one last time. Jinx just stared at the massive criminal as he loped forward, watched the sleek interplay of muscle just beneath his scaled skin as he surged forward.

Slowly, Jinx nodded to herself.

"For once, Croc . . . I totally agree with you . . ."

And then she snapped her fingers.

* * *

Adonis studied the pair of Titan's uncertainly as they huddled together and spoke in hushed tones. He knew he should really be attacking them, but, at the same time, he was more than a little leery of the pair. Between the guy pulling a shiv on him, and the girl threatening to shake the entire damn plant down around them . . .

These two weren't at all like the Titan's he had been expecting to run into, there was a . . . a darkness in these two he wasn't sure that even he himself possessed. It had only become prevalent when one had thought the other was hurt, but still . . . Oh, and what the heck had been with that water thing? The guy had been the kid? Was that supposed to be some kind of super power or something? Because it sure seemed like a crappy one. Really, this whole fight was making no sense and it was worrying him no end.

Adonis was seriously considering taking this moment to make his escape.

Unfortunately, he let his contemplation run too long, and the pair broke from their huddle and turned to regard him, predatory grins on their faces. Not sure what to make of this new development, Adonis took an uncertain step backwards.

"Unh-unh-unh," clucked the young blonde chidingly.

The no-longer young guy offered him a fanged grin. "Yeah, we wouldn't be doing our job if we let you get away."

The girl nodded knowingly. "That's right. We have a nice comfy prison cell for you. First things first, we need to get you outta here so we don't wreck this place up anymore than we already have."

Now, that was going too far for Adonis. It was one thing to threaten him, but to mock him with stupid banter like that? Cracking his mechanical knuckles menacingly, he set himself into a wide stance. "Alright, that's it. You guys might have tried to freak me out with this psycho sibling thing you got going on, but please allow me to reiterate: You _punks_ aren't _strong_ enough to beat Adonis!"

Annoyingly, the blonde brat shrugged and nodded. "You might be right. You are pretty ridiculously strong and all, of course, sometimes, being strong just doesn't help."

Adonis stared at her strangely. "What the heck are you talking about, girl? You're getting loopier by the second here."

Terra chuckled in amusement. "Let me show you."

She then clapped her hands together tightly, before dropping to her knees and slapping her palms to the ground.

An instant later, Adonis let out a cry of shock as the very earth beneath his feet began to buckle and churn as if alive. Before he had a chance to do anything about it, his feet began to sink into the dirt, now as loose and flowing as quicksand.

"W-what the heck are you doing?" he shouted out in shock.

The blonde shook her head. "Just proving a point. Say, how's that super strength working for you right now?"

Adonis let out an inarticulate snarl as he continued to sink. None of his flailing helped him, in fact, it only made the pit trap swallow him up all the faster. All too soon, the sand reached his hips, then his waist, then his chest. He tried to push down against the ground, but his arms simply sunk in as well, leaving him helpless.

Finally, when the roiling sands reached his chin, his descent stopped. Unfortunately, he didn't even have time to curse at his would be captors when something else happened. Though it was hard to tell through his suit, he felt something clamp down on his foot. Before he knew it, he was suddenly being dragged forward, soil and pavement giving way before him as he was pulled through the earth.

A frantic look behind him showed the fanged guy keeping pace a few yards back at a sprint and the girl surfing beside him on an upraised platform of rock.

"What are _you guys doooiiiiiinnnnn_?"

At the rate they were moving, they were out of the facility in a matter of minutes, and another minute after that, his head tore through the chain link fence which marked the chemical plant boundary.

Just when Adonis thought he was going to choke on the dirt getting thrown up into his face, he was suddenly launched skyward. His entire world went topsy-turvy for a moment as he rag dolled helplessly through the air, only to be set painfully straight when he slammed mercilessly to the ground.

It was with a pained groan that the power suited criminal began to push himself up to his knees -

Only to let out a surprised shriek when he was suddenly slammed face first into the ground again. Looking awkwardly over his shoulder, he saw the bandanna wearing jerk standing on his back, smirking in an infuriating manner. In surge of power, Adonis pushed himself straight up onto his feet, swinging wildly with his other arm to pulverize the impertinent pest.

Unfortunately, his swing went wide and the martial artist vanished from sight as Adonis spun around clumsily from the force of his own attack. When he finally came to a stop, he spun around desperately to find his nemesis . . .

Only to pause when he found, not the guy, but the young blonde kneeling down on the dirt a dozen or so yards away from him, a creepy little smile on her face. Confused, but still furious, Adonis took a lumbering step forward, intent on crushing her like an ant.

Rather than jump to her feet and flee in terror, though, the girl simply leaned forward, as calm as calm could be, and tapped her finger to the ground.

Just as her finger touched the earth, the blonde Titan quietly said something that sounded strangely like:

"Bakusai Tenketsu."

And just like that, Adonis was airborne again. The ground beneath his feet exploded upwards with all the sound and fury of a bomb. Even as he tumbled through the air, debris pummeled him from every side and a choking cloud of dust stung his eyes and blocked vision.

His impromptu flight seemed to take an eternity, concepts like 'up and down' and 'time' becoming fuzzy as he fell, but finally he smashed to the ground again. Adonis didn't even wait for his head to stop spinning before leaping back to his feet. He swayed back and forth for a moment as soon as he was up, but shook his head furiously and began to charge forward blindly. He knew that damn girl was out there somewhere, and as soon as he was out of this damn cloud he'd-

Run headlong into Ryouga's clenched fist! The force of the punch was enough to stop Adonis dead in his tracks, and he glared down at the smaller fighter incredulously.

"What the hell is going on here?" Adonis barked hoarsely.

The fanged fighter chuckled wickedly. "Just softening you up a bit, that's all."

Ryouga then proceeded to duck back out of reach of Adonis' tired backhand before suddenly zipping back forward and laying into him with a blindingly fast series of punches.

The armored criminal wasn't sure what to make of the assault. First of all, despite the speed of his strikes, even combined they didn't have the power to so much as set Adonis back a step. Then, whenever Adonis tried to punch or kick the guy, rather than break off, he just slipped out of the way and then *bam*, was right back in, tapping away.

And why did it look like the guy was counting silently to himself? What was he up to now . . . 'eight'?

Ryouga continued to dance around him for another few moments, only to stop suddenly and take a short leap back just as he mouthed the word 'ten'. Then, smile only widening, the martial artist suddenly crossed his arms over his chest again, a dim glow already beginning to form.

Adonis' eyes widened and he quickly lifted his arms up over his face again. He knew what that meant. He had no idea what the hell that big glowy attack had been, but it stung like hell!

"Shishi Houkodan!"

Adonis braced himself as much as he possibly good, vainly trying to prepare himself for the searing . . .

. . . tingle that washed over him? The same green light washed over him - actually, it was far more bluish than greenish this time - but this time it washed over him like a gentle breeze. Blinking his eyes a few times to recover from the blinding light, Adonis slowly lowered his arms and looked around. It took him a few seconds to readjust to the dim lighting of the night sky, and the first thing he saw . . .

Was Terra standing a good fifty feet away from him; worryingly, her eyes were now glowing a brilliant yellow color . . . the same way they'd been glowing when she'd threatened to shake the entire chemical plant down to its foundation.

Despite having been literally upside down and turned around by this pair of psychos, Adonis knew that that could not be a good sign. He quickly began to backpedal, desperate to get further away from the deranged elementalist.

Unfortunately, he only made it a few steps before Terra lifted her hands high above her head in a grand gesture and yelled out:

"STONAMI!"

The result, though sadly predictable, was still ridiculously impressive. Even as the earth tore itself to pieces, rising up into a colossal wave of stone and dirt which bore down on him with terrifying speed, Adonis had only time to mutter-

"Oh, _sh_-"

* * *

It took Ryouga a few minutes to dig up most of Adonis, but the big lug was pretty much right where Terra said he would be. Taking a second to toss another sizeable boulder off of the pinned criminal, the martial artist knelt down beside Adonis and offered him a fanged grin.

Adonis, rubble covering everything but his chest and face, glared back up at him blearily. The shoulder of the criminal's suit gave off a high pitched whine and shuddered for a second before grinding to a halt once more.

"You think burying me is gonna stop me?" the entombed villain barked. "As soon as I reroute power in my suit, I'm gonna break outta this dirt pile and beat you into paste!"

Ryouga found himself shaking his head sadly. "So much strength, and not an iota of self control. If you weren't such a jackass, I could probably sympathize. As it is, though-"

Leaning over the martial artist carefully rested his hands onto the bulky chest plate of Adonis' armor, setting all his weight on his fingertips, all spread out equidistantly.

Adonis stared at him incredulously. "What are you up to? Gonna molest me into submission? You should already _know_ that you aren't strong enough to hurt me _- no one _is as strong as Adonis!"

Ryouga scowled darkly at that. He leaned forward, bringing his face only a few inches away from the villain's. "Didn't Terra already go over this part? Strength isn't everything. After all, if it was, would I be able to do _this_?"

And suddenly, Ryouga twisted his hands - and relished the shocked expression on Adonis' face as the entire chest plate crumpled up like a crushed beer can. His fingers sank into the collapsed metal easily, and with a savage tug, Ryouga tore the slab of armor right off and tossed it to the side. He then gleefully reached in and grabbed the human inside by the front of his jumpsuit and pulled him right out of the damn mechanical suit.

The martial artist snickered mercilessly at the slender figure of the young man he now held up. "Now, Mr. _Adonis_, why don't you show me just how strong you _really_ are?"

Ryouga gave the slim villain a little shake, but for the first time that night, Adonis had nothing to say. Instead the cowed criminal hung his head and did his best to avoid eye contact. Smirking to himself, Ryouga shook his head. "Yeah, that's kind of what I thought."

And with that, he flung the armorless Adonis through the air, only for him to be caught in a stone fist a moment later.

Ryouga turned to glance at Terra, the young geokinetic beaming a smile for all the world to see as she held her hand up to mimic the stone fist that held their new prisoner.

"Well, my young student, it was a bit touch and go there for a bit, but it looks like we pulled it off in the end."

Terra nodded excitedly. "I _know_, right? We sucked it up pretty bad back there, but once we actually tried working together, it was cake!"

A deep blush tinted Ryouga's cheeks at that. "Um . . . yeah, well, I'm kinda use to fighting on my own . . . So, in a way, I guess this was a bit of a lesson for both of us."

His apprentice rolled her eyes in amusement before nodding. "Don't worry, I can sympathize. Still . . . Did we pass, or what?"

Ryouga looked to the imprisoned Adonis, then back to the chemical plant - still standing and not missing a single major structure - then back to Terra once more. A broad smile than pasted itself on his face.

"You're damn right we did!"

* * *

Robin allowed a satisfied smile to settle on his face as he watched the rest of his team congratulate Terra and Ryouga on their well deserved victory. To one side, Beast Boy and Terra were hopping up and down, holding hands and squealing like a pair of schoolgirls. On the other side, Cyborg was talking animatedly with Ryouga. And in the middle, Starfire was floating back and forth between the two pairs, offering congratulations with joyous abandon.

To his side, Raven had her hood pulled down tightly, he suspected in a vain attempt to hide the tiny little smile which quirked up the corner of her lips. Robin leaned in closer to the cloaked girl, his smile growing. "Looks like they did good, didn't they?"

The violet haired girl replied with a shallow nod.

"You know, I don't think anyone would think it amiss for you to wander over and say a word or two."

At that, Raven all but impaled him with a flat glance. "I'd prefer to do that later, if you don't mind, when I don' t have to compete with . . . that."

With a roll of her wrist, Raven gestured to the rather amusing sight of Cyborg, practically in tears, shaking Ryouga by the shoulders.

"Ryo, man, what the heck was that last move you did! That - that's just not fair, dude, you can't just destroy armor like that!"

Ryouga chuckled menacingly, holding up a single finger in a very telling manner. "Oh, but I can, Cy. You didn't think I was gonna leave things as they were after our last fight, did you?"

"But . . . but how, man?" Cyborg asked urgently.

Ryouga considered the request . . . then shrugged. "You know what . . . I'll tell you later. I want to see you stew on that one for a bit before I spoil the surprise."

Robin just shook his head at the crestfallen expression which settled on the cyborg's face, then switched his attention back to Terra and Beast Boy's enthusiastic 'discussion.'

"I did it, Beast Boy, I really did it!"

"I knew you could do it, Terra, I totally knew it!"

"You really thought I could do it!"

"Are you kidding? Of course I knew you could do it!"

"Ahhh, Beast Boy! That's so sweet!"

Thankfully, before Robin could descend into a fit of diabetic shock, Terra leaned forward and crushed the lucky green teen into a tight hug before planting a chaste little kiss on his cheek, obviously caught up in the moment.

All threat of intelligent discussion from that area quickly died as Beast Boy was reduced to a gibbering pile of blissful putty in Terra's hands and the poor girl was left trying to figure out how to prop him up somehow.

At the sight, Raven rolled her eyes and began to drift back towards the T-Car. "I'll make certain that Adonis isn't going anywhere. Try to wrap things up here, would you? It's getting cold out, you know?"

Robin nodded and was about to reply . . . when suddenly his communicator began beeping. He looked at the device for a moment, then looked up to double check that all of his team mates were, indeed present, then back to the communicator. There weren't that many other people with communicators, and he doubted any of them would call unless it was an emergency.

Flipping it open quickly, Robin was surprised to see Kasumi's face in the tiny screen. Certainly, she had a communicator, but he didn't actually recall her ever using it before.

"Hey, Kasumi. Is there something wrong back at the tower?"

The older brunette smiled brightly and gave a tiny wave of her hand to ward off his concern. "No, no, not at all. I was just wondering if your little fight was going to be done soon, or not. You see, I just received a video from someone that I think everyone might want to see . . ."

Robin raised a curious eyebrow at the news.

"It was sent by a nice man calling himself Mr. . . . 'Batman', was it?"


	35. Titan Rising Epilogue

Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Epilogue

Enjoy if you Will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

The T-Car sped down the freeway, carrying its triumphant passengers home from a job well done. Robin had already left them far behind, speeding back on his R-Cycle, but the driver of this vehicle felt like enjoying the cruise back to the Tower. After all, with Adonis locked up, Terra happier than he'd seen her in quite some time, and an all around great outing, there was only one thing that seemed appropriate at the moment.

"My _man_, that was the greatest _ever_!" Cyborg bellowed at the top of his cybernetically enhanced lungs. He then held out his fist to the guy sitting in the passenger seat beside him.

Looking more than a bit sheepish, Ryouga obliged and met the proffered fist with one of his own. "Just so you know, Terra did most of the real work out there."

"Yeah," Terra chimed in, "Ryouga was just my assistant, kinda like my super heroic secretary, y'know?"

Instantly, Beast Boy and Starfire, sitting on opposite sides of the slight Titan, in the back of the car, burst into laughter. Ryouga, on the other hand, crossed his arms over his chest and began to pout. Raven, as usual, simply stared out the window as they cruised down the motorway.

Smile growing even wider, Cyborg nodded enthusiastically. "Aw, c'mon, Terra. You know you're my girl!" Then, in a somewhat reckless manner, he reached behind his head, offering his fist to her as well. "C'mon, gimme a pound!"

Laughing merrily, Terra bounced her fist off his with a dull clank before leaning back into her seat and snuggling back in between Beast Boy and Starfire. To her side, though, the Tamaranian Titan adopted an expression of reflection. Tapping her chin with a long finger, she caught Cyborg's gaze in the rearview mirror.

"But, Cyborg, are not Raven and myself also 'your girls?'"

"Hmph, speak for yourself," cut in the bird named hero in question, prompting Cyborg to chuckle in amusement.

"Don't sweat it, Star. You're all my top girls. Ain't no one in the city better!"

"Dude! Would you quit suckin' up to the girls and get us home already? It's crowded back here, y'know? Speaking of which, why the heck did Ryo get shotgun, anyway? I totally called it!"

To Cyborg, Beast Boy's complaint bordered on the heretical, considering the green teen was sandwiched enviably between _Starfire_ and _Terra_ of all people. Taking something so precious for granted obviously deserved punishment.

"What'chya talkin' about, BB? Law of Necessity trumps Shotgun." Cyborg smirked broadly as he gestured to Ryouga and himself. "In the front seats you got the big, manly men, who take up a lot of space with their big, manly muscles. In the back we got all the people with slender, feminine physiques, allowing us to fit more people in comfortably, y'see?"

Heedless of the merciless giggling abounding on both sides of him, Beast Boy slowly nodded to himself. "Hmm, yeah, I guess that - _hey_! Wait a second! _I'm_ back here, dude!"

For the first time since the drive began, Raven cracked a smile. "How _do_ you keep that girlish figure of yours, Beast Boy? You'll have to share your diet with the rest of us."

Eyes dancing with mirth, Starfire nodded along. "Indeed, dear friend. You simply _must_ accompany us on our next sojourn to the parlor of feminine aesthetics!"

"_Grrr_. Quite it already! I ain't no girl!"

Something about the green teen's cry amused even Ryouga, as he began to chuckle. "He's complaining like Ranma. Now even I'm convinced there are some feminine side issues here."

"Awww!" moaned Beast Boy. "Not you too, Ryo. Usually you got the sense of humor of a storm trooper!"

Before Ryouga even had the chance to figure out if he should be offended or not, Terra dropped a reassuring hand on Beast Boy's shoulder.

"Don't worry about them, BB. _I _still think you're a hunk."

Raven gave a wry chuckle. "A hunk of wha-"

"_Annnnyway_!" Cyborg cut in, quite heroically, really. "All in favor of changing the subject, raise your hands!"

Immediately, Ryouga's and Beast Boy's hands shot up with Cyborg's. Upon seeing the unanimous consent, he nodded to himself. "Alright, and the guys have it."

"Wait a second!"

"_Excuse_ me?"

"But, the voting was tied . . ."

Ignoring the annoyed stares coming from the back seat, the cybernetic teen turned to Ryouga. "So, Ryo, when the heck are you gonna start using the T-brella? I mean, I slaved over a hot particle accelerator to make that thing, and you're totin' around some old Mary Poppin's style junk. I'm gonna start feeling insulted soon, man."

The lost boy held up the umbrella in question, examining the ebony implement carefully. "I'm sorry, Cyborg. It's nothing against the T-brella. I just didn't think I would need that kind of firepower tonight, is all. We were just out on a standard patrol when all this started."

From behind Ryouga's seat, Starfire issued a rather loud 'humph'. "I believe that you should cease your use of that . . . archaic umbrella as soon as possible."

Terra's head quickly bobbed up and down in agreement. "Yeah … I think Cyborg's umbrella would suit you better. Don't you, Ryouga?"

For some reason, the Lost Boy began to squirm in his seat, at least until Beast Boy suddenly leaned forward.

"Don't listen to those guys, Ryo! I like the vintage model way better!"

The air was blasted from the green teen's lungs a second later when, out of nowhere, Terra elbowed the changeling in the ribs.

"You do _not_! There's no _way_ you can like that umbrella more than Cyborg's!"

"What?" Beast Boy wheezed, staring at the girl like she was crazy. "Of course I can. The classic model rocks. You know what I'm talkin' about, right Raven?"

The dark Titan started slightly from her window gazing, apparently surprised to be consulted on such an … important topic. Giving the question some actual thought, Raven then proceeded to shrug.

"I hate to agree with Beast Boy, but … well, it's black. Are you really that surprised?"

"No, friends! You do not understand," Starfire implored in earnest, "Ryouga's current umbrella is most ba-"

"_Okay_, okay, I get it!" Ryouga threw his hands up helplessly. "I promise, the next big emergency we get, I'll bring the T-brella, alright?"

Cyborg nodded, smiling broadly. Sure, it was a bit odd that Terra and Star were looking even more satisfied with the response than himself, but he just chalked it up to how awesome the T-brella was. Who wouldn't want to see it in action?

The strong opinions also seemed to have left Beast Boy and Raven looking more than a little confused, but, really, that wasn't Cyborg's problem.

… and speaking of Cyborg's problems.

"Okay, seriously man, you gotta tell me how you pulled off that trick where you pulled Adonis' armor off."

Instantly, Beast Boy was hovering between them again, excitement on his face. "Yeah, dude, that was like, seventy percent as awesome as Terra's 'Stonami'! … Maybe sixty five percent."

"Awwww, you," preened Terra.

"I mean," the changeling continued, "You were living, eating and breathing Bakusai Tenketsu for over a month, man. Even _I _know that it's not supposed to work on metal, rubber, or anything with a comparatively elastic chi flow capable of compensating for the influx of energy."

He was met by five very blank stares.

"… What? I can learn things too, y'know!"

Giving his head a quick shake, Ryouga eventually nodded. "Good memory, Beast Boy. I tried it quite a few times while I was working on Terra, but the B.T. just doesn't work properly on metal. Unlike, say, stone, steel and most of its alloys are very hard, but also very tough."

"Tough like Clint Eastwood?" Terra asked with an impish smirk.

Cyborg stared at the girl incredulously through the rearview. "Girl, you aren't even old enough to know that name! And no, he means that steel is highly resistant to sudden shocks, which is indicative of high energy transference."

It was Cyborg's turn to be graced with blank stares.

Rolling his one organic eye, Cyborg gestured meaninglessly with his free hand. "Look at it like this. You hit a rock with a hammer, it shatters. You hit a block of metal with a hammer, it barely even leaves a mark."

Ryouga nodded in agreement. "Often, steel is hardened in a furnace by raising it above its critical temperature. This makes it very hard, but also more brittle. So, manufacturers concerned with sharp impacts, such as powered armor producers, will then temper the metal to increase its toughness again."

"That's right, Ryo. The reason for that is that the grain structure of steel while in its Austenitic phase, just after it's been hardened is very rough and full of stresses. After tempering, the grain structure is reformed into Martensite, which possesses a much finer grain structure."

Now actively talking pretty much directly to each other, the duo didn't even notice the swirling, confused looks on the faces of their back seat friends.

"Exactly," Ryouga replied excitedly. "That was one of the problems I was having when I was trying to apply the original B.T. to steel. The grain structure is so fine and the energy transference properties of the material were so high that it made it very difficult to pin point the breaking points, or to actually apply enough energy to any given point to detonate them."

Cyborg nodded back. "I noticed this latest variation didn't involve just blowing the guy's armor up. How did you overcome the grain structure problem?"

Ryouga shrugged. "I didn't, really. Using the standard technique, the most I could accomplish was just flooding the metal with chi, in essence burning out all the breaking points. The process is slow, though, so it just resulted in melting the metal."

"Not exactly something you want to do in a fight," Cyborg noted, sounding a tad worried.

The fanged fighter nodded again. "Far too dangerous to use on someone like Adonis. Also, the stronger and more exotic the metal, the more energy it takes, so it becomes unusable against anything too tough anyway." Shrugging sadly at lost opportunities, he continued, "Even when I finally progressed to the point that I could see the breaking points in steel - not too long after I learned how to differentiate between Terra's aura and the ground's aura, damn tricky, that - the amount of power to actually overcome the structural strength of the material would be just as dangerous to me as to the metal." Ryouga held up his index finger and studied it. "Flooding that much chi through my finger tip would probably blow my entire hand off. Not to mention the idea of having a piece of super hard, exotic alloy exploding in my face didn't exactly seem like a good idea, either. Not liking either of those prospects, I decided to approach the entire concept from a different angle. A little research put me on the right path. I just had to think … smaller."

All at once, a light bulb went off in Cyborg's head - not literally this time, though - and he slapped a hand to his forehead. "D'oy! The atoms in metals join together to form a _crystalline_ lattice! How did I miss something so basic? You aren't trying to detonate the metal along planes of weakness, you're fracturing the crystalline structure of the metal to-"

"Induce metal fatigue!" Ryouga finished excitedly.

The titanium Titan couldn't stop himself from bursting out into laughter. "Oh man, that explains _so_ much. Especially why you were poking the guy to death back there, yo! You must have had to hit hundreds of … fatigue points, I guess you'd call'em, to get any appreciable effect."

"Well over a thousand, and that was just to weaken the structural integrity of the chest plate for me to deform the metal with my normal strength. "

Nodding to himself, Cyborg was already considering the implications. "… Wait. Holy crap, Ryo! Do you know what this means? You've actually figured out how to attack metal on the _atomic_ level! How the heck am I supposed to develop a defense against that!"

The evil chuckle Ryouga replied with didn't instill the cybernetic teen with confidence, at least until the fanged boy shook his head in bemusement. "I don't think you need to worry about it too much yet, Cy. The precision and focus I require to pull that off successfully in a fight is like trying to conduct brain surgery with mittens on." The Lost Boy then offered up a fanged smirk. "For someone as weak as you, it's just plain easier to beat you the old fashioned way."

"Ha! I think someone forgot the result of our _last_ grudge match. Isn't that right … guys?" Cyborg's question died on his lips as he looked into the back seat.

To a man - woman, actually - everyone in the back seat was dead to the world, snoring away merrily. Beast Boy and Terra even had matching lines of drool running down their chins as their heads bobbed back and forth with the motion of the T-Car.

Cyborg and Ryouga shared a quick look before shrugging in unison.

"Some people just have no respect for honest to goodness intellectual discourse, am I right, Ryo?"

"I know!" Ryouga replied, exasperated. "Even _Ranma_ was never rude enough to fall asleep when I explained one of my new techniques. I would have thought at least Star would have appreciated our metallurgical discussion."

"Man, it's too bad, too," Cyborg lamented, " I was gonna try to freak BB out by trying to convince him that you could use your new trick on people too."

His martially inclined companion laughed quietly to himself, obviously thinking the idea to be funny. "Can you imagine how long it would take to actually explain it to him that this technique is useless on pretty much anything but metal and other similar materials? I mean, it's only the fact that metal atoms don't join together to form molecules like most other things that allows the technique to work."

"Yeah, that makes sense," the larger teen replied. "You can set up a cascade effect in the metal lattice, so that a single burst of energy can spread out, damaging atomic bonds as it travels through the steel. In a person, you'd literally be stuck trying to break them down one molecule at a time."

"At which point, it just becomes so ridiculous it's not even worth considering," Ryouga concluded.

"Still … would'a been funny, but, hey, what can ya do, man?"

"I dunno … draw on their faces?"

The titanium Titan wiped away a tear of pride. "Dawg, you have come so far under my tutelage! Who should we hit first, though? BB, or Raven?"

"Touch me, and your suffering will be eternal."

With a start, both boys spun around to stare at the speaker. Raven hadn't even bothered to open her eyes, her head still resting against the window, but the aura of menace emanating from her was palpable.

Cyborg tried to stay quiet, he really did, but within seconds his will eroded and he leaned over to whisper to Ryouga.

"Yo, is it just me, or is it totally hot when Raven talks like that?"

"… I'm pretty sure it's just you."

"You are aware that I can still hear both of you, right?"

Instantly, Cyborg and Ryouga proceeded to stare straight ahead with deadly intensity, and begun to whistle innocently with an impressive amount of harmony.

Needless to say, the rest of the trip back to the tower passed in relative silence.

* * *

The rhythmic tapping of thick heels against the building face created a soothing background noise to accompany the beautiful view of the city. It was an odd sight, and one that Jinx wouldn't have associated with the city of Gotham after spending an hour or so trotting through its septic system … But Gotham had a really lovely skyline. It was just the perfect capstone to the horrible night she had just endured. She only wished it could last forever -

Stabbing pain shot up her arm and Jinx turned to look up with a furious squawk.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing, Bats? Am I not already in enough pain?"

The bat themed hero in question appeared utterly unmoved by her plight as he double checked the syringe he had just jabbed her with. "Antibiotics. I know the hazards of fighting in a sewer. Trust me, you'll be thanking me later."

Jinx considered arguing, if only for argument's sake, but considering how warm and cozy she was feeling all wrapped up in the bilious cloak he'd been kind enough to lend her, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

So, instead she replied in a sing song voice, "_Thank you, Batman_."

"That's my polite young Disciple!" Happosai crowed boisterously. Sitting on her other side, the ancient master was smoking away on his pipe as he leaned back, a wide smile on his face. "Words can hardly convey how I feel about your performance, Jinx."

The young sorceress giggled in amusement, giving herself a little hug. "Really? How about 'Proud', or 'Amazed', or 'I'm taking you out for ice cream because you were so mind blowingly _wowful_!"

Batman eyed her critically. "Wowful?"

Happosai tapped his pipe against the roof to empty it as he considered her suggestions. "Hmm, actually, I was thinking more along the lines of 'Disappointing', 'Embarrassing to watch', and 'I hope Cologne never gets a copy of the video, or I'll never live down the shame'!"

"_What_! You - you crotchety old man! I was awesome out there! What fight were you watching?"

"The one where you were showing off like a rodeo clown, that's the one I was watching. Dropping yourself in the sewer like that? And actually letting that weakling lay a finger on you? I might as well have trained a rock for all you learned!"

"Oh! Oh, you …!" Jinx's cheeks began to burn with righteous fury.

The Dark Knight could only shake his head in disbelief. It was hard to believe that this girl had been a stone cold criminal. It was even harder to believe that this ancient old man and this young woman might have been the very same pair that had been spreading terror and confusion through cities like Bludhaven and Metropolis over the past few months. Seeing them act like this, overt fondness hidden just below a veneer of shameless teasing …

"You did good in taking down Killer Croc, Jinx," Batman finally stated in between the bickering. "But your choice to fight him at all was incredibly reckless. You were fortunate that you weren't killed."

"Aww," Jinx cooed, "Batman was worried about me! I bet you wouldn't have actually let Croc finish me off, would you?"

Before the detective had a chance to reply, Happi jumped in between them. "Hey! I was worried about you too! In fact, if this little punk hadn't kept attacking me, I would have been down in that sewer a second after you!"

A second's glance up at the capeless crusader gave Jinx all the confirmation she needed in the form of a perfectly flat expression.

"Riiiiight, Happi. Suuure ya would'a." A second later, she looked up to Batman again. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be in the market for a sidekick, would ya? Unlike your last one, I'm already potty trained, and I work for peanuts … literally, Happi, like, never feeds me!"

The Dark Knight managed to stifle his chuckle at her reference to Robin, but couldn't stop himself from smiling at the look of betrayal on the ancient martial artist's face.

"Jinx! You're already being trained by the preeminent martial artist on the planet! How could you forsake me for this-" Happi gestured to the Batman incredulously. "-This rank amateur?"

"Rank amateur?" The detective repeated, a touch insulted.

"Oh, come on, can you blame me? I mean, it's the Goddamn Batman!-' Realizing what she'd just said in front of the man himself, Jinx quickly backpedaled. "-Um - ahem - Pardon my French, sir …"

They stern look on the hero's face held for a moment, before finally softening. Giddy again, Jinx kicked her heels off the building face. "I couldn't even say it's the villainous equivalent of working for Luthor, cuz there _is_ no villainous equivalent for working for the Batman! He's a legend, he's been kicking butt since before I was in diapers!"

"Feh, and I was already doing _that_ while his _grandparents_ were still in theirs!"

"Oh, don't be such an old fuddy-duddy, Happi! We were gonna take a break from training to head to Steel City after this, anyway."

She quickly turned back to Batman, bouncing up to her feet. Clasping her hands in front of her, she leveled her very best attempt at the Puppy Dog Pout in the detective's direction.

"_Please_, Mr. The Batman. Let me team up with you for a bit. We already got matching costumes-" She held out her arms, spreading the wide cape she now wore. "-And just imagine what it would do for my reputation!"

"Imagine what it would do for _my_ reputation," The Batman fired back. "Besides, I prefer to avoid working with criminals whenever possible."

Jinx quirked an eyebrow. "Oh _really_? Then how do you explain that crime against all fashion that is Robin?"

The Dark Knight didn't respond, simply glanced down at her own shredded, mismatched costume tellingly.

The sorceress hastily drew the cape in around her to cover her outfit. "Hey, I'm totally working this cape combo and you know it. Besides, I'm like ninety percent reformed … eighty five percent. Anyway, I'm barely a crook at all."

"There's a large difference between _barely_ a criminal and _not_ a criminal." The tone in his voice was surprisingly light, as if he were trying to hide his amusement at the situation. Still, things weren't looking good.

Thinking quickly, Jinx's finger suddenly shot up. "Aha! But think about it, The Batman. If I worked with you, even for a bit, I'd never be able to work with another villain again. My evil rep would be shot."

"Unless, of course, she betrayed you in some epic and tragic way," Happosai offered helpfully.

"_Happi_, shut up! I'm workin' here."

To her amazement, Batman actually seemed to be considering her words. "That does make a bit of sense. And, I suppose that having a positive role model for a few days couldn't hurt someone so far along in their 'rehabilitation'."

Jinx's catlike eyes widened into large saucers of strawberry milk. She was about a second away from 'squeeing' in a most embarrassing fashion, when he suddenly raised a hand to forestall her.

"There will be conditions, though. Most notably, no criminal activity of any kind."

The sorceress scratched her head. "Wait, isn't vigilantism still illegal for the most part?"

It was amusing to watch the Dark Knight roll his eyes through his cowl. "Excepting that, of course."

"Now wait just a minute!" Happi leapt in between them, suddenly seeming much larger than his height would indicate. "What makes you think I'm just going to let you take my favorite disciple and pollute her mind for even a minute?"

Sighing wearily, Jinx pulled out her small purse and, with a wince, snapped it open. She then proceeded to pull out a small roll of bills she had been saving up for a much needed spa day. Though it pained her more than Croc's bear hug, she handed the cash to her master.

"Here, master, consider it a present. You've been working so hard lately. Why don't you treat yourself to a nice bender for a few days and then we can meet up before we head out?"

The money disappeared in a flash, and a beaming smile appeared on his withered face. The idea of a good booze soaked sojourn seemed like just the perfect reward for his efforts.

Even as Happosai prepared to leap off the roof, Batman, wide eyed, suddenly called out. "Wait! I think we can work out a bargain here. I'll take care of Jinx for the next two or three days, food and shelter inclusive, and provide her transport to Steel City afterwards."

Jinx giggled ecstatically. She'd almost forgotten what food and shelter were. Happi, on the other hand, looked suspicious. "That's awfully generous, detective. And what do I have to do to pay for such an agreement?"

Batman's eyes narrowed.

"Get out of my city."

The ancient master stared at Batman for a moment … then another -

"Bwhahahahaha! Well played, Detective, well played." With that, Happi leapt onto the ledge, only to look back at Jinx one last time. "You made me proud today, Jinx, very proud … Though, I have to say, that was an awfully mean joke you played right at the end there."

Jinx donned her patented Cheshire grin. "You know you loved it, Happi. Now, have fun and I'll see you in a few days."

With a final nod, the Grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts leapt off the roof and vanished into the morning dawn.

Jinx had to blink several times as the rays of the rising sun finally reached her pink hued eyes. After spending so long in the dark, it felt … good to finally see the light again …

The sorceress shook her head furiously.

"Blech! I think I just thought a stupid _good guy _metaphor!"

For the first time since she met him - roughly twenty minutes ago - Jinx actually heard the Batman laugh, well, more of a quiet chuckle, really … an almost inaudible snicker? She could'a sworn he'd made some kinda sound, but the guy was so damn inscrutable.. A moment later, he dropped a strong hand on her shoulder. "It happens to the best of us. … I would like to know, though. I'm not exactly certain what Happosai was talking about. What joke did you play on Croc?"

Jinx tittered to herself. "Oh, the joke wasn't on Croc. Let's just say that it was something of an international inside joke. I'm pretty sure it'll be making the rounds soon enough."

Her temporary mentor stared at her oddly for a moment, so she shrugged. "_Anyway_! I could have sworn someone mentioned taking me out for ice cream, on account of how awesome I am." She made sure to flick her eyelashes quickly as she said it.

The corner of the Dark Knight's mouth quirked up into a grin. "Actually, I think we should get right to the training. Happosai was right, you were an absolute mess out there."

"_Ohhhhh_!"

* * *

The elevator ride up to the main room of the tower was filled with excited chatter. All around Raven, her friends continued to laugh and joke, sometimes enacting a few of the more memorable moments of the earlier fight to garner more laughs.

Beast Boy's attempted reenactment of Ryouga falling ten or so stories with Adonis had nearly ended in hilarious tragedy.

The wave of friendship and joy settled over the dark Titan like a warm blanket. Having everyone so close to her, and so happy was a heady experience. Despite her staunchest efforts, she could feel a small smile tugging up at the corner of her lips. She was almost to tempted to join in with the jocularity.

Almost. She did have a reputation to maintain, after all.

Above the door, the flashing number quickly approached the intended floor, and in a matter of moments, the door would open and disgorge them from its clutches. Silently, Raven steeled her resolve. She had waited patiently at the chemical plant, patiently on the car ride home, and patiently on the way up the tower, but now she would finally be able to get Ryouga somewhere so she could privately congratulate him.

Not just for the battle, but for all of the hard work he had done on their behalf. For doing something that Raven knew would have been impossible for herself: giving Terra the confidence to at least _try_ to control her powers better.

The violet eyed Titan could still scarcely believe how far Terra had progressed under his tutelage. Her control obviously still needed work, judging by those tremors earlier, but the fiery determination she had developed in tackling the issue was without precedent.

It was odd, now that she thought of it. Ryouga had joined the team to take her own place while she recovered from her injuries. In all that time here, he had barely gone on a handful of patrols, had only fought two criminals of note … yet he had done more for the Titans] than she could ever even imagine repaying.

He was supposed to have been a new heavy hitter, and yet he had ended up becoming the Titan's resident problem solver. She doubted that any of his friends back in Nerima would have possibly foreseen that development.

With a pleasant chime, the elevator doors slid open and everyone began to exit. Moving just a bit hastily herself, Raven exited the car and, in a very forward act for her, wrapped a hand around Ryouga's elbow to stop him from walking into the kitchenette with everyone else.

Though the boy could have easily dragged her across the room without even noticing, he quickly turned to look at her, a tinge of confusion on his face.

"Fighting the urge to pull her hood down further to cover her eyes, the cloaked Titan soldiered on. "Ryouga … I was wondering … wondering if I could talk to you?"

An amused grin spread across his fanged face. "You can talk to me whenever you want, Raven. You're doing it right now, even."

Raven rolled her eyes. "I think you and Cyborg have been hanging out _far_ too much lately," she muttered. She followed with, "I meant _privately_."

Ryouga's eyes widened in sudden realization. In an instant, she could see crimson colour creeping up his face as his imagination took a simple invitation and started running a marathon with it.

With fond annoyance, she swatted him gently upside the head - though she probably could have clobbered him with the fridge to similar effect - and shook her head. "I just wanted to thank-"

"Ryouga, Raven!" Robin's voice cut through the mood like some kind of mood killing chainsaw. Raven grit her teeth as Ryouga instantly turned to see what Robin wanted. Why did _something_ always interrupt her when she was trying to do anything these days?

"You two are going to want to see this," Robin explained from across the room. He then gestured for them to join the rest of the Titans, all gathered around the main monitor of the T-Computer.

With a world weary sigh, Raven began to float over. "What is it?" she asked evenly.

"It's in regards to the message from Batman. He sent us a link to a news report from Gotham city."

"So what's the big deal, Dawg?" Cyborg asked, perplexed. "They aren't raising some kinda Robin statue, are they? Cuz, let's face it, your ego is outta control enough as it is."

Even as everyone else burst into laughter, Robin met their mirth with a flat, deadpan tone. "My ego is not out of control. And the report is about an old friend of ours-" He gestured tellingly to Ryouga, "Or, more to the point, and old friend of yours."

"Mine? What, did Akane mallet Ranma to Gotham on account of him saying something idiotic?"

Instantly, Raven smirked and nudged the Lost Boy. "See, even though you make fun of him, Ranma is the first person you think of when you hear the word 'friend'."

"N-no he isn't! I was thinking of Akane, that's it! Ranma and I aren't friends!"

Raven just smiled knowingly.

"Yeah, Ranma's a jerk, anyway!"

Everyone paused at that, and then turned to regard the speaker.

Terra dug her toe into the carpet, looking down bashfully at the sudden scrutiny. "Well he is …"

"Terra, you are the only person in this tower that has never even met Ranma. Why would you possibly say something like that?" Raven asked a bit testily.

"What can I say?" Ryouga cut in, stepping beside Terra. He then dropped a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing Terra to instantly start beaming. "The girl is a quick learner."

A bark of laughter came from the resident Cyborg. "Dude, we told you to teach her how to fight, not turn her into a Ryo-Clone!"

Ryouga shrugged helplessly. "Hey, I teach what I know … And I know Ranma is a jerk. What kind of person would I be if I didn't pass on important knowledge like that?"

"A gracious one," Raven replied quickly.

"Oh, that hurt, Raven."

"Besides, Star makes fun of Ranma all the time, too," Terra stated forcefully. "If _she_ doesn't like him, then he must be, like, the biggest jerk in the history of jerkdom!"

A light blush tinged the alien girl's cheeks as Raven turned a dark look her way. "That is … not exactly true, friend Terra. My perceived dislike of the Ranma Saotome is largely for Ryouga's benefit."

"Huh?" replied more person than one.

"Ryouga takes great joy in his rivalry with his dear friend, Ranma-"

"Oh, come _on_!"

"-So I chose to play along with his game. In truth, Ranma is quite amusing. In fact, during our days of captivity in the medical bay following the destruction of the HIVE academy-"

"Ah, Starfire," Kasumi began hesitantly. Starfire quickly turned to her, at which point the Tendo woman continued. "I'm not certain that 'captivity' is the word you meant to use."

Starfire nodded amiably. "Of course. I did not mean to offend." She then turned back to the rest of the Titans. "During the days we were held prisoner by the Nurse Lord Kasumi, Ranma taught me much concerning the application of and theory behind the Soaring Dragon Ascends to the Heavens Wave."

Kasumi let out a rare sigh. "… Captivity is fine, on second thought."

The loud clearing of Robin's throat brought the quickly slipping focus back to the group.

"Are you guys done yet? I want to get Ryouga's opinion on this video. I'm not exactly sure what all the ramifications of this development could be."

Without any further explanation, Robin hit a button on the keyboard and the video began to play.

A shot of the Gotham port filled the screen. The image was shaky and from high up, obviously recorded from a helicopter. The shot seemed to wander aimlessly for a moment, before centering in on what appeared to be a large hole in the center of the street.

Beast Boy let out a low whistle. "Man, I'd hate to run into the brute that made that hole."

Robin smirked knowingly, . "You're about to, in 3 … 2 … 1-"

Right on cue, a different section of the street erupted in a brilliant column of pink flame.

Instantly, Raven's eyes widened in recognition. "Noooo …"

Apparently Ryouga drew the same conclusion, as he suddenly leaned forward, nearly blocking the monitor completely.

On the screen, a grey figure slammed to the pavement several seconds after the explosion. The large person appeared to be wearing little more than a pair of tattered jeans and a strange pair of tribal tattoos on his scaly chest.

"Who _is_ that?" Terra asked, sounding repulsed.

"Killer Croc," Robin replied matter of factly. "One of the worst that Gotham has to offer."

Beast Boy leaned forward, curious. "Soo, _he_ made the hole in the road?"

"Oh my, no," Kasumi answered. Everyone turned to fire puzzled looks at the tall brunette. In reply, she pointed back to the monitor. "She did."

The gathered gawkers spun back just in time to see another person leap out of the hole. The view zoomed in on this new arrival as much of the news crew's camera would allow. A second later, they landed in a low crouch.

And then she stood up, her pink hair blowing dramatically in the wind.

"Jinx!" Ryouga shouted, half shocked, half ecstatic.

Cyborg quickly leaned in as well, nearly shoving the Lost Boy out of the way. He then let out a low wolf whistle. "Holy, would you look at her? Jinx is lookin' _fine_!"

Beast Boy nodded frantically. "Look at that outfit!" he cried, pointing to the appreciated halter top and skirt she was wearing, very much a departure from her normal conservative costume. "It's like she tossed out half of her dress!"

At the back of the crowd, Starfire shuffled a bit self consciously.

"It certainly is revealing," Kasumi added, sounding a tiny bit reproachful.

Frowning, Starfire grabbed the hem of her skirt and tried to pull it down slightly.

"It's indecent, is what it is," Raven stated fiercely. "She's dressed like a tramp."

Cyborg and Beast Boy did pointedly _not_ give Raven the 'look'.

"Excuse _me_!" Starfire's sudden outburst startled everyone silly. "Is that how you all perceive my garb?"

Robin, despite paying the second most attention to the video, spun around, his finely honed senses warning him of danger.

"No, no, no, Star! _No one _here thinks anything like that!" He spun to glare at everyone pointedly. "_Right_, guys?"

Raven quickly backpedaled, unsure of how she'd let her petty rivalry get the better of her like that. She didn't exactly have a lot of room to maneuver, though.

"That's - that's right. It's not … not _what_ she's wearing. Its _how_ she's wearing it."

Cyborg nodded enthusiastically. "Ya got that right. Jinx is wearin' the _hell_ outta those threads!"

"Cyborg!"

"Victor!"

"_Please_! Everyone be quiet!" The earnest request from Ryouga, who hadn't even turned from the screen to make it, instantly set a pall over the jocularity.

Raven wasn't sure what she felt when she saw the look of raw concern on the Lost Boy's features as he absorbed every second of footage, analyzed every movement on the screen. Obviously, it was noble of him to be so upset over another's welfare …

But did it have to be Jinx's welfare?

Beside her, Terra squinted, studying the screen intently. "Okay, dumb question number two. Who the heck is Jinx, and why are we watching her fight?"

Robin intervened before Raven could give her own very detailed recounting of Jinx's character -

What? Ryouga had done it, why couldn't she?

"You weren't around when we dealt with them, but Jinx was a member of a diabolical academy of villainy. She was one of the worst that _we_ had to offer."

"Okay … Question number three-"

"No," Robin preempted, "I have no idea why she is fighting another criminal. That's not the most puzzling thing, though. Ryouga, what can you tell me about the fight so far?"

Eyes narrowed in concentration, the martial artist continued to study the screen as he answered. "Something is odd about how Jinx is fighting. It's like watching a completely different person." He quickly pointed to the screen. "See that Axe kick? That was way beyond a 180 degree split. Jinx wasn't flexible enough to pull that off before. Heck, I cringe just thinking about doing it myself."

A wide smile began to form on Cyborg's face, only to have him fold nearly in half, an orange elbow driven deeply into his stomach.

"S-Star?"

"Even _I _was cognizant to what you were thinking." The alien girl rolled her eyes and gave an annoyed 'humph' as Cyborg finished his collapse to the floor.

Ignoring them, Ryouga continued his analysis. "She actually seems faster and stronger as well, but there's something else. The way she's fighting, the style she's using … It's rough, unrefined, but it's very familiar for some reason…"

"Unrefined?" Terra laughed incredulously. "She's _amazing_!"

The slight blonde peered more closely at the figure dancing around the screen. She then looked down, apparently checking something on her shirt. Then, in rapid succession, Terra looked at Starfire, Kasumi, and finally Raven, her face darkening with each glance. With one last look down at whatever was on her own shirt, the young geokinetic suddenly thrust her fist into the air.

"Go Jinx! Teach that scaly jerk a thing or two!"

Six sets of shocked eyes suddenly settled on Terra, who seemed to shrink under the scrutiny. "What? Jinx is awesome. I think I'm officially appointing her my new hero … Sorry, Star."

"But, Terra. She could not possibly be your hero. She is a villain," Starfire explained, sounding a bit hurt and a little concerned.

"Why would you want to be like _Jinx_, anyway?" Raven followed up a second later.

On the ground, Cyborg stifled a mighty guffaw, but wisely held his tongue this time.

Back in front of the monitor, Ryouga hissed for silence again. "I think things are coming to a close."

On the screen, Croc and Jinx had just gained some distance from each other, and it looked like the former was preparing to make on last, desperate charge at the young woman.

A second later, just as expected, Killer Croc began to rush in.

And then … Jinx snapped her fingers.

The assembled Titans watched the rest of the fight, a few winces of sympathy here and there…

And then the fight was over.

And then _it_ happened.

And then, Ryouga collapsed to the floor, laughing his ever loving ass off.

* * *

Nabiki idly tapped the mouse again, dragging the eight of hearts to the lie on top of the nine of spades with speed and grace borne of a depressing amount of repetition.

Around the rest of the make shift rec room of their hidden base, Mammoth was in the open kitchen, fixing himself a ridiculous sandwich. Billy Numerous was busy doing his designated chores - i.e, all of them - and Gizmo sat on the small couch across from the lounger that Nabiki was curled up in.

Every little thing began to annoy her during downtime like this. Waiting for Kyd Wykked to get back from recon. Mammoth, eating all of their food. Billy, being Billy. The uncomfortable warmth of her laptop on her legs and finally, that Gizmo was able to play a game he wanted to, but she wasn't.

Honestly, she hadn't seen Jinx _or_ Mousse online in forever. They hadn't been able to get a good WoW game going for weeks and it was starting to tick her off.

With a low sigh, she moved a seven of clubs up to one of the holding spaces, hoping to unbury one of the aces.

Kunou-baby wasn't talking to her, either. He was still livid about the fact that her crew had actually managed to pull off their last tech heist. She smirked at that. Gizmo had already reverse engineered the gadget and incorporated it into the latest doohicky he was working on. Hopefully it would be ready for shelves in a month.

Considering it hadn't even been a major plan, or involve taking over the city in any way, the samurai wannabe sure was being petty about it. What, did he expect a perfect record? The Kunou's Angels - as Nabiki had started a viral ad campaign to make public knowledge - had already foiled six of her eight plots to date. Stupid heroes didn't know how easy they had it.

Sure, the bad guys had better toys, more fun, and were better looking …

She quickly looked around the room again. Then sighed sadly.

Okay, the bad _girls_ were better looking.

But the _villains_ were the ones that had to do all the real work. All the plotting and planning. The research and fabrication, the manipulation and implementation. It took a horrendous amount of effort to put a proper scheme together, like crafting a work of art.

And then, _all_ the hero has to do is blindly stumble in and throw a spanner into the delicate machinations to screw everything up. If she was the Da Vinci of crime, then the Titans were the inbred tourists smudging the painting with their fat fingers going all 'ooh' and 'ahh'.

And the worst thing - the _worst_ thing - was that smug satisfaction when the heroes won. Like they were _so_ clever, what with the ability to drop through sky lights and disrupt plans that were plotted out to the second.

'Oh, look at me, I hit people with oversized _cookware_, aren't I just so amazing?'

On the brightside, she was slowly beginning to build up that tight little ball of resentment and loathing that all good villains needed. Still, there was no reason for Kunou to be such a jerk about it. It was just business, after all.

Maybe she should step up her 'Kunou's Angels' campaign; try to get some more risqué pictures of the girls up on some posters. That would drive those heroic smart asses nuts-

The sudden flashing of her Instant Messenger derailed her spiteful thoughts. It looked like an email, but not to the business account she'd set up. A personal email? Not too many people had this address to be sending her anything. Curious, she clicked it open …

It was from Jinx! Nabiki wondered what had happened to the girl. She'd been threatening to come visit forever, but then vanished. The absolute tedium made the excitement of the unexpected email disproportionately high, so Nabiki clicked it open quickly. Maybe it would be a racy limerick, or pictures from another sweet rave party …

It was … a youtube link?

Not even a message, just a link. Nabiki felt let down instantly. The pink haired ninny finally gets online, and doesn't even have the decency to entertain Nabiki while she was at her most bored? Still … She had nothing better to do, so she clicked on the link.

The video which proceeded to play caused Nabiki's eyes to widen and a smile to bloom on her full lips.

Jinx, fighting Killer Croc? Befuddling.

Jinx, with a hot new look? Titillating.

Jinx, fighting like she was a real student of Happosai? Slightly worrying.

And then … Jinx snapped her fingers.

Nabiki watched what happened next with the occasional wince of sympathy … until the fight finally ended.

"…"

The villainous Tendo nearly dropped her laptop on the floor, bursting out into an uncharacteristic bout of belly laughs. 'Oh, God! No she didn't!'

What Jinx had just done? Priceless!

Even as everyone turned to stare at her, looking at her as if she'd gone insane, Nabiki just laughed harder.

"Oh - oh man! I _have_ to send this to Kunou!"

* * *

Kunou did his best to retain his calm demeanor, struggled mightily to fixate his attention on the television before him. What were they watching again? It had completely slipped his noble mind.

The dark skinned girl sitting next to him had been inching steadily closer to him with every passing minute. Dressed in a yellow, clingy sweater and flattering black slacks, it was hard to distract himself from her loveliness.

The way she feigned to watch the movie, keeping a perfectly straight, was impressive. He could practically see the mischief dancing in her eyes as she relished in his distress. He had sworn not to make the same mistakes with Bumblebee as he had with Akane and the Pigtailed girl, but she was deliberately making it difficult to refrain from abandoning his composure.

He would remain steadfast, though. The Headmaster's lessons on proper conduct toward women, however evil, had served him surprisingly well to date.

A moment later, he swallowed nervously. He began to fear that his companion could read his mind, as she suddenly abandoned her subtle approach in favor of more direct tactics. Yawning mightily, Bumblebee dropped her arm onto the back of the couch, only to 'stand' her hand up upon her index and middle fingers. The vixen then began to walk her hand across the top of the couch, innocent smile on her face as she just happened to be forced to lean towards him as her arm crept around his shoulders-

"Ugh! Would you two get a room already?"

Ukyou, sitting on the far side of the semi circular couch, proceeded to make retching sounds as she watched the pair of them flirt so shamelessly.

"Oh, come on, Baker Brain, cut me some slack. It's not like we're getting' all naked over here-" She completely ignored Kunou flushing red. "-Besides, I didn't get all up in your business when you were mackin' it with that guy a few days ago."

Instantly, a storm cloud of pure petulance settled over Ukyou's face and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Getting a bear hug from _Mammoth_ is sooo _not_ my idea of a romantic moment! How the heck did I get stuck fighting him, anyway? He's supposed to be your guy's problem!"

"But," Kunou mused, a tinge of amusement in his tone, "Did our esteemed colleague, Cyborg, not provide you with your glorious new weapon, so that you might do battle with _any_ foe?"

Ukyou pouted grandly and let out an annoyed 'humph'.

"Yeah, Kounji. The T-patula is pretty sweet. Besides, it's _Mammoth_. You shouldn't even need a weapon, just throw a bit of feminine whiles his way," Bumblebee suggested helpfully.

Leaning back, incidentally catching Bumblebee's arm between his back and the couch, the samurai tapped his chin. "I would not recommend such a tactic. I would foresee its failure."

Kunou, suddenly feeling an odd warming sensation, made the mistake of looking up-

"Ahgh!" he cried in a manly way, collapsing back right into Bumblebee's lap. The burning gaze of seething rage swirling in Ukyou's eyes was enough to rattle even the seasoned warrior's nerves … though Bumblebee didn't seem to mind this latest turn of events.

"_What_ was that, Tatewaki?"

Recovering his wits quickly, but finding himself unable to sit up due to a deceptively delicate hand holding him down, Kunou held up a hand to ward off the chef's wrath.

"I mean not to impugn upon your loveliness, Miss Kounji. All I meant to infer was that Mammoth seems to yet hold a fondness for Kasumi Tendo in his heart. I doubt you would be able to usurp his feelings for her."

If anything, Ukyou's glare grew only more heated. "Oh really? Are you trying to say that not one, but _two_ of those Tendo girls are so _lovely_ that I don't have a chance against them?"

Kunou faltered at that. There seemed to be no reply that would not insult someone, present or not. Perhaps-

"Yeah, that about sums it up, BB!" Bumblebee blurted out teasingly.

Despite the fact that the yellow and black clad girl was the one to say it, Ukyou's glare only seemed on intensify on the samurai.

"Is that so? And just what, might I ask, does she have that I don't?" Ukyou asked dangerously. "And if you say 'looks', I'll flatten you both. I'm the _cute_ fiancée, damnit!"

Kunou and Bumblebee shared a worried look before turning back.

"She is possessed of a gentle demeanor," Kunou supplied.

"Oh, and she is _so_ graceful. You should have seen her in Villainess 101. She had a sashay that could _mesmerize_!"

Kunou nodded sagely. "Speaking of classes, she also displayed an uncanny talent for cryptography. She claimed it was due to her love of Sudoku."

Ukyou face twisted up into a disbelieving expression. "Kasumi is a Sudoku fan?"

"Oh, oh," Bumblebee butted in, "She's a really good cook, too!"

"Hey! _Watch it, _Bubble Butt."

The raven haired girl replied with a smirk, holding her hand behind her head and thrusting out her chest proudly. "Sister, if you looked this good, maybe you wouldn't have so much trouble meeting a nice guy."

Kunou tried to inch back as Ukyou began to fume silently, but the gentle curves which Bumblebee so proudly flaunted blocked his way.

"Who says I'm even looking for a guy? Not _all_ of us girls define ourselves by the guys we're with!"

Judging by the look that suddenly dawned on the chef's face, she didn't realize the irony of her statement until just a second too late.

The samurai and the bee girl burst into gales of laughter, nearly tumbling to the floor in a heap.

"Oh - okay-" Broken, choking laughter made it hard for the dark skinned girl to enunciate, "-Okay, _Cute Fiancée!"_

Crossing her arms over her chest in another huff, Ukyou muttered, "Oh, shut up … Jackasses. Man, we seriously need to recruit some people. I need someone else to talk to when you guys get like this."

A moment later, she perked right up. "I know! We should put in a bid on Terra! Sure, Ryouga is training her, but she hasn't gone on any missions yet. That'd make her like a free agent, wouldn't it?"

"That's not how it works, Ukyou. We're super hero teams, not sports franchises," Bumblebee explained wearily.

"Hmmm," Kunou pondered. "It is not an idea without merit, though. The Titans possess a surplus of members, while we are running a deficit in comparison to our villainous counterparts."

For some reason, both girls just stared at him. It was beginning to get uncomfortable, and he was considering a tactical withdrawal-

When his blackberry began to buzz. Enthused for any distraction, he quickly pulled out the device and read the screen.

"Ah, it appears that I have received a piece of electronic mail. It would be rude not to respond immediately," he explained hastily.

Instantly, he had a girl perched on each of his shoulders, examining the screen with manic intensity.

"Who's it from?"

"What's in it?"

"Why can't you just say 'email'?"

"Begone, I need space to breathe, insufferable women!"

Obviously too impatient to wait, Ukyou plucked the blackberry right out of his fingers. Scurrying away quickly, she started pressing away at the buttons. "Oh ho! What's this? An email from Nabiki?"

Suddenly, the weight on Kunou's shoulder doubled, and Bumblebee's face was less than an inch from his, a less than pleased look on her face.

"You're getting _emails_ from our sworn enemy?"

The swordsman swallowed loudly. She didn't seem thrilled. It was a good thing she never learned of the WoW campaign upon which he still endeavored occasionally.

"Oh, cut him some slack, BB. It's his Furinkan . net account. It's not like he can make Nabiki forget it or anything. It's not like she can destroy us with a … what is this, a you tube link?"

Rather than force them all to watch on the tiny screen, Ukyou walked over to the main computer and began to enter the link into the browser. For her part, Bumblebee frowned. "You sure that's a good idea? What if she's sending something nasty, like that Two Girls One Cup thing?"

Kunou stared at her oddly. "To what are you referring?"

She matched his gaze for a second, before smiling widely and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I _love_ the fact that you have no idea what I'm talking about."

Rolling her eyes in disgust, Ukyou finished with the link and started the video. Kunou was having trouble paying attention though, with Karen ruffling his hair so vigorously. At least he did, until-

"Hey! Isn't that that Jinx girl you two know?"

In a flash, both of them were perched in front of the large monitor.

"Why, I believe it is," Kunou stated, wonder in his voice. "And it appears that she has been exercising avidly during her absence."

Bumblebee nodded, watching the fight unfold. "You're _right_. My girl there looks like she took a level in badass and hottie at the same time. She's wearing almost as little as _Starfire_ now!"

Ukyou had to stifle a giggle at that. "But … who the heck is she fighting? Looks a bit ugly to be one of us."

The bee themed girl rolled her eyes. "Shallow much? But you're right. That's Killer Croc, a baddie from right across the road in Gotham. Why she's fighting him, I dunno."

Suddenly, Kunou shushed the both of them. "I believe the battle is coming to its crescendo!"

And then, Jinx snapped her fingers.

The trio watched what came next with a series of winces and hisses, until the battle finally ran its course. Once the video ended, Bumblebee stared at the screen, confused. "Huh? I don't get it."

Ukyou had a very different response. "That - that hussy! How dare she! Why, if I get my hands on her …"

Kunou, on the other hand, had another reaction entirely. Despite his noble bearing, the proud samurai collapsed to the ground, drowning in a sea of laughter.

"I - I - I must send this to Mousse!"

* * *

Mousse, or 'Weapon Master' as he was known hereabouts - ugh, why did he let Shampoo choose their names? He would have preferred Steel Mallard - continued to glance back and forth between the dual monitors. On the right was a static, _boring_ view of a lone, low security corridor. A woman with blonde hair, wearing a black leather jacket and fishnet stockings was walking down said hallway, going … somewhere.

On the left monitor was a screen full of test questions that he might be asked in his upcoming exam.

Par Example:

The nuclear reactor you just saved is about to go critical. Do you:

A) Hack into the computer system and override the safety protocols to flood the reactor with coolant.

Hmmm, tempting, if he actually knew how to do that, or what half of those words even meant.

B) Leap into the reactor and absorb the excess radiation, thus preventing the meltdown.

_Seriously_? That sounded more insane than Ranma's 'Let's trick Happosai with magical incense' plan.

C) Envelope the reactor in a force field, containing the blast and minimizing damage to the surrounding city.

… Um … pass.

D) Tear the reactor of its moorings and throw it into space.

Oh, _come on_! Who wrote this test? A quick scroll to the top of the mock test answered that question: Co-authored by Batman, Captain Atom, Green Lantern and Superman.

Well, doesn't that just figure?

Leaning back into his chair, he reached under his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Maybe the big dogs were getting a little set in their ways? Was it really too hard to put a 'Find a convenient scientist to help', option? Or a 'Go to ' to find out how to shut it down?

He let out a frustrated groan.

"Something wrong, Mousse?"

Lifting his glasses up to rest on his head, Mousse turned to regard the attractive blonde, white and blue blur sitting two stations down from him. He offered the young woman a tired smile.

"What could possibly be wrong? Between the stimulation of watching Black Canary wander aimlessly up and down the hall, and these test questions stolen from 'Demigods for Dummies', I'm so happy I could spontaneously combust."

The blond leaned forward, resting her chin on an upraised palm as she studied him. "You are an odd one, Mousse. Most guys I know find _her_ outfit to be pretty darn _stimulating_ indeed."

"Mousse only have eyes for Shampoo," came a musical voice from across the room. The pair turned to see - after replacing his glasses - Shampoo strolling into the room. It was somewhat amusing to see the lavender haired warrior decked out in full, ceremonial battle regalia and juggling three cups of coffee at the same time.

Shampoo smirked wickedly as she approached them. "Unfortunately, eyes not very good, but Shampoo not been able to find way to give back yet."

His blonde associate burst into a giggle fit, even as Mousse rolled his eyes.

"Oh, by all means. Make fun of my selfless devotion."

Both girls struggled to stifle their laughter, which, honestly, was more consideration than he was used to. "And another thing," he continued irately. "We shouldn't be using each other's real names. Super hero names-only is the regulation, isn't that right, _Nujiézú … Supergirl?"_

The Amazon just shrugged, not caring very much as she handed both him and Supergirl their coffees. The Argoan, on the other hand, managed an earth shattering pout.

"Oh, come on. The original seven use real names all the time. Using our call signs feels so impersonal. No one actually cares about that rule!"

Mousse locked gazes with her. "_I_ care. I am so very much not comfortable using your real name after that demonstration to all us newbies about what you would do if any of us got too _familiar_."

Shampoo nodded helpfully. "Shampoo still surprised Plastic Man volunteer for demonstration. Even with indestructible rubber body, still look too-too painful. Shampoo never seen _anything_ bend like that before."

The blonde chuckled weakly. "Uh, yeah, _volunteered_ … But, _anyway_, I already told you guys that didn't apply to you. You two are pretty cool, not to mention you're actually in my age bracket for a change."

"Besides, I know that you won't try anything funny with Shampoo around." Supergirl tilted her head to the side coquettishly and winked. "And even if that wasn't the case, I could think of worse things than flirting with you."

The Weapon Master - of the Hidden variety - blanched instantly, visions of the Man of Steel busting through the wall to _deal_ with him for hitting on his cousin, springing to mind. Shampoo just groaned loudly. "Ugh, not you _too_? Seriously, Mousse, you start bathing in Love Potion 9 after we rescue you?"

Immediately, Supergirl began laughing, holding up her hands to ward off their reactions.

"Just kidding, just kidding!" She then proceeded to beam a bright, surprisingly innocent smile. "I'm just a sweet little country girl. I would never try to steal away your man, Shampoo!"

The Amazon gave an annoyed huff. "Shampoo more _country girl _than you even imagine. And on second thought, no let Shampoo stand in way. You want Mousse? I _gift wrap _him for you."

The only avenue of retreat available to Mousse was to bury his face in his hands. "There is no Mousse, there is only Weapon Master. There is no Mousse, there is only Weapon Master."

It was a mistake on his part, taking his eyes off of the pair of young women. One girl teasing was bad enough, but when two or more joined forces, they inevitably became more annoying than the sum of their parts.

As such, he missed the look that passed between the alien and the Amazon. Seconds later, he felt himself get spun around, then felt a set of sharp weights settle down on his shoulders.

"Hmm, looks like he's stuck on question Seven. Heh, the answer is so obviously D."

Looking up, Mousse found that he was facing the monitors again. Behind him, Shampoo and Supergirl had adopted mirrored posses, leaning forward to lean on him, their elbows digging painfully into his shoulders as they rested their chins on upraised palms. Equally bored expressions adorned their equally aesthetic faces as they scanned the questions.

Ignoring the pain best he could, Mousse gave a grunt. "D? Not _all_ of us are super human, you know?"

The Argoan stared down at him incredulously. "Not super human? Shampoo beat Batman's obstacle course record on her first try! I could bench press this entire space station if I wanted, and even I can't beat his record!"

Shampoo just nodded matter of factly. "'Obstacles are for killing' has never served Shampoo so well before. Speaking of which, what you get for Five, Mousse?"

Chuckling, Mousse scrolled up a bit. "Oh, the 'You just saved a man from falling to his death, but then he tries to sue you for damages' question?"

Shampoo nodded, humming happily to herself.

Supergirl scratched her head for a moment. "I think I put 'Fly to another galaxy until the statue of limitation expires'."

"Damn aliens, get all the luck," Mousse muttered. "I was gonna go with option A) Tell him in a gravelly voice that 'Next time, I'll let you fall'. but then I ended up going with 'Hide behind your secret identity, pretend it never happened, and never let strangers hand you strange envelopes'."

His Amazonian colleague nodded sagely. "Hmm, both good … both good. Shampoo decided to go for E, though."

The alien girl's brow crinkled up cutely. "What? But I thought they only went up to D. What one was E?"

Smiling broadly, Shampoo proudly stated: "Bash in head and feed to herd!"

Supergirl gasped in shock. "Shampoo! You can't do that!"

Mousse nodded, in full agreement. "_Tell me _about it … Shampoo doesn't even _have_ any herds."

"That's not what I - _Ohhh_, you two!"

Unable to contain their laughter, Mousse and Shampoo nearly collapsed.

Scowling adorably, the Argoan floated back to her station and plopped down into her seat. "Hmph! What are you guys looking at that stupid test for, anyway? You two haven't even been here a month yet, and you're already bucking for a promotion?"

Shampoo donned a vicious grin, jutting out her chest proudly. "Shampoo just want to reach position she deserve. Proud Amazon warrior should be among elite ranks!"

Shaking her head, Supergirl mused to herself, "And to think that you and Wonder Woman don't get along better."

Mousse simply shrugged. "I just want to make sure I never get stuck on 'Crowd Control' with Booster Gold again -" He shuddered uncontrollably for a moment. "And, frankly, this security monitoring job _tanks_. How the heck did a heavy hitter like you get stuck in the Chinese Hell of Boring Scrub Work with us newbs?"

The alien super power actually put on an impressive sulk at his question.

"I _shouldn't_ be here. But Cl - uh - _Superman_ is punishing me. He left me in charge of Metropolis a few weeks ago, and - _just my luck _- a full scale war erupts dead in the heart of downtown. I didn't even manage to catch anyone involved, either! Superman figured that maybe some security duty would help me learn to pay more attention."

Only years of grueling martial training and peerless self control allowed Shampoo and Mousse to stop themselves from shifting about uncomfortably and whistling innocently, respectively.

"Really? You don't say… " Mousse mumbled. "That's too bad. Probably the work of some shameless super villain out to make a name for themselves. No way you could have foreseen something like that."

It took all of her will power for Shampoo to _not_ stomp on the weapon masters foot to shut him up.

"Yeah … yeeaaah … I suppose you're right." Supergirl slumped forward to rest on her console. "And at least it isn't too bad, since I have you two to hang out with. Don't say anything, but I can't stand working with the Star Spangled Kid. She's _such_ a blonde."

The alien girl met their incredulous stares indignantly. "Hey, I _am_ one, so I'm entitled to make blonde jokes." A sheepish expression then worked its way on to her face. "Besides, you guys wouldn't bust your security buddy, would you?"

Mousse and Shampoo shared a telling look … before finally shrugging in unison.

"Nawww."

"Shampoo _suppose_ not."

Supergirl clapped her hands together happily. "Aww, you guys are just the greatest. Suddenly, the Argoan's screen flashed on and the girl spun to read it. "What's this? Looks like I finally got a customer … Ha! Will you look here? You got an email, Mousse!"

Curious, he leaned forward. "I do? How would you know that?"

She shrugged. "I'm monitoring communications over here. This is a space station, after all, so we gotta be extra careful what comes in and goes out. We don't want any viruses or stolen data floating around. … This email looks clean, though. Want me to leave it for you to get in your room?"

The weapon master looked up at Shampoo, then back to Supergirl. "Meh. The people that know my new email can be counted on one hand. I can't imagine any of them sending me anything too personal. You might as well open it up. Who's it from, anyway?"

Moving the curser over the email in question, she clicked to open it up. "Looks like its from … Bluethunder1 TitanTowerEast . Org. A friend of yours?"

A wide smile grew on his face at that. "An email from Kunou? This can only be something amusing. What does it say?"

"Huh, it doesn't say anything. It's just a link. Here, let me click on it."

As she went about that, Shampoo looked down at Mousse, propping her elbow back on his shoulder. "You get message from Stick Boy? Say, you and him still play WoW online?"

He shook his head sadly. "Not since we got up here."

She pouted sadly. "Super hero work sure is pain in butt. Shampoo not even get X Box back yet. Haven't had chance to play Halo in forever."

The sympathetic weapon master was about to reply, when-

"Huh? Weird. Looks like he sent you a video of Killer Croc fighting some girl. No idea who she is, though."

Well, that was odd. Why would Kunou send him a video of some random fight? Curious, he looked over to the monitor-

"_Jinx_! What is she _doing_? For that matter, what is she _wearing_?" Mousse squawked, scandalized. Jinx had always been one of the most modest dressing of all the met human females he knew. Happosai hadn't warped her mind, had he? … Well, warped it more than previously, anyway.

Supergirl looked down at her own outfit, a touch self conscious. "What? Her outfit isn't that risqué. I know a lot of girls that wear less … Not very fashionable, though. Her outfit looks like she went berserk on it with a pair of scissors."

Behind them, Shampoo shrugged. "Outfit no matter. Jinx win this fight easy. Just matter of time."

Mousse spun on his love incredulously. "You're _rooting_ for Jinx?"

She rolled her eyes. "No _need_ to. Jinx actually give Shampoo challenge in fight - however minor. No way Bad Luck Girl lose to Scaly Lizard Man. Would look bad on Shampoo if she did."

The sentiment brought a smirk to Mousse's face. First and foremost, Shampoo was a proud warrior. Jinx had put up a good fight, despite being out gunned in every conceivable way. Maybe the cat eyed girl had managed to plant a tiny seed of respect in Shampoo's mind?

The lavender haired Amazon nodded to herself. "Also good to see that Jinx realize that 'modesty' just male created concept intended to restrain female sexuality. Not woman's fault that man not have enough brains to control hormones."

The Argoan burst into laughter. "You _go_, Sister! Stick it to the man!"

It was Mousse's turn to roll his eyes. "Yes, yes. Go girl power. Now, can you both please keep it down? Looks like the fight is wrapping up."

The weapon master based this assumption on the exhausted, reckless charge that the large, scaly one had initiated. This was usually the time that the defender pulled out some cool or dramatic move that would utterly destroy their opponent, punishing them severely for their lack of control.

And then, just as expected, Jinx snapped her fingers.

Mousse, Shampoo and Supergirl all watched what unfolded next with a mixture of wincing, laughing and flinching.

And then the video came to an end.

The trio stared at the screen for a long moment …

And then Mousse exploded into laughter. Clutching his sides, he fell back into his chair to prevent himself from dropping to the floor.

The alien girl stared at him, obviously baffled. "I don't get it." She turned to Shampoo. "What's so funny?"

If anything, the Amazon's reaction was even more bizarre. Her face was twisted up in a rictus of indignant fury.

"Sh-Shampoo no believe! Shampoo Kil-" Only for her rage filled expression to crumble as a giggle snuck out unexpectedly. "Heh heh heh … Actually … that _is_ pretty funny."

Mousse leapt up, eyes flashing. "I _know_, right? Oh man, you know who we need to send this to?"

The lavender haired girl nodded, smiling cattily. "Oh, yes. Airen _absolutely_ need to see this!"

Even as Mousse cackled madly, preparing to forward the video, Supergirl looked about, positively perplexed.

"Alright, you two _really_ need to tell me what's so funny. " She paused for a second as something else occurred to her.

"And who the heck is Aaron? … Is he cute?"

* * *

Akane hummed along happily to the tune which emanated from the speakers of her new laptop. She honestly couldn't believe she hadn't heard of Rammstein before. Their music was so catchy!

She'd had the shiny new computer for less than a week, but it was easily her favorite purchase of the last six months … Well, there was that _really_ cute pair of pumps she'd gotten … She mentally weighed the two purchases for a moment.

… Hmm, yeah, still the computer.

Of course, pirating music probably wasn't the best use she could be making of it, especially since more than three quarters of the household were technically police now. That just made it more exciting, though. Smiling devilishly, she peered over the large screen to make sure no one was lurking around the dining room with her. It was still all clear, so she went back to her wicked work.

Who would have thought that something she'd gotten purely for the school work and research would have been so fun? Once she'd discovered Bittorrent and flash games, though, all pretense of that had gone straight out the window.

Oops! Kurumi was coming through! With a deft click, Akane brought up a college website, pretending to be interested.

She need not have bothered, though, as her younger sister - officially, now that the paperwork had gone through - ran by in a blur, only slowing enough to shout an excited - "Thunder's on the phone, gotta go!" before vanishing.

"Awww," Akane cooed. That was just so adorable. She was certainly glad that the tall, quiet boy did his best to call whenever the chance arose. She was also glad that most everyone was nice enough to respect her privacy and leave her computer alone when she wasn't around-

Suddenly, a little window popped up in the utility bar at the bottom of the screen and started flashing. Instantly, Akane's eyes narrowed as she clicked on it …

Everyone but _one_ arrogant jerk, that was! Ranma had been using her computer again, and he'd left his Messenger program running _again_! She'd _told_ him not to do that after the time she'd got suckered into talking to his mother for _four hours straight_. She loved auntie Saotome, but the woman had been over practically everyday since the big parade to celebrate beating Brushogun.

There was such a thing as _too much _quality time.

She took a deep breath, preparing to unleash righteous female wrath … when another message popped up - then another … and another. Soon, over half a dozen alerts were littering her monitor.

What was going on? Was it Ranma's birthday and she forgot? … No, Ranma was always the type to give a full months notice when it came to anything that somehow involved celebrating him. Curious, she scanned the first few.

Weapon_Master Watchtower . com

Nujiézú Watchtower . com

Hey! These were from Mousse and Shampoo! And then there was Bluethunder1 TitanTowerEast . Net and Combat_Chef TitanTowerEast . net. One guess on who those two were from. It was odd, though. Sure, Ukyou and Shampoo sending stuff was a no brainer, but Kunou and Mousse?

And there were still more. TitanTower . com, TitanTower . net, Raven52973 TitanTower . com, Tendo_N Furinkan . org.

What the hell? Ranma was getting email from Nabiki? More importantly: Nabiki was still using her high school email?

Taking a second, Akane instantly sent an invitation to Nabiki for her Facebook.

"Ohh, that Ranma. What is he up to?" She fumed darkly to herself. Her cursor hovered over the 'open' button tauntingly.

She really shouldn't … It would be a terrible invasion of his privacy.

Of course, on the other hand, he had used her computer without permission, which was kind of the same thing. Not to mention that the jerk had gone ahead and lost the game of Freecell she'd been struggling with! Now her 100% was shot all to heck!

Caving in to her evil impulse quicker than a car in a car crusher, she clicked the button, opening the browser directly to her fiancé's email account.

The first one read:

From: Weapon_Master Watchtower . com

To: Saotome_R SNDF . jp . gov

Topic: HA!

Weapon Master wrote:

HAHA! HAHAHA! HA! HAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!

Check out this link, Saotome!

P.S. Tell Akane I said Hi, and thanks for the great reference.

P.S.S. You are the enemy of all women! Just FYI.

Akane 'awww'd' at the first P.S., then burst into a full blown giggle fit as the second. It certainly was sweet of him to remember her, but why was he sending this link thing to Ranma? Was it just a coincidence that everyone else around the world - and beyond - were emailing Ranma?

Rather than click on the link, she moved on to the next email.

From: Nujiézú

To Saotome_R SNDF . jp . gov

Topic: Sorry to hear news, Airen.

Nujiézú wrote:

XX OOO X OOO XXXXX!

Shampoo feel too-too bad for you after hearing news through video. If you need shoulder to cry on, just give Shampoo call!

P.S. Akane destroy any good kitchens lately? Ha! Shampoo beam down sometime to make you good meal.

P.S.S. Disregard last. Supergirl just inform Shampoo that, due to legal issues, no can use term 'beam down'. So Shampoo 'teleport' down some time to cook meal.

Akane's finger hovered tensely over the mousse button, ready to click the email away to oblivion … but that would be just a bit too petty. Reading his emails was one thing, but deleting them, even Shampoo's, wasn't very nice at all.

Still, she was curious as all heck now. Two emails in as many minutes, both sending a link to a video? She quickly read through the rest of the topics, hoping to find a common theme.

'Heaven's Justice at last! How sweet it is!'

'Don't worry, Ranchan. I'll be there for you!'

'This can't be right, can it, Ranma?'

'Best news I've heard all year! … Jerk.'

Akane frowned. It sounded like they were all referring to something similar. Quickly, she flitted through all of them, more intent on finding then reading.

And, just as she thought, every single email had a link, and she would bet an hour locked in a closet with Happosai - she shuddered at the mere thought - that they all linked to the same thing, whatever it was.

Well, she had to know what this mystery was now. Standing up, she picked up her laptop and walked off in search of the pigtailed boy. Her search was predictably short, as her first destination - the dojo - was her last as well. Ranma and Natsume were in the center of the large room, still trying to create more efficient variations on their respective wind based attacks. Natsume was interested in developing a one person technique, in case she and Kurumi were ever sent on separate missions. Ranma was looking for something that didn't require so much telling set up to pull off.

He could barely use the Hiryua Shoten Ha on anyone these days. Everyone had just seen it too much to fall for it anymore.

But none of that really mattered to Akane at the moment.

"Ranma! It looks like you've got some interesting email. Mind telling us about what's going on?" she asked with a touch of a smirk.

Ranma and Natsume broke apart at the calling of his name, and the former turned to regard her, glancing down at her laptop.

"Hey! You weren't reading' my emails, were ya?" He turned to his sparring partner. "That's illegal or something, ain't it?"

The new Tendo sister shook her head sadly, sinuous ponytail swinging back and forth behind her. "No Ranma, no it is not …" She then added under her breath, "How I wish he would take his studies more seriously."

Akane, for her part, just pulled down an eyelid and 'Biii'd' him loudly. "Yeah, well maybe it should be illegal to take other people's stuff without asking? Oh, wait, I'm pretty sure that's called stealing!"

Her fiancé waved off her ire lazily. "Oh, c'mon, Akane. It wasn't stealing, just … secret borrowing … Fine, fine. So who's the email from, then?"

A wry grin split her face at his question.

"_Everyone_! Apparently something happened that you need to know about."

"Everyone?" Ranma repeated, curious. "Let me see that."

Taking the computer from her, he scrolled around until he found the first email address.

"Weapon Master at Watchtower dot com? Who the heck is that?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "It's from _Mousse_, dummy. And the second one is from Shampoo."

The pigtailed boy looked at her, then back down to the screen. "… Wait a second. ' Watchtower . com'? And silly new names? This isn't the Watchtower I'm thinking of, is it? The _Justice League _one?"

"Um, of _course_, Ranma," Akane replied, exasperated. Then suddenly something occurred to her. "_Oh_, wait a moment. Did I forget to give you that message?"

"Forgot to give me _what_ message?"

Cheeks tinged pick as Akane giggled in embarrassment. "Um … that Shampoo and Mousse are super heroes now and joined the Justice League a few weeks ago?"

"They joined the _what_?" Ranma barked loudly. "And Nujiézú and Weapon Master? I mean, sure, Shampoo's isn't bad. Personal meaning, highly applicable and a touch mysterious. But Weapon Master?" Ranma flailed his arms in the air, necessitating Natsume to make a diving catch for the computer. "That is _way_ too on the nose, Akane. It's like us calling Ryouga 'The Lost Boy'."

Akane frowned at the jerk, 20% for insulting her friend, 80% for tossing her computer. "You _do_ call him the Lost Boy, Ranma."

"Um, I _know_, Akane. I was deliberately pointing out a similar situation," he replied snidely.

"Argh!"

Before she had a chance to melt down, Ranma cut her off with a quick - "When did you find out about this, anyway?"

Switching from wrathful to thoughtful in .5 seconds, Akane 'hmm'd' as she considered his question.

"Well, it was a few weeks ago, like I said. It went something like this:"

* * *

Akane Tendo, the mature, lovely young woman that she was, was walking down the downstairs hallway, moving so gracefully it looked like she was gliding-

* * *

"I see we're taking some artistic license here."

"Shut up, I'm narrating!"

* * *

Being as sweet and compassionate as she was, she was on her way to the kitchen to make some food for her rude, ungrateful fiancé. She wasn't doing it because she liked him or anything, though, just as an act of mercy-

* * *

"Planning on putting me out of my misery?"

"So help me, if you don't stop it, I'll turn this story around right now!"

"… I'll be good."

* * *

_Anyway_, just as she was walking past it, the phone suddenly began to ring. Actually considerate of her family - unlike some people - she quickly and politely answered.

"Hello, you've reached the Tendo residence."

"Ah, hello," came a very deep voice in reply. "I was wondering if there was a 'Saotome Ranma' present?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Ranma is still at work. May I take a message?"

"Ye- Actually, may I ask to whom I speak? You may be able to help us as well." Whoever the speaker was, Akane had to admit that he had a very trustworthy voice.

"I'm Tendo Akane. … Um, I didn't get your nam …"

"Ah, how rude of me. My name is J'onn J'onzz. Hmm, Akane, would that make you the young woman that had been captured and held captive by the villain known as Brushogun?"

"Hey!" Akane barked. "I wasn't _captured_! It was a … umm - a tactical infiltration! I let him think he captured me so that I could find out his weakness for Ranma. I'm a martial artist too, you know?"

* * *

"…"

"_Ranma_!"

"What? I didn't say anything!"

"You were thinking it!"

"It is true, Saotome, you completely were."

* * *

"Indeed? Well, that was both courageous and clever of you," praised the deep voice. "Well, then, if that is the case, and you are a confidant of Mr. Saotome, then may I ask you a few questions? It will only take a few minutes, I promise."

What was this? Some kind of weird survey? "Um, alright, I guess. What do you want to know?"

"Miss Tendo, could you confirm if you know a duo known as Weapon Master and Nujiézú?"

Akane stared at the phone quizzically. "Ah … well, I know _a_ weapon master. And I know a girl _from_ Nujiézú. Does that count?"

"… Possibly. Could you describe them to the best of your knowledge?"

The (second) youngest Tendo's eyes narrowed.

"What, exactly, is this all about, Mr. Jones?"

"Oh. Again I apologize. I am consistently getting ahead of myself. I am a representative of the Justice League. I am currently performing background checks on our newest group of applicants. Both Nujiézú and Weapon Master had Mr. Saotome down as a reference."

* * *

"You got a phone call from the Justice League?"

"Yes … yes I did."

* * *

"Oh, they did, did they?" she replied tartly. "Let me guess. Nujiézú is a Chinese girl with lavender hair, talks like a bad stereotype and has a body you'd kill for?"

"Um, I would never resort to _homicide_ for-"

"And the guy is tall, probably wearing robes, glasses like the Hubble telescope and …" she let out an envious sigh "And hair that you'd kill for."

The caller hesitated for a moment. "… Colloquialisms aside, yes, those descriptions do fit our latest applicants-"

"Oh, well that's just Mousse and Shampoo! Sheesh, was there some reason they couldn't just come by, like _usual_, and ask Ranma if they could use him as a reference?"

"Ah … Miss Tendo, we generally don't request to know applicant's secret identities unless they choose to disclose them …"

"… Oh … Well … I guess I won't tell you which is which, then?"

"That is likely for the best. As for why they could not come themselves; all applicants are sequestered in the Watchtower until the interview process is completed for security reasons." John's voice took on a more whimsical note. "In fact, that is where I am now. I am making this call from the Earth's orbit."

"Wow," Akane breathed, impressed, "You must have an amazing phone plan. Who's your long distance carrier?"

"… AT&T, but that's not important." The man chuckled to himself. "I can see that you're not so easily impre-"

* * *

"Wait, so _that's_ why we switched to AT&T?"

"Yeah, we didn't qualify for their interplanetary plan, but they still have very reasonable rates."

* * *

"-ssed."

"Things tend to stop fazing you when you live here long enough. So, was there anything else you needed?"

"Indeed. I just need to ask you a few questions about Sham - I mean, Nujiézú and Weapon Master. Your responses may very well decide whether we accept them or not," Mr. Jones explained carefully. "Now, what can you tell me about Nujiézú? As a person?"

An evil smile spread over Akane's face. He wanted her to tell him about Shampoo? Oh, she would tell him _all about _Shampoo-

It was in that moment, that the entire puzzle suddenly clicked together in her mind.

"Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. If I give a good review for Sh - ah - Nujiézú, then she'll probably end up living on a space station, floating a thousand miles above the earth, being constantly sent around the globe on highly dangerous missions, keeping her far too busy to have a social life or visit friends?"

"Ah … well, that is all quite likely, actually. However, if you are concerned about your friend's welfare-"

"No, no, no!" Akane interrupted hastily. "I … uh, have complete faith in Nujiézú's warrior prowess. In fact, you couldn't ask for a better member!"

Squeezing the receiver between her cheek and shoulder, she began to tick off points with her fingers.

"She's clever." _Conniving_. "Strong willed." _Overbearing_. "Determined." _Obsessive_. "Outgoing." _Shameless_. "And she's a proud Amazon warrior!"

* * *

"How … how can you be doing something so evil, but make it look like you're doing something so nice?"

"I am the younger sister of both Nabiki _and_ Kasumi, after all."

"Too bad you couldn't take after Kasumi when it comes to cooking."

"_Oh_, just for that, you're eating the leftover Finark Spores tonight!"

"What? That stuff that crawled to the back of the fridge and climbed up into the corner? No way!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby. Starfire said Finark Spores are at their tastiest during gestation … She might have also mentioned something about absolutely never, under any circumstances, letting the chrysalis hatch, lest we doom all like on the planet, but it was a while ago, and I wasn't really paying attention."

"Surprise, surpri-"

"Akane, please. If you could continue your story?"

"Right, right."

* * *

"… _Amazon_, you say?"

"_What_?" An indignant female voice suddenly burst out in the background on Mr. Jone's end of the line. "Give me that phone, right now Jon!"

The sound of a brief, if one sided, struggle was quickly followed by the new speaker.

"Greetings, Sister."

"Kasumi? Is that you?"

"What? No. I am Wonder Woman, of the Justice League."

"Sure she wasn't Captain Obvious?"

"*Snicker* Quiet you."

"Oh, I see. You didn't _sound_ like Kasumi. She has a very gentle voice," Akane replied.

"And I don't? - Bah, never mind. I was simply referring to the fact that, united by the tyranny of men, all women are joined by unique bonds of friendship and trust, making us all as sisters."

Akane just stared at the phone. "You … ah, you guys didn't actually _do_ any research on Ranma and his friends before you agreed to use him as a reference, did you?"

"What do you mean by - No, that's not important right now. I have an important question. This Nujiézú. She claims to be a - a _Chinese_ Amazon. Is there _any_ basis to this claim?"

Akane shrugged. "I dunno. As far as I know, most people call them Amazons, though the Japanese name would actually be Joketsuzoku. I think it means 'Tribe of Women Heroes', or 'Village of Strong Warrior Women', or something … A bit on the nose for my taste, really, but it sure sounds like they're Amazons. "

She could almost hear the sound of Wonder Woman's teeth grinding on the other end of the line. "She _cannot_ be an Amazon, especially not a _Chinese_ Amazon. There are only _Greek_ Amazons."

Akane gasped. "They have Amazons in Greece now, too?"

"No! They have _only_ Amazons in Greece!"

"Oh, well that can't be right," Akane replied, tapping her chin. "I know Greece isn't doing terribly well, but I know they definitely have a lot of men, and a male dominated government. I should know, Ryouga told me all about it after he got lost there. Brought a brochure and everything."

"That's not what I meant," Wonder Woman barked. "I mean that Amazons only exist in Greece. That Greek Amazons are the only true Amazons."

"Oh," Akane 'oh'd'. "You might need to talk to a copy right lawyer, then. I don't really have any experience settling that kind of dispute. I'm sure my sister could refer you to one, though."

"… No … no, that will not be necessary. Thank you for your time, Sis - Tendo Akane. The Justice League appreciates our assistance …" A moment later, the line went dead as the bleak Amazon hung up.

"Huh," Akane muttered. "I didn't even get the chance to tell them how devoted Mousse was to protecting people … named Shampoo!"

* * *

"_Laaaaaame_! That's the Best Mousse related pun you could come up with?"

"Oh, like you could think of a better one," Akane fired back.

Ranma just smirked. "Um, yeah. It's so obvious a _blind man _could see it."

"… Damnit." How did he get so good at insulting people?

Swelling up with pride, the pigtailed fighter looked to be about three seconds away from taking things just one step too far - when he suddenly deflated.

"Wait a second! Why the heck didn't you tell me about this call?"

"Well," Akane admitted, "I _tried_, but-"

* * *

"Ranma, I have a messag-"

"Can't talk, Commander Daizo said I have to watch Astroboy, or he'll pistol whip me."

* * *

"That wasn't my fault!"

Akane tapped her chin. "And then there was-"

* * *

"Ranma! I need to tell you-"

"Can't talk, Akane. Watching Bleach!"

* * *

"Damn!" Ranma slapped a fist into his palm. "Curse my weakness for anything even tangentially related to martial arts!"

"Tengen-wha-?"

"Ah, look, the various links all appear to be to the save video."

Immediately, Akane and Ranma ceased their bickering to look down. Laying on her stomach now, kicking her feet in the air and staring at the laptop set up before her, Natsume pointed to the screen. Following suit, the pair dropped down to sit beside her, garnering a set of glares for nearly sitting _on_ her in an attempt to get a good view of the monitor.

The long haired Tendo had already started the video, when began promisingly with a pink explosion. A few moments later, the key players of this little drama made themselves known.

Akane gasped yet again. "Hey, that's-"

"_Jinx_!" Ranma finished excitedly.

The original recipe Tendo fired a hot glare his way. "Why are you so excited to see that hussy?"

"Hey, always good to see Ryouga's main squeeze. Heck, I haven't seen her since … uh, since _before_ the Academy exploded … yeah."

"She so is _not_ Ryouga's main squeeze! It's so obvious he likes Raven!"

"Oh god, not _this_ argument again!"

"Um, excuse me for a moment." Natsume's cool inquiry broke the pair out of yet another argument. Pointing to the screen, the newly minted Tendo studied the fight with a clinical eye. "This Jinx. Is she another long lost sister of ours?"

"Akane nearly choked on her own tongue. "She'd _better_ damn well _not_ be! Wait! That doesn't even make sense. Why would you ask that?"

Her sister shrugged. "Well, it is just that the fighting style she is using in nearly identical to Kurumi and mine's style. The basics, at least, are so similar as to be uncanny., possibly as if she were taught by-"

"_Happosai_?" Ranma barked in shock. "Holy crap! You're right! She's using Anything Goes! Not just that, she's using the _original_ style, Happosai's style, not my dad's or Mr. Tendo's!" The pigtailed fighter shook his head. "But why the heck would he be teaching her?"

A little baffled herself, Akane's head tilted to the side as she watched the screen. "That's … an excellent question. I mean, it's not exactly like she's got anything for him to grope."

"Shh!" Natsume shushed them sharply. "The fight is drawing to its conclusion."

Ranma all but plastered his face to the screen as he watched the scaly brute bear down on Jinx at full speed.

And then -

* * *

Jinx snapped her fingers.

All up and down the street, flashes of pink flared to life brightly for a few, fleeting seconds. Next, an ominous collection of groaning and creaking filled the air as Murphy prepared to bludgeon causality upside the head with his Law.

It started with a single crack, like a shotgun firing, as the base of the nearby lamp post suddenly snapped under its own weight. The tall metal post fell unerringly in Croc's direction, slamming to the ground less than a foot to his side with a clattering crash. The beast ignored the near miss - at least until the long arm that supported the lamp caught him across the ankles, dropping him face first into the pavement.

Before he even had the chance to stand, a loud 'snap' cracked the air. Croc had just enough time to look up before the car, previously resting on the back of a poorly parked flatbed truck, suddenly rolled off - the chain holding it mysteriously broken - and crashed to the ground in a shower of sparks before careening directly at him.

Flipping over frantically, Killer Croc began scrabbling away from the speeding vehicle. He would have made it, too, if the large, sheet metal sign displaying the nearby warehouse's parent company, didn't creak, totter, and then fall off the face of the building. Improbably, it caught the wind just perfectly, swooping out to the center of the street before flopping down right on Croc's back-

And then the car rolled up onto the convenient ramp … _almost_ made it over, then rolled back down the way it came.

A deep rumbling growl reverberated the ground beneath Jinx's feet for a second before Killer Crock surged to his feet, actually tearing through the metal signage like so much tissue paper. Arms raised high, bellowing his rage to the heavens, Croc opened his eyes …

Just in time to see the tall cargo crane just finish its lazy swing to position the large flat of miscellaneous crates directly over his head.

Several sparks of pink arced along the cables ominously, before they snapped loudly, dropping the semi precious cargo. The skid crashed down on Croc in a veritable avalanche, burying him completely beneath a cascade of wood and … what looked to be computer components.

By the time all was said and done, Croc was buried almost completely, except for his head. The poor criminal was barely even conscious -

When a television camera dropped out of nowhere and landed square on his head.

Above, distant shouts of "You're fired, Tony!" were nearly drowned out by the helicopters themselves.

Seeing her opening, Jinx finally charged forward. Dancing up the shattered debris that covered Croc, and mindful of all the cameras overhead, she delivered an elegantly beautiful soccer kick to the monster's scaly chin, sending him to Slumberland for well and for certain.

Breathing raggedly, Jinx planted her hands on her knees, a wide smile growing on her lips. She had done it! She'd beaten Croc one on one! She'd-

Hey, was that camera still running?

Inspiration struck the young witch like lighting. She then leaned forward into the camera before she proudly stated -

* * *

"That's what you _get_, Punks! My name is Jinx, the One True Heir of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts! And don't you forget it!"

Jinx's leering face was joined on the screen a moment later by the extremely close, and extremely unflattering sight of Happosai's face, squeezing into the frame from the side. The wizened master crossed his arms over his chest and flashed a pair of peace signs.

"Where are my _ladies_ at?"

Only to be punted out of sight a second later.

The pink eyed sorceress turned back to look over her shoulder and winked teasingly one final time. A second later, the screen went to static, then to black as the video reached its end.

Eyes wide, Akane and Natsume shared a bewildered glance. Then, slowly, they both of them turned to look over at Ranma, already cringing at the inevitable explosion.

The pigtailed boy's face was already passing straight through 'angry red' to 'furious purple'. His entire body was quivering as he stared at the black screen. Akane could actually feel Natsume's body tense as she prepared to leap to safety.

"Um … you like Jinx, remember? 'It's always good to see Ryouga's main squeeze', and all that?" Akane offered tentatively, nervously lifting her hands in front of her face to shield herself.

Staring obsessively forward, Ranma's face slowly returned to its normal color, though the way his pupils had shrunk to pinpricks was somewhat worrying. Still, he wasn't freaking out yet; had her point sunk in-

"Akane." Ranma's voice startled her with an uncharacteristic monotone. "Do we still have any of Ryouga's packs here?"

'Huh?' What was _that_ all about? "Um … yeah. I'm pretty sure there are one or two stashed around somewhere … Why?"

Suddenly, Ranma leapt to his feet, holding up a fist and looking off to the horizon in a manly manner - or, in this case, staring at the corner of the ceiling like a maniac -

"Get me Ryouga's Challenge writing kit!"

* * *

Ryouga snapped awake with a start. Sitting up, he looked around as a wave of dizziness and confusion settled over him. He was in his room, obviously, and in his bed. He was fully dressed, though, and had no memory of getting here …

Another knock rang out on his door, and Ryouga realized that must have been what woke him up in the first place. Shaking his head a bit, he rolled out of bed and went over to answer the door.

Kasumi's sweet smile was there to greet him when the door slid open. The tall brunette was dressed in a baggy t-shirt and equally baggy sweat pants, which somehow only managed to make her appear more adorable, rather than slovenly.

Apparently she first wore the getup as part of a joke to mess with Beast Boy. And it had worked, nearly blowing _everyone's_ minds when they walked in on her, lounging on the couch and eating chocolates, surrounded by mountains of crumpled chip bags and pizza boxes. But, then she had realized just how comfortable it was, and now it wasn't uncommon to see her wearing it after ten or eleven at night.

"Ah, good, you're awake," Kasumi greeted him pleasantly. "I wasn't sure you would be yet."

Ryouga shook his head again, trying to end the faint ringing. "Uh, thanks, Kasumi. Say, what time is it, anyway? And how did I get to my room?"

Her head tilted curiously to the side as she regarded him. "Oh my, you don't remember? Well, you were quite happy at Jinx's victory - didn't she look simply lovely? I'll have to ask her how she got her bottom so toned, I think I could use a few pointers-" Turning slightly, as if to prove her point, the Tendo woman then proceeded to completely ignore the bright red color Ryouga's face flushed to as she continued. "Anyway, it was all fine, at least until you suddenly realized that Jinx was actually traveling with Grandfather Happosai. After that you … how did Cyborg put it? 'Freaked out like a spider monkey on crack.'? Robin and Beast Boy had to knock you out before you destroyed the entire tower, and then we put you in here."

Ryouga's pupils shrank to pinpricks. "J-Jinx is training with Happosai?"

He was about three seconds away from exploding - again - when a sudden smack to the face snapped him out of it. His eyes crossed to regard the rolled up news paper still plastered across his nose.

"No! Bad spider monkey. No crack for you!" Kasumi followed her stern command with a serene smile as she pried the news paper off his face.

"Um, Kasumi. Do you know what crack is?"

She pressed a finger to her cheek as she thought about it. "Not really. Some kind of sugary candy?"

Ryouga shrugged. "Hmm, I don't really know either. That makes sense though. Whatever it is, though, it must be pretty good stuff. I'll ask Beast Boy if he can get us any later."

"Oh yes," Kasumi agreed. "I'm sure if anyone would know about crack, it would be him."

They stood there for another long moment, before Ryouga finally realized how rude he was being. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kasumi. Did you want to come in? You didn't come all the way up here just to check up on me, did you?"

Smiling prettily, Kasumi shook her head. "No, no, it's quite alright. I'm glad that you're alright, but I'm also here to give you a message."

"A message?"

She nodded. "I just took a telephone call from a 'Mr. C.'. He was delightfully charming, I must say, I ended up speaking with him for an indecent amount of time."

"Mr. C.?" Ryouga mused to himself … Oh, wait, that must've been _him_!

"Anyway," Kasumi continued. "He wanted me to tell you that he expects his 'You know what,' by 'You know when', for his information about 'You know who', being 'You know where'. He told me that you already know the 'You know why' and that 'You know how' to get it to him as well."

Ryouga chuckled to himself in amusement. "Sounds like I'm all knowing, doesn't it?"

Kasumi's giggle was light and airy. "Well, just as long as you don't become a know it all. I don't think Raven would appreciate the competition."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Ryouga replied with a smirk. "So, was there anything else to the message?"

Reaching into one of the deep pockets sewn into her sweat pants, Kasumi pulled out a small disc. "Well, once he made me promise that I would deliver the message straight to you, he signaled a courier to discretely deliver this to the tower for you."

She looked at him with a knowing, slightly stern glance. "Ryouga, were you dealing with a criminal? This certainly seems like the same kind of shady business we learned back at the academy."

Shamefaced, he nodded. "Yeah … yeah, I guess I was."

"Well, it was for a good cause, so no harm done!"

"Alright, I - _wait, what_?" Ryouga could do little more than stare mutely as Kasumi patted him on the shoulder before pressing the disc into his hand.

"B-but aren't you even going to ask what's on it? I mean, I could be doing something evil, or something. Aren't you going to tell Robin?" Ryouga grew more worried by the second as he asked his questions. Really, it all came down to one thing. "How do you know you can trust me now?"

Kasumi rolled her eyes fondly, before reaching out to wrap a hand around the back of his neck, ruffling his hair as he so often did himself. "Oh, Ryouga. I don't know much -"

Suddenly, she pulled him forward, brushing her lips against his brow as lightly as a summer's breeze. She then matched his gaze, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "But I know I love you."

Still stunned, he did nothing as she ducked back through the door, still smiling widely.

"And that may be, all I need to know."

And then the door slid closed, and Ryouga was alone once more. Touching a finger to his forehead, a warm smile began to form on his lips as well. Leave it to Kasumi to know just what to say to make him feel better -

Wait a minute! Had she just …

He shook his head again. 'Nah, couldn't have been.'

Lifting his hand, the Lost Boy looked at the small disk resting in his palm. Perhaps a receipt or something? Oh well, it wasn't like he had anything else to do at the moment. That in mind, he wandered over and slipped the disk into his computer, then waited for the auto play to kick in.

A second later, Jinx's face appeared on the screen.

Ryouga's jaw nearly unhinged from shock. In a flash, he was planted in his chair and turning up the volume control.

"-ey there, Ryouga. This is Jinx …" The pink eyed girl gave a weak laugh and ran a hand through her hair nervously. "Though, you probably figured that part out already, right?"

Despite himself, the martial artist found himself nodding as he smiled. What was she up to here?"

"You're probably wondering what I'm up to here-"

Ryouga rolled his eyes. He obviously underestimated how well she'd come to know him.

"Unfortunately, I don't have all night to talk, but I'll try to explain as much as I can."

The camera suddenly swung away from her, revealing a nicely decorated and vaguely familiar room. A second later, it swung back to settle on Jinx.

"Look familiar? I thought as much. Looks like twisted minds think alike. I'm recording this message in the Penguin's office as the Iceberg lounge. Seriously, the _Penguin_! How cool is that?"

A different voice, muted and coming from off screen made itself known, chortling quietly. "Oh, you are too kind, my dear."

Jinx flashed a wide, toothy grin to the man behind the camera before looking back Ryouga's way. "Apparently you came here looking for someone, just like I did." She winked teasingly. "You naughty boy. Does Robin know you're consorting with villains?"

The Lost Boy smirked, replying to the recorded image. "No - no he doesn't. Heh."

"Now, that has a lot to do with why I'm talking to you right now, but I think there's something else you need to know first." She suddenly pointed at him accusingly. "And I want you to _listen_ to me first. I don't want you freaking out like a spider monkey on crack here."

Ryouga's eyes nearly crossed. Was that a common phrase that he'd just never heard of before?

"Now, don't lose it on me here, but I've been training with Happosai pretty much since we parted ways at the Academy. … You okay there? … Okay, I'll assume you calm down at some point and start watching this again. Anyway, you don't actually need to worry. Asides from the horribly, soul numbing torture that is his training, he's been really good to me."

The pink haired girl lifted an arm, flexing it cutely and patting her bicep proudly. "He's been helping me get a lot better, so you'd better tell Raven to watch her oversized butt!"

Ryouga vowed, then and there, that if he did give Raven a heads up, that he would not use those exact words.

The mirthful look on Jinx's face melted away into a more worried expression.

"T-that all kinda comes full circle to why I'm here. You see, I'm getting ready to do something really dangerous, part of a test for Happi. And I'm not exactly 100% that I'll make it out okay."

The martial artist frowned. He was starting to see where this was going. He was just glad he'd seen the fight first, or he'd probably be going nuts by now.

"So, think of this as kind of a video will. I … don't actually have anything to bequeath or anything, but in case I don't make it, there was a thing or two I wanted to get off my chest."

Ryouga sniggered.

"You _so_ laughed right there, didn't you!" Jinx barked abruptly. She pointed directly at him again. "If I do get outta this in one piece, that is _so_ gonna cost you."

Taking a moment to compose herself, Jinx then continued, "First, I wanted to apologize … to you … obviously." The girl began to twirl her thumbs around on another. "You know how hard this is for me. I never regret anything I do, or whoever I happen to hurt … I don't even feel bad about helping capture you, since it led to us being so happy, even if only for a while."

The martial artist nodded to himself. As much pain as there had been, he couldn't deny that those short months he had spent with Jinx had been the happiest he could remember.

Jinx continued, her face falling in shame. "I - I wanted to apologize for how we parted ways at the academy. When you got your memories back, and I saw that _look_ in your eyes … I … I just ran. My only real regret is that I may never know what you would have said, what you were feeling -"

Suddenly, she paused and half rose from her seat, thus causing her head to exit the frame and, incidentally, leaving him staring blatantly at her chest.

"Y'know, this stuff is kinda private. Do you really need to be here to operate the camera?"

The familiar, muted voice of Mr. Cobblepot replied, "Young lady, this is a gentlemen's club, not a _dating service_. You're lucky I have one of these confounding contraptions at all. I only bought it for my vacations to the Atriums of Europe. Please, just consider me a fly on the wall."

"… Fine, whatever. Just fair warning, though, it's only gonna get mushier from here."

"Fear not. I have some Milk of Magnesia to soothe my stomach later. Now, back to business, you distractible ditz."

The entire time this conversation was going on, Ryouga found himself blushing, trying not to stare - Jinx was leaning forward and it was causing her blouse to hang down _just_ enough to remind him that she wasn't quite as … untalented as everyone assumed - but also reminding himself that there wasn't exactly anyone here to judge him for staring, either … He slowly reached up to pinch his nose-

When Jinx leand back into her seat, only to wink at him with a naughty smile on her face."

"See anything ya like? Heh, you're such a boy."

Giggling, Jinx leaned back and tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm, now where was I? … Damn, lost my train of thought. Doesn't matter, though. There was just one more thing I wanted to say before I go." The young woman took a deep breath, obviously steeling herself for what she was about to say. "Ryouga, in case I don't get another chance, I just want to say one last time … I like you."

She pinned him with an intense stare through the screen. "I mean _like_ you, like you, you know what I mean? I know you probably don't feel the same way, but, at the same time, I don't think you hate me either, or else why would you be looking for me? Anyway, if I make it through this test, I was kind of hoping we might be able to talk again after this is done. I - I guess that's all, really -"

The sound of Mr. Cobblepot loudly clearing his throat caused Jinx to start suddenly.

"Oh, _oh_, right! Also, Mr. P says that you definitely need to pay up on your end of the bargain when you get this. _And_, for all the extra trouble he went through for me, he wants it with a nice ivory handle and cap."

_Ivory_? Where the heck was he supposed to get ivo-

"Of course, you probably have no idea where to get ivory, so I'll ask Biki when I see her." Jinx paused to steeple her fingers before her ominously. "Though, I might suggest some _green_ ivory. I'm sure you could get some of that easily enough."

Even as Ryouga blanched, Jinx burst into laughter.

"Oh, I wish, I know. Anyway, I-" She suddenly looked past the camera again. "Oh, right. Mr. P also wants you to know that if you don't pay up, he'll kidnap me and torture me or some junk."

She leaned out of the frame quickly, only to whisper loudly. "Hey, you wouldn't _actually_ do that, would you?"

"Of course not, my dear, but he needn't know that."

"Gotcha!"

And then Jinx was facing him once again, smiling broadly. "Okay, time for me to go. You shouldn't get this until my fight is done, so hopefully this message isn't posthumous. Anyway, I just wanted you to know I've been doing okay. Hope I can see you again someday … Bye!"

The cat-eyed witch waved a tad sadly for a few seconds before the screen finally went black, leaving Ryouga alone with his thoughts.

Jinx actually wanted to see him again? He kind of thought it was just him wanting to see her again. And now he had so many questions. Training with Happosai? Fighting criminals?

It was quite confusing, as the latter seemed to say she wanted to do good … and yet she had teamed up with one of the most evil people he knew! … So very confusing.

Still, she wanted to see him. She'd apologized for running away … And what she'd done to Ranma was just priceless! Sighing fondly to himself, he started the video again.

"Gotta love that girl."

* * *

"Man, I _hate_ that girl!"

Raven chuckled at Ranma's ire. It wasn't like she didn't agree with him, but to see him getting so … what was the term? 'Bent out of shape' over something so pointless.

"Even if her claim is true - which, granted, does carry some validity since she is working with Happosai - I'm still not sure why it matters." She set the communicator down so she could shift into a more comfortable position in her bed. Now lying on her side, she absently flipped the strap of her nightgown back over her shoulder as she picked the communicator up again.

"I mean," she continued quickly, "You're the heir of the Saotome branch, aren't you? What does it matter if she becomes Happosai's inheritor? It wasn't like you ever actually trained under him anyway."

"That's not the point!" Ranma barked. "She might as well have pasted a giant 'Kick Me' sign on my back for the whole world to see. Do you know the crap I've been putting up with all day?"

The small view of Ranma's room spun around, revealing what Raven was pretty sure was Akane's laptop sitting on his bed. It looked to be open on his email account and his inbox looked to be quite full indeed.

"I'm pretty sure Nabiki did something, but that damn video has gone viral! Every martial artist and nut case that I've ever fought, met on the road, or that has ever even heard my name in passing, with access to a computer, has been sending me emails to rub it in my face!"

"And do the opinions of any of those people actually matter to you? Aside from some slight embarrassment, has it really harmed you in anyway?"

"My pride, Rae! She hurt my _pride_! That's pretty much all I legally own at the moment." Ranma's outburst was ruined by the fact that he couldn't manage to keep a straight face himself. "Fine, fine. As you would say 'Humiliation is pointless'."

"I do _not_ sound like that," she replied sharply. His impersonations were always terrible. "So, are you ready to give up this foolish notion of yours?"

Ranma just stared at her. "Are you nuts? Of course I'm not! Humiliation aside, Happosai's school is the root of all Anything Goes. The prestige it receives is greater than any of its subsidiary branches." He smirked wickedly. "And think of it this way, Rae-Rae. If Jinx _is_ the true heir, then the legacy of the school has never been more vulnerable. Honestly, I'd be doing her a favor by beating her and … taking that title, and that nasty burden, off her shoulders."

"Right," drolled Raven. "What better way to protect her from being attacked by _other_ unhinged, overly prideful martial artists, then to do it first?"

"Exactly! So, make sure the next time you see her, you give her my challenge … Oh, and pass on my message, too."

"Ranma," she replied evenly. "I consider you to be one of my closest friends, and would do most anything to help you. On the other hand, Jinx is a spiteful, vindictive, irresponsible criminal, and there is no love lost between us. _However_, there is no way that I, in good conscious, could _possibly_ recite to Jinx what you said earlier. I think even Kasumi would slap me for that."

"Oh, come on, Raven. It wasn't _that_ bad."

"I'm fairly certain that half of those acts are frowned upon in Turkish prisons." Raven eyed him seriously. "I'll do my best to make sure she gets your challenge, but that is as far as I'll go."

Ranma snapped his fingers. "Dang. Would'a been hilarious to see the catfight that would'a caused."

"Yes." Raven rolled her eyes. "Because Jinx and I need another reason to fight. I don't think I need to fight your battles for you as well. You know, if you're that worried about your 'legacy', there are other ways to ensure it."

The pigtailed boy scratched his chin in consideration. "You mean skip Jinx and just take down Happi? I mean, eventually, sure, but now …?"

"I mean," Raven snapped, rubbing her temples. "That you might consider teaching someone. Happosai seems quite pleased with his new disciple, and Ryouga's student has done him quite proud today."

"Who? The skinny blonde girl with totally outta whack powers that you ditched on Ryouga, despite the fact that Ryouga and self control go together about as good as peanut butter and chocolate?"

"Um … Ranma … Peanut butter and Chocolate actually go together very well." She would know; the day that Beast Boy had introduced Starfire and herself to Peanut Butter Cups was … best forgotten.

"What? _Blech_! Go on and pull the other one." Ranma shook his head in disbelief. "Anyway, are you tryin' to tell me that Bacon Bits actually managed to _stop_ her from running amok, not _caused_ her to?"

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Raven replied, "Ryouga has been doing amazing things in our company. He resurrected the veritable dead, for Azar's sake. It wouldn't kill you to admit that he is a capable friend."

Ranma just looked at her, cocking an eyebrow.

"… Okay, in _your_ case it might, but still-"

"But nothing! Once I take Jinx down, I'm coming back for Ryouga! Gotta score to settle with that guy," Ranma proclaimed proudly.

The dark Titan could only shake her head. "You never cease to amaze, Ranma."

"I know," he replied smugly.

"Wha - that wasn't a compliment … Oh, never mind."

Her companion chuckled loudly. "Alright, enough of that. You know the deal. I know you were tryin to be all sneaky about it, but you still brought up Ryouga!"

Raven frowned darkly, before finally sighing in defeat.

"I'll go get my thesaurus … Can't believe you still make me help you with your homework."

* * *

Stretching out her arms and giving a satisfying yawn, Terra strolled down the hallway. Wearing her bathrobe and carrying a towel, her toothbrush and a few other things, she was fully intending to enjoy the heck out of a nice morning bath.

She was still sore from her bout with Adonis, so a nice warm soak seemed like just the ticket. It would give her a chance to figure out what to do with her day off, too. Just because she passed her first test didn't mean she was done training, though she kind of hoped that the insane schedule they had kept would slacken considerably.

Robin had also said that her house arrest had been lifted as well! Clutching her hands to her chest, it was all she could do to not squeal out in joy.

She didn't want to wake anyone, after all.

That meant that she could go into the city again, and on patrols, too … Actually, she wasn't all that excited about the latter, but the former was ultra sweet!

She could take Ryouga to the diner for some of the world's best apple pie. Or she could see if Beast Boy wanted to go to the arcade. Or maybe go see a movie with Kasumi!

'Oh!' She could try to talk Cy into a road trip! Hmm, maybe hit the mall with Star first, to pick up some more seasonable clothes. Terra giggled to herself as another thought occurred to her. She could totally go to a poetry slam with Raven! The mental image of the pair of them wearing all black and with cute little berets, snapping their fingers while looking completely indifferent, was priceless.

Hmm, she tried to think of something she could do with Robin … But what _did_ he do in his free time? Well, aside from buying copious amounts of hair gel. Hey, maybe she could ask Starfire!

"Hey, Star," she greeted cheerily as she passed by the girl's open door. "Do you know what Robin does for fun?"

The Tamaranian ceased in mid float, and actually had to rotate to see her past the massive stack of identical outfits piled up in her arms. There was an unusual look on her face that Terra couldn't fathom as she responded.

"I am afraid that I have not been privy to the goings on of Robin's _personal life _lately."

Huh, that was weird. Terra hadn't exactly been in the loop lately, but she was pretty sure that Starfire _was_ Robin's personal life. Whatever it was, Star didn't seem too keen on the topic. So, not wanting to annoy her friend, she attempted to change said topic.

"Heh, um … that's a lot of clothes you got there … Is it laundry day already?"

Starfire looked at her strangely, only to shake her head.

"No."

And then she floated off without another word.

A little puzzled, Terra wandered down the hallway and knocked on Beast Boy's door. There was some loud crashing and what sounded like a body hitting the floor, but, eventually, the door slid open.

"Do you _know_ what time it - _oh_, hey Terra!"

Blushing fiercely, Terra quickly looked away and blocked her sight with her hand. She hadn't been expecting the shape shifter to answer the door in just his boxers!

"Umm," she started weakly. "Uh, do you know what's up with Starfire? Is she donating all her clothing to some charity for impossibly tall and thin super models?"

Beast Boy stared at her like she was nuts for a minute, only to look down the hall in shock a moment later, as Starfire floated back into her room, only to float out with another mountain of clothing, and disappear down the hallway one more.

The shape shifter and the earth mover shared an uncertain glance, before Beast Boy spoke. "Umm … I think we might need a family meeting here."

Within moments, they were all assembled. Raven, wearing her leotard, but with a monstrous case of bed head and a killer scowl. Cyborg wearing his night cap and with a teddy bear under his arm. Robin and Ryouga both wearing matching gis and looking like they'd been up for an hour already, and Kasumi, wearing her normal clothing and looking quite awake and refreshed.

The resentment was palpable.

And, again, Starfire floated past them, gliding into her room, and returning quickly with another bushel of personal effects.

Unable to hold in his curiosity, Cyborg lifted a hand. "Uh, Starfire?"

Not even slowing in her work, the Tamaranian replied with an absent "Hmm?"

"Going somewhere?" Beast Boy asked, every bit as curious as his buddy.

Passing them by, on her way back down the hallway, she replied evenly. "I am leaving for Tamaran."

Watching the odd procession, Raven felt compelled to ask, "And you're taking all your stuff because...?" At that, Starfire finally stopped, turning to grace the gathered Titans with a tender, wistful smile.

"I am not ever coming back."

The reactions to that were somewhat predictable.

"_WHAT_?" was shouted in stereo, nearly buffeting the alien girl back into her nearly empty room.

A second later, Robin was in front of her, blocking her path. "Starfire, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I am…" she gave a short pause, then offered him a big smile. "...getting married."

"_**WHAT**_?" Another round of shocked shrieks rocked the hallway as the Titans' eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Slowly, Robin slid to the ground, completely catatonic.

Looking around uncertainly, Kasumi finally took a step forward.

"… So … is it anyone we know?"

* * *

The figure moved carefully down the darkened corridor. He knew these hallways well, was intimately familiar with the many secrets which these walls held. He was also quite aware of the guard rotations and the hidden passages that would allow him to traverse the lower depths of the palace unseen.

Reaching the desired junction, he calmly searched the wall, before depressing a concealed switch, opening the doorway which he was looking for. Once he was through, he closed it behind him, before finally retrieving the lantern from his belt. The small, glowing device illuminated the ancient, roughly worked corridor with an unearthly blue light.

It took nearly a quarter of an hour, but the passage finally delivered him to his ultimate location:

The dungeon.

He had no idea how his contact infiltrated this deeply into the palace, but without fail, the surface dweller had reached their meeting place before him, always waiting, bathed in shadow.

The meeting place in question was the final cell, of the deepest level. It was the most feared chamber in the entire kingdom, reserved only for the most hated, the most damned criminals to ever desecrate their sacred laws. It somehow seemed to amuse his mysterious benefactor to make this more terrifying of chambers, and utilize it as his personal brokerage.

Breathing heavily now, he reached into his pocket, quintuple checking that the item was still there. It was, and was still warm to the touch. Somehow, its presence did not put him at ease, but at least he knew that his bargaining chip was still intact.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he was standing before the heavy door. It took all of his strength to open the unusually thick, steel door, but it slid open without a whisper of a sound; this chamber was always highly maintained, always awaiting someone worthy of its reputation.

Sliding in through the opening, he pushed his back up against the door and closed it fully before taking a deep breath after the exertion.

"Good evening, friend."

A chill ran up his spine at the sound of the voice. No matter how often he heard it, he could never get used to it. It held an almost inhuman mixture of calm and menace that froze his soul. Even this friendly greeting made him feel as if a blade were being unsheathed in his direction.

"I have your payment," he stated plainly, trying to maintain an amount of calm in his own voice. Even as he spoke, he peered around the room, trying to find the speaker. Even with his lantern disc, the light failed to penetrate the furthest corners of the room … and it was those corners that his associate enjoyed lingering in.

There, in the far corner this time. He could see a vague silhouette of the man, not overly tall, nor massively muscled or broad … and yet terrifying all the same. He could see a single eye glistening in the light, the other half of the man's face too deeply bathed in shadows for the light to reach even across his face.

"That is most fortunate. May I see it?"

"Not until I know that you have upheld your part of the bargain," he demanded in a hushed tone.

"You wound me, my friend." The shadowed figure reached behind his back, before producing an ancient scroll, lifting it up into the light for him to plainly see. "I have taken care of all of the arrangements."

Scurrying forward, he crossed the room and tore the scroll from his benefactor's hands. Opening it carefully, he scanned the first few lines.

"It - it is authentic! How - No, I do not even want to know how you got this."

"That's right. You don't. Now … my payment?"

With the utmost care, he rolled the scroll up once more, before tucking it into the case hanging from his belt. He then reached into his pocket, pulling out the item in question. He held it up to the light, letting the shadowed man see it clearly.

"So much trouble you've gone to. And for what? Some golden trinket?" He tossed the small bauble through the air, and the figure caught it with such ease that it somehow even made the inconsequential feat seem inhuman.

The man clutched the ring in his hand for a moment, before slowly nodding to himself. Holding it up into the light again, one could almost feel the waves of satisfaction rolling off of the stranger.

"All that glitters is not gold, my friend. Despite what you think, I am the one that came of this deal ahead, not you."

"Bah! This scroll alone has more value than you can imagine. How can that bauble compare? It isn't even of Atlantean make, just a surface dweller bauble found decades ago." He scoffed at the very thought. "It will not even be missed. It only made its way into the treasure chamber because the queen thought it looked _precious_. "

"More precious than you know," the figure replied cryptically. "And, now that our business is concluded, I will be on my way."

"Wait!" he called out plaintively. "You have delivered the scroll, that much is certain. But what of the _other_ part of our bargain? Have you prepared what I require?"

His one eye verily twinkling with delight, the shadow figure took a single step back into the shadows, vanishing completely despite the fact that his lantern was only a scant few feet away. From the shadows, the figure's disembodied voice replied.

"As I said. I have handled _all_ of the arrangements."

* * *

Ronal sighed forlornly as he stood watch at his post. As the ocean currents flowed past him, he allowed the soothing warmth of the waters to carry his discontent away with them. After all, in theory, his was a position of great honor. One of the border guards of Atlantis itself, the very first line of defense against and all invaders. It would be his trident that would be the first to meet any threat that reared its ugly head against his homeland.

In practice, though, he was stuck out in the middle of nowhere, well over a hundred miles away from the majestic domed city, on the watch for enemies that didn't exist. No surface dweller would dare provoke the ire of Atlantis, and there was no power beneath the waves greater than that of their kings.

It left him in a very solitary, very boring state of affairs that he would not have wished upon his worst enemy.

Sighing again, he sat down on the stone he'd chosen for a perch on this day. It was a short distance from his watch post, but he detested sitting inside all day long, staring at the sonar screen. He could see just as well as it could anyway.

Leaning down, he reached down to grab the case he used to hold the lunches he prepared for himself when he took it upon himself to commence visual inspections such as these. Rooting around through the container, he tried to find something a bit on the sweet side to take his mind off of his sorry existence at the moment …

Wait a moment … was it getting darker?

Looking up, confused, Ronal noted that it was, indeed, getting darker, but not due to the setting of the sun. It looked almost … almost as if a great cloud were racing over him, blotting out the light …

Squinting his eyes, Ronal shot to his feet, making a sudden realization. 'That is no cloud!'

Turning quickly, he began to swim back to the outpost as fast as his muscles would carry him -

He only made it halfway before he noticed the half dozen or so figures already gathered around the outpost. As one, they turned to regard him with hate filled eyes. A moment later, they were swimming in his direction, as were more of them, circling in from every direction like a pack of feral sharks …

Looking about in all directions, Ronal clutched his trident tightly in his hands, knuckles going white as he saw his doom descending on him. There was only one thing he could think to say as he brandished his weapon, preparing to give the fight of his life.

"Well, isn't this just _perfect_."


	36. What's In A Name?

Dark Titans – Omake Special!

_**What's in a name?**_

* * *

**Author Notes (IMPORTANT re: Dark Titans updates)**

Well, it has been a while since I updated Dark Titans, and for good reason. Those who have been reading the notices on my author page or elsewhere may already know that I've been busily working on a massive "Dark Titans" related side project over the last year. Everything else was put on hold.

That **side project** is now, finally, ready for release.

Called "Reflections Lost on a Dark Road" it is an in-continuity crossover between "Teen Titans and the Lost Boy / Dark Titans" and "The Road To Cydonia", by the eminent author, Cap'n Chryssalid. Again: it is part of the continuity of both our fanfic verses, taking place roughly two months from where TRTC and DT left off, which means that there will be a solid arc or two occurring in DT before this story actually takes place. For "The Road to Cydonia" that means it is roughly two arcs in the future from Ch33: Auribus Teneo Lupum. When we finish releasing Reflections, we will resume with the previous and succeeding arcs in both TRTC and DT.

In the meantime, here is the address for **"Reflections Lost on a Dark Road" **- you can consider updates in that fic to be basically updates to this one. _Simply cut and paste the bit below after fanfiction dot net._

**/u/2754251/**

- Lathis

(alternatively, you can go to my FFN site and I'll have a hyperlink there, for those who don't want to cut/paste the link)

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Ryouga caught the mock punch easily and laughed as he pushed his companion's fist back down. The playful swings they exchanged didn't slow their stride as they strolled down the hallway, the promise of some sorely needed snacks driving them onward.

"Okay, granted, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai are a pretty good combination, but I don't like the way they focus so much on the grappling," the Lost Boy stated.

"Seriously?" Robin fired back, trying to slip a quick jab under his guard and into his ribs. "I kinda like the technical aspect of the grappling. You get to see a lot of interesting counters and reversals in the Octagon."

"Maybe, but the old 'ground and pound' gets a bit tedious after awhile. I mean, when you told me about this mixed martial arts thing, I was actually expecting to see _mixed_ martial arts, not homogenized martial arts." Ryouga let out a forlorn sigh. "I was expecting to see Shotokan guys going up against Russian wrestlers, or Special Forces guys against Sumo wrestlers. You know, normal stuff, like back home. Instead everyone is using pretty much the same hybrid style."

The masked hero shrugged absently, rolling his shoulder to slide his cape behind his back. "I guess it's just a matter of personal taste. I mean, sure, neither of us would _ever_ actually fight that way, since it would get us fifteen kinds of dead out in the streets, but I still think it's fun to watch."

Ryouga considered that, then nodded. Taking a left at the next corner, they continued on, a straight run towards the main room of the Tower. "True enough. Trying to grapple with someone like Ranma is pretty much the definition of insanity, but can you imagine trying to wrestle someone a thousand times stronger than you? I don't even want to think about what it would be like to try to get into a wrestling match with Mammoth."

A sly grin slid onto the Lost Boy's lips, and he nudged the smaller martial artist in the ribs, or at least tried to, as the Boy Wonder deftly blocked the not-actually-an-attack. "Though, in your case, I bet you imagine 'grappling' with Starfire all the time, don't you?"

"Hey!" The red that burned onto the hero's face could have just as easily been from anger as it was embarrassment, but either option was just as funny. "You better not joke around like that when anyone else is around. Don't think I won't turn the tables on you, Hibiki. I doubt you want me making those kinds of comments about you around Raven."

Ryouga just eyed his comrade incredulously. "Are you joking? If you said something like that around Raven, she'd probably destroy you before I even had the chance to."

Robin lifted a hand and scratched his chin, obviously reflecting on his idea. "Hmm, you raise a valid point. This stuff is annoyingly complicated, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, you have _no_ idea. Just thank goodness that you only have on girl to worry about… and that your name isn't Ranma, for that matter." Ryouga chuckled to himself. "Though, the last one is also just a matter of preference. It's just a terrible name."

Laughing quietly, and shaking his head in obvious amusement, Robin opened up the door to the main room and led them in. As usual, the room was bustling with activity. Cyborg and Kasumi were in the kitchen, the latter watching helplessly as the former took on the role of head chef for the day. The look of pride on Cyborg's face was a stark contrast to the expression of… hell, if it had been anyone else in the world, he would have called it 'envy', on Kasumi's. Sometimes that woman, as wonderful as she was, made no sense to Ryouga at all. Sure, he could cook when he needed to, but he certainly had no love for the craft.

Learning how to order pizza had probably been the greatest technique he'd ever learned.

Sitting, curled up at the far end of the couch, her legs tucked under her and her hood pulled back to reveal her deep violet eyes, Raven was reading a book. Well, 'tome' was probably more apt for what she was holding in her hand, the thick, leather bound collection of pages was probably older than the city itself. Intent on her endeavour, the dark Titan casually lifted a hand and licked her finger, then proceeding to turn the page.

For reasons he wasn't quite comfortable contemplating, Ryouga felt himself blush as he studied Raven, and quickly forced himself to look away, just in case she caught him staring.

The rest of the Titans were nestled at the center of the long, semi circular couch, apparently quite engrossed in something. Starfire was sitting off to one side, giggling gaily and clapping her hands gleefully as she watched Beast Boy and Terra, who were both sitting cross legged on the couch and facing each other directly, a good foot or two between them. Staring at the setup curiously, Ryouga took a step closer to figure out just what it was the pair of munchkins were up to…

"Alright, how about this? …What's your favourite ice cream?"

Terra leaned forward at the question, her brow scrunching up cutely and the tip of her tongue peeking out as she was obviously wracked in concentration. A second later, she straightened her back and held up an excited hand in exclamation.

"Rocky Road!"

Beast Boy rocked back on his seat, and Starfire joined him in excited laughter. The sight of everyone involved breaking out into such merriment over such a simple revelation only made the Lost Boy even more curious. Deciding to investigate, he made his way over to the couch. He noticed that Robin was joining him, though the masked hero's attention was set in a markedly different direction than Ryouga's own.

Leaning forward again, Beast Boy adopted a fiendish look and pointed at the geokinetic girl with a gloved finger. "And your favourite game?"

"Hmmm… I know! It's Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

The outburst of mirth that followed again puzzled the Hibiki, and even worse, even Robin was chuckling, having jumped over the back of the couch to sit next to Starfire. Not only was the idea of finding a simple answer to a simple question hilarious pretty darn weird, but Ryouga was pretty sure that Terra's favourite game was actually Super Ninja Fury 4. Lord only knew that she utterly destroyed him whenever she managed to talk him into playing that accursed game.

Honestly, he was still having flashbacks of the infamous 'Halo Massacre' from a month or two ago. You couldn't even whisper the name Nujiézú without sending Cyborg onto a half hour rant.

"Alright, try this one on for size," Beast Boy stated, victory in his voice. "What's your favorite animal?"

This inquiry gave the diminutive blonde a moment's pause; she pulled her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth, thinking hard. And then a wide smile split her face and she let out an excited chirp.

"It's… a pterodactyl!"

"Ha! I totally got you there," Beast Boy crowed, pumping his fist into the air. "That totally doesn't count."

"What? It _so_ does," Terra barked petulantly.

As one, both of the young teens spun around, to Raven of all people. The reading girl gave no sign of acknowledging their existence, just continued to flip through the pages of her book.

"Well?" the changeling asked expectantly.

"Yeah, Raven," Terra echoed, "That totally counts, right?"

Finally, Raven looked up, a bored expression on her face. She spared a moment to glance at Beast Boy, then Terra in turn, before looking up and tapping her chin in thought. "Pterodactyl… pterodactyl… hmm. I'll allow it."

Beast Boy's anguished whine, dropping his face into his hands, was mirrored by Terra's victorious cheer, pumping her fists into the air.

"Oh, come on! That doesn't even make sense! What game are you watching, ref?"

Terra leaned forward and punched the changeling in the shoulder. "Doy, Beast Boy. Think about it. '_Terra'_-dactyl?"

"Oh-_ohhhh_… I still don't get it…"

The bubbly blonde rolled her eyes fondly. "Oh, Beast Boy…"

"Okay, that's enough!" Ryouga couldn't take it anymore. Throwing his arms up into the air, he glared at everyone present. "What the heck is going on? What on earth is so funny?"

His outburst finally caught the attention of everyone, and the gathered Titans looked his way. Beast Boy waved first. "Oh, hey Ryo, didn't see ya there. What's up, dude?"

"Certainly not my comprehension levels. What are you guys laughing about?"

Bouncing up onto her knees, Terra leaned over the back of the couch and grasped his hand tightly in hers before pulling him closer. Smiling up at him, her eyes all but sparkling as she looked up at him, she pulled him down to sit on the back of the couch. "Ryouga, you _totally_ have to play! It's a super hero game that Beast Boy taught me! It's kind of a name game!"

"A _name_ game?" he asked dubiously as he adjusted himself more comfortably onto the hard backing of the couch.

"Oh yeah," Robin replied, waving a hand non-chalantly. "It goes way back. Basically, someone thinks of a question, and you have to think up a reply that somehow relates to your codename."

"Yeah!" Beast Boy added excitedly. Leaping up to his feet, the changeling pointed across the room to Cyborg. "Like this. Yo, Cyborg! What's your favourite song!"

Not even bothering to look up from the pan of quickly browning ground beef before him, Cyborg barked over his shoulder, as if by rote, "Machinehead, by Bush!"

"See?" Robin asked offhandedly, "It's pretty darn easy."

"Easy for _most_ people," Raven amended cattily, not looking up from her book. "Beast Boy there flunked on his first question. Not even _I_ am generous enough to let him get away with 'vegetarian pizza'."

Ryouga found himself grinning at that. "You're the most generous person I know, Raven."

The pale Titan's face scrunched up cutely at that, obviously unable to decide whether to be flattered or not by the loaded statement. So instead of doing either, she just eyed him warily… for a moment at least, before her expression softened and she graced him with a shy smile. The smile lasted shorter, before she suddenly remembered they were in a room full of nosey neighbours, and she quickly looked down at her book, doing her best to ignore her flushed cheeks.

Ryouga shifted his gaze away quickly as well, only to give his head a shake and turn back to Beast Boy and Terra. "Well, I think I get the gist of it. Sounds kind of fun, actually." He turned to Robin. "What about you? You ever play?"

"Ha! Are you kidding?" Beast Boy interrupted. "Robin's, like, the master!"

Turning to the Boy Wonder, Beast Boy held up a hand and counted off three fingers. "Robin. Band, book, movie."

Leaning back lazily into the couch, Robin spread his arms out across the back of the couch (incidentally laying his arm behind Starfire's shoulders) and replied without missing a single beat.

"The Birds, the Birds, and… the Birds."

In an instant, everyone native to the country, as well as Raven, broke into various levels of mirth – howling laughter on the Beast Boy end of the scale, and a mild twist of the lips on the Raven end – leaving a few unfortunate foreigners to be left drawing blanks at the rapid fire pop culture references.

"You _see_? The guy is legendary!"

"Oh come on," Cyborg objected from the kitchen, "The guy has a bird name. I mean, how hard can it possibly be for him to come up with stuff? Heck, him and Raven could give the same answers to everything and get away with it… well, if Raven ever did anything but ref, anyway."

Robin chuckled at that. "Hey, don't blame me for having a nice, Iconic name, here. It's not my fault that when people think of 'Cyborgs', they mostly think of Johnny Five from Short Circuit."

"_Dude_! Low blow! Low blow!"

Again, everyone burst into laughter… excepting Ryouga, Kasumi and Starfire.

"You know, I'm starting to see how this game could be lost on people that didn't grow up here," Ryouga muttered grumpily. It had seemed amusing when Terra had been doing it, but all of these references he didn't get…

"No way, dude," Beast Boy jumped in. "You're just over thinking it. It doesn't matter what you're talkin' about, just whether it sounds like it has something to do with your name!"

"I don't know… I'm not sure that Kasumi or me could really play," the Lost Boy replied dubiously.

Looking up at hearing her name spoken, the eldest Tendo sister glanced in their direction. "I'm afraid it's true. I don't really have a codename, and I think it would be difficult to think of things as quickly as you all seem to."

Rising to her feet, she took one last quick look at Cyborg's impending meal, before strolling over to join them. As she did, Beast Boy waved off her concerns easily.

"No way! It's super easy, Kasumi. I mean, if I asked you what your favourite movie is, you could just say… hmm-" Beast Boy snapped his fingers in a 'eureka' moment, "You could say 'The Mist'!"

Ryouga chuckled out loud at that, for more reasons than one. Around the room, there was a cruel reversal, where only Kasumi and Starfire joined him in mirthful laughter, while everyone else looked on in stunned confusion.

"What? I don't get it," Terra admitted, sounding a bit annoyed.

Robin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Kasumi answered in the changeling's stead, before leaning forward and planting a chaste kiss on his forehead, "That Garfield is an incredibly sweet young man."

Even as the shape shifter began blushing furiously, much to Terra's chagrin, Cyborg stomped over, abject shock on his face. "Hey, whoa hey! What's goin' on here? What did the grass stain say that got him the old 'peck on the cheek'?"

Dropping a hand on Beast Boy's back, Kasumi beamed a bright smile, nearly dazzling half the room. "Oh my, it's nothing too extravagant. He just showed a surprising amount of interest is all."

Terra nearly squawked at that. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

It was Ryouga's turn to drop a hand on Terra's head, and he ruffled the girl's long hair mercilessly. Driving the girl down into the seat cushions, he laughed in amusement. "It means that Beast Boy actually went to the trouble to find out something about Kasumi, isn't that right, Star?"

"Quite so!" the Tamaranian exclaimed joyously. "Likely through gratuitous use of the 'Google', he has discovered that, in your English, the name Kasumi translates as 'misty'."

"Wow, Beast Boy actually went out of his way to _learn_ something? Wait, are we all certain that this isn't some alien pod person in disguise?" Raven asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The changeling spun on her, sticking his tongue out fiercely at the robed Titan. "Shows what you know! Just cuz I actually take an interest in people and you don't."

Raven's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. "Was… that supposed to be some form of comeback?"

"I'll show _you_-"

Only the selfless heroism of Terra, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around Beast Boy to pull him back onto the couch, prevented the green teen from leaping across the couch, likely to certain doom. Sitting him back down, she offered him a winning smile. "Come on, Beast Boy. No fighting with Raven, she's the ref, after all. Now why don't we get back to the game? I know! We should see if we can think of anything for Ryouga!"

Instantly, the Hibiki's danger senses kicked into full gear, and he took a few steps back, holding his hands out before him in a warding gesture. "No, no, that's alright. You guys can just keep on going. I don't really like being put on the spot like that…"

"Ho ho ho! That's super easy," Cyborg declared, clapping a hand to Ryouga's back, sending him staggering forward a step. "Ryo's favourite show is _totally_ gotta be _Lost_!"

"_What_!"

Giggling shamelessly, Terra joined in. "Oh, oh! I bet his favourite movie is 'Lost in Translation'!"

"_Terra_…"

"Well, his favourite band just has to be 'Blues _Traveler'_," Robin added, trying to suppress a chuckle.

"Not you too!"

At that, Raven rose to her feet, a stern expression on her face. Planting her fists firmly on her hips, she lanced each of the offenders with a heated stare. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Teasing our friend like this, and with such obvious references, too."

Ryouga let out a sigh of relief. "_Thank y_-"

"After all, it's obvious that his favourite book is 'Paradise _Lost'."_

"Oh yeah! Literary burn, nice one, Rae!" Beast Boy leapt up, looking for a high five, only to be sadly deprived.

Ryouga just glared at the young woman, matching the gaze of her soft, violet eyes. "You are aware that I can kill a person ten different ways with just my thumb, right?"

She matched his glare with a ghost of a smile, her head tilting cutely to the side. "I do. I also know that you never would, so where does that leave us?"

Beast Boy's uproarious laughter drew the Lost Boy's attention away from Raven, and he slapped Ryouga on the shoulder. "Uh oh, everyone!" the changeling cried in mock terror. "Looks like Ryouga is _losing his temper_!"

Lift a fist, his fingers clenching until they creaked like old leather, the Hibiki fired a death glare at the emerald shape changer. "Keep it up, BB, and you might just _lose _your head."

For a second, Beast Boy had the good grace to look a bit worried, but unfortunately Ryouga wasn't able to maintain his scowl for more than a few seconds himself, and they both quickly dissolved into laughter. Shaking his head helplessly, Ryouga looked around. "Okay, so are we all done with mocking the sad little Lost Boy, or do you need a few more minutes?"

Robin lifted a hand. "I think I might have a few more go-_oof_!"

Only to have the air blasted out of his lungs by Starfire's dainty elbow. Ignoring the human as he slowly collapsed into her lap, wheezing all the way down, she donned her own cheerful smile and nodded exuberantly. "Yes, friend Ryouga. We are all most certainly done with the unkind referencing of your directional dilemma."

"Yeah, yeah – No, wait!" Beast Boy's sudden statement drew a wary glare from Ryouga, but the changeling leapt up onto the couch and spun on him before he had a chance to say anything. "This just made me realize a gross oversight we've been making!"

"Huh?" Ryouga replied, echoed by a few others around the room.

"Can't any of you see it?" the shape shifter asked incredulously. Pointing pointedly at the Lost Boy, Beast Boy continued. "We haven't given Ryo a _super hero name_ yet! No wonder he can't think of anything for the name game!"

Robin started at the revelation. "I… hadn't even thought about that." He gave Ryouga a quick look over. "Not just that, but we haven't even got a costume for you yet, either. We can't exactly have you walking around in street clothes if you're going to be fight crime with us."

"Hey now… Hold on just a minute there," Ryouga said in a worried tone. "There's no need to worry about crazy things like costumes and codenames and stuff. I'm fine just the way I am."

He tried to take a step back, only to have a titanium hand drop onto his shoulder, clamping him firmly in place. The squeaked 'eep' he let out was hopefully inaudible across the room.

"Now, now," Cyborg started in a laidback voice. Guiding the Lost Boy back to the couch, the cybernetic teen grinned evilly as he continued. "I think we're pretty far past due for this as it is. After all, we did go through all the trouble of overlooking the _usual _initiation stuff that you were supposed to go through to join the team."

"Hey! I thought we were just delaying that?" Beast Boy barked unhappily.

"Initiation? I don't remember any initiation…" Terra muttered under her breath.

Robin, for his part, nodded sagely. "Yes, Cyborg is right, Ryouga. You're well past due for a proper codename. Hmm… I don't know what it could be, though… something related to martial arts, maybe?"

"Oh, we should totally call him 'The Traveller'! Or maybe, 'The Wanderer'," Beast Boy offered up excitedly.

"Hey! I thought we were done making fun of the direction thing already!"

"Yeah, yeah, sheesh, so touchy!" With that, Beast Boy dropped his chin into an upraised palm. "Hmm, now that I'm actually thinking about it, though, this is tough. I mean, look at you-"

For emphasis, Beast Boy gestured at Ryouga, waving his arm up to point from his head to his toes. "I mean, there's nothing that stands out about you. No flash, no pizzazz! You look like you just walked in off the street. I mean, is there even anything appealing about you to work with?"

For some reason, across the room, Raven suddenly found her shoes utterly fascinating, turning her face down so far that Ryouga could hardly even see the bright flush on her cheeks. Equally confusing was the way that Starfire looked up at him, a smoky look in her eyes as she rested her chin on upraised palms. Even Terra was only peeking at him out of the corner of her eye, her face looking a little flushed as well.

He sure hoped that the young geokinetic wasn't coming down with a flue. He'd just come up with a great new idea for training for her. It would be a shame if they had to delay it.

Roughly as observant as Ryouga himself was, Beast Boy blithely ignored the unusual reactions as he hopped up over the back of the couch and began to pace around Ryouga. Scratching his chin, the changeling observed Ryouga from every angle as he continued to circle him. "Tricky… tricky. And nothing is popping into your head either, Ryo?"

"I'm afraid not," he replied quickly. Sure, everyone else here seemed perfectly suited to their codenames… heck, he didn't even know some of their real names at all, but it seemed like it would be really awkward if everyone started referring to him by something different all of a sudden.

"I think you're overlooking something quite obvious, Garfield," Kasumi stated, out of the blue. Even as Beast Boy cringed at the use of 'his' real name – it seemed odd to Ryouga, that his friend's real name was more foreign than the moniker of 'Beast Boy' – the tall brunette glided over and placed a gentle hand on Ryouga's shoulder. Then, as if she was showing off a prize horse, she lifted his top lip and pointed to the oversized canine's that were hidden away in his mouth.

"Ryouga's canines _are_ quite distinctive, wouldn't you say? Maybe you could do something with that?"

"Hey! You're right!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "He's got a good set of fangs going there. Maybe we should name him Vampire Man, or something!"

"No. Just no," Raven decreed in a voice that brooked no argument.

"No, eh? Hmm, how about we just name him 'Fang', then? That sounds pretty ominous."

Kasumi nodded slowly. "Hmm, that _is_ quite ominous. Perhaps too much? He is supposed to be a hero, isn't he?"

"Oh, and we already have someone named Fang," Robin reminded them from the couch. At Ryouga's inquiring glance, the Boy Wonder just shuddered. "Giant spider head… don't ask."

"Yeah… you're right there, Robin. But Kasumi is right, the fangs are a good start. Maybe we should name him 'Kung Fu Death Fang'!"

"Hey! I don't want to be named that!" Ryouga barked in protest. "Not only is it way too wordy, but everyone is gonna think I'm a villain again!"

Kasumi nodded sagely, staring at the changeling and Lost Boy passively. "Perhaps something less negative? After all, Ryouga is a _good_ person, isn't he? Shouldn't his name reflect that?"

All around the room, everyone nodded in agreement-

Except for Starfire, who started suddenly. For a moment, she lifted a hand as if to say something, but lowered it a moment later, instead using it to cover her lips as she giggled silently to herself.

Beast Boy, for his part, nodded as well. "Yeah, you're right. Hmm… 'Hero Fang'? 'Cool Fang'? Naw… that doesn't work…"

"Maybe you're over thinking it?" Kasumi asked innocently. "Simple is always better, isn't it?"

The changeling nodded, still deep in thought. "Yeah… yeah… keep it simple. Ryo is a good guy, and he's got a good pair of fangs… good guy… good fangs…. good guy…"

Ryouga rolled his eyes, but did his best to stop from snickering as Kasumi rolled her wrist behind Beast Boy's back, silently urging the young hero to reach the obvious conclusion more quickly.

"I know! We'll call him _Good Fang_! That covers all the bases pretty well, right?"

Holding a hand up to cover her mouth, Kasumi let out a silent gasp. "Oh my, that's so clever, Garfield! I think that suits Ryouga just perfectly."

It was all that Ryouga, and Starfire for that matter, could do not to explode in laughter. Both Robin and Raven eyed them oddly, but were obviously having trouble divining the reason behind their madness. Terra, on the other hand, nodded slowly, eyeing Ryouga carefully.

"Hmm… yeah, that kind of works. It's not too bad… but it's kind of missing something."

Beast Boy nodded instantly. "You know, I think you're right. It's a bit too on the nose, too obvious. It needs… I dunno… _something_."

Still smiling as innocently as a babe, Kasumi tilted her head to the side, as if examining Ryouga for some deeply hidden secret. "You know… Ryouga _is_ Japanese… maybe…"

"That's it!" Beast Boy leapt up, pumping his fist excitedly into the air! "We can use the Japanese version of 'Good Fang'! It'll be perfect! It'll explain who he is, but it'll be all mysterious, cuz no one will know what it means unless they go look it up!"

Robin shrugged. "Well, I guess that works for me." He stared awkwardly at Starfire, who was currently holding her hands over her mouth, her face as red as a tomato, but shook his head and turned back to the matter at hand. "Japanese 'Good Fang' seems pretty fitting."

Ryouga held in his snickering.

"Well, then," Raven asked impatiently. "None of us speak Japanese here. So what do we call you, already?"

Unable to hide his smile, Ryouga struck a heroic pose, planting his hands on his hips and turning to a dramatic forty five degree angle.

"You can call me..." he stated loudly and proudly-

"_Ryouga_!"


	37. Wedding Party Chapter 1

Dark Titans – Arc 5 - Wedding Party

Chapter 1

Enjoy if you Will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

-T-Minus 10 hours-

Sparks danced merrily over the mass of wires and circuitry; each incandescent speck of superheated metal arcing through the air, some bouncing off insulated coatings or bare metal, before being snuffed out and vanishing from sight forever. Cyborg was pretty sure there was some kind of metaphor in there somewhere but he wasn't nearly poetic enough to try to put it into words. Honestly, he was far too distracted thinking about Starfire to worry about some shining point of light disappearing from his life, never to be seen again.

A hand on his shoulder pulled the technological genius back to reality and away from his work. He leaned back lethargically and turned to see who was disturbing him. Upon seeing who it was, though, being 'disturbed' was instantly banished from his thoughts, as he could never imagine more welcome company at that moment.

Kasumi stared down at him, the tall woman towering over him as he knelt beside the open panel on the side of the T-Ship. There was an odd expression on her face as she matched his upwards gaze, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she seemed somewhat... dimmer... than usual. The smile was there, and the familiar twinkle in her eye, but both seemed muted. Her graceful hands were now clasped before her.

"I don't think that I've ever seen you look so melancholy while doing something that you love so much," remarked the lovely Tendo woman in a soft voice.

Cyborg found himself lost in her eyes for a moment, only to give his head a vigorous shake. Offering up a weak chuckle in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, he waved his hand absently – remembering to disengage the cutting torch in his finger before he set anything on fire – to divert her concerns. He planned to follow it up with a verbal assurance that he was fine, and that nothing was wrong, but when he opened his mouth...

He couldn't find the words.

His jaw slid closed a moment later, and he ruminated on her obvious statement. His eyes began to wander from his relatively new team mate, and he found himself staring at the orange and black hull of the fully repaired and remodelled T-Ship. His gaze then slid down, to the massive set of solid state booster rockets which the T-Ship was mounted on. Currently perched on a scaffolding easily fifty feet off the ground, he puzzled over the fact that he didn't remember hearing Kasumi use the elevator to get up here...

Still, this entire hanger was a tribute to the magnitude of his genius. Anything they needed, he could make. Any problem they had, be it travelling to the deepest depths of the ocean, or to the blackest depths of space... or just down town to pick up some pizza, he could make those things happen, almost by sheer force of will, bending technology and the laws of physics to suit his needs. And... and that was exactly the problem at the moment.

With a tired sigh, he swung the panel closed and sealed it up. Honestly, there hadn't even been anything wrong in the circuitry, just a last minute check and a few not-strictly-necessary optimizations. If the T-Ship had been built by anyone but himself, he almost would have thought he was actually _looking_ for something to be wrong.

"Well... what can I say?" he finally replied. "Yeah, I love being a technical genius. And I love makin' stuff like this. I mean, just look at my baby here? This ship is probably the most amazing thing I've ever built." He rapped a knuckle off of the armoured hull of the craft, a sharp echo ringing out at the contact. "But now all I see when I look at her... is a Big Yellow Taxi, comin' to take my girl away."

Kasumi's head tilted to the side, her long chestnut ponytail dropping over her shoulder to sway freely. The dark blue t-shirt and baggy pair of matching sweat pants would have looked out of place at any other point in time, but as a whole, the look of confusion and the ultra casual clothing just made the older woman look hopelessly adorable. "Yellow taxi? ...I'm afraid I don't understand that reference..."

Chuckling weakly, he nodded, then gestured for her to take a seat beside him. As she grabbed onto one of the numerous rails and proceeded to slide her long legs over the side of the platform to let her feet dangle in the air, he shifted to a similar position, swinging his legs off the platform as well.

"Guess that's not a big surprise. It's a bit of a golden oldie. The gist of it, though, was that you don't know what ya got, till it's gone."

"Ahhh, yes, I think I understand."

His head dropping, he couldn't build up much enthusiasm to explain the relevant pop culture any further. "It's just... I never saw this coming. Seriously, not in a million years could I have seen Starfire just... just leaving us like this. And even worse, I'm the one that's making it possible..."

Again, he felt Kasumi's hand come to rest on his back, only to gently slide up to lay on his shoulder. He couldn't feel more than what his built in pressure sensors could detect, her touch was little more than a stream of 1's and 0's flooding into his processor. The warmth of her hand was just a thermographic image, and the softness of her skin was lost on him completely; the only reason he was even able to notice that she was giving his shoulder a companionable squeeze was because he could see the tightening in her knuckles and hear the tension in the muscles and tendons in her hand...

Despite all of that, he still relished the contact. The physical aspect might be lost in translation, but her intent, the desire to make him feel better came through loud and clear.

"You can't blame yourself like that, Victor. Whether you made this lovely ship or not, Starfire would still be leaving us. If not your ship, then another would have come, likely from Tamaran itself." The Japanese brunette, wise beyond her years, offered him a warm smile. "However, if another ship did come, I doubt they would take anyone else back to Tamaran with them. So don't think of it as you being responsible for Starfire's departure. Think of it as, thanks to your ingenuity, that you'll be able to spend just that much longer with her, and see her through her special day."

He was still somewhat dubious. "You mean standin' around and watching while she gets married to some total stranger? Do you have any idea how hard that's gonna be for us to do? Especially a certain member of our team..."

Nodding sadly, Kasumi let out a weary sigh. "I know it will be hard for all of you... but can you imagine how hard it will be for Starfire? If I were a betting woman, I would imagine that she'll be more grateful to have you there with her, than she could ever possibly express."

"Hmm... I hadn't thought of it like that..."

A giggle as pure as the note of a bell rang in his ear.

"Of course you didn't. You're a problem solver; you want to find a way to fix this. It's against your nature to simply accept that something might not have a solution for you to find." His entire body stiffened as second later, and his cheek began to burn red, as Kasumi suddenly leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It is an endearing trait."

It took him several seconds to regain his calm. Any other time, he would have started having a Ryouga style daydream and started smashing through walls, but, all things considered, it felt inappropriate to slip off to cloud nine. Slowly nodding, he conceded her point. "Unfortunately, we both know that reality doesn't work that way. Not every problem has a solution just waiting to be found. Sometimes... you just have to accept things, no matter how bad they are."

Again, his gaze dropped, and he found himself staring down at the floor some fifty feet below. It was an odd sensation, as he'd been much higher before, even jumped off a tall building once – he still owed Nabiki one for that damned race trap of hers – but more so than any of those other times, he felt like he was hanging over a bottomless pit.

To his side, he couldn't see the distraught look on Kasumi's face as she studied him. He was too lost in his own world to see her concern grow, and he was definitely too distracted to see her slight frown slowly turn up into an impish smile. As such, he was totally caught off guard when the Tendo woman suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm glad you think that way," she stated, suddenly and inexplicably. When he turned to regard her, eyebrow quirking in curiosity, she simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled brightly. "That means that there's no need for you get upset over the fact that I... may have happened to go onto your little Cyblog and make some small alterations to the recipes you've posted over the past few months."

"Oh, no, that's fin-" Realization struck like an atomic hammer. "Wait a second! You _what_?"

He spun on the innocently smiling house maker incredulously. "How did you get into my account to make changes?"

"Oh, you left your account open the last time you were updating your blog. I just happened along at a serendipitous time, I suppose. I've been fretting _awfully_ over the problems with those recipes for weeks now. I just had to fix them."

Cyborg nodded. That made sense- '_Hey, wait another minute!'_ "Hey! Wait another minute! I was doing that last update in my room! What were you even doing in there in the first place?"

"Cleaning," she replied, as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. "Honestly, you make it sound like I hacked the lock on your door, broke into your room, cut through the decryptions on your security software and then guessed your password, all just to make a few innocuous changes to your blog."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Cyborg chuckled and ran a hand over the back of his smooth head. "Heh... yeah, I guess it does sound a bit silly when ya put it like that. Well, I guess it's my own fault then, for being too careless. Besides, no harm, no foul, right? I mean, it's not like you did anything major."

"Of course not," she confirmed, rolling her wrist dismissively. There was a moment's pause, though, and she touched a finger to her lower lip. "Well... I might have also taken the liberty of replying to a few of the comments that some of your followers left. There were some very rude people that said some very mean things about Terra. I felt compelled to better explain the situation to them and what a wonderful young woman she is."

Cyborg's eyes widened slowly in horror. "You... you fed the trolls?"

"Is that another quaint western pop culture reference?"

"No, it's a very real thing. You said you replied to all the rudest, most jerkass people in the forums?"

"Oh my, yes. I'm certain that they'll see the error of their ways. I was quite polite and reasonable with my responses."

Cyborg dropped his face into his hands. '_Doomed... I'm doomed._' "Oh, Kasumi... you have no idea! No troll has ever, anywhere, in the history of the internet _ever_ been dissuaded from trolling by a _reasonable argument_! Throwing logic at those kinds of people is like tossing gas onto a fire!"

The Tendo woman tapped her chin, obviously considering his words. "Hmm... well, that certainly explains all of the heated responses I got. There were just far too many to deal with individually, so I had to end up making a new post on the Cyblog, so I could deal with them all at once and explain to them why they were wrong."

"You _posted_ on my _blog_?" Not believing what he was hearing, Cyborg swung his arm up in front of him and brought up the web browser on the display embedded in his arm. Quickly flipping through his bookmarks, he found his website and brought it up at the speed of information. Right at the top of the page, highlighted by sweeping, elegant font that he would never imagine using, was a new post heading...

Grimly, fearing the worst of the worst, he began to read:

_Good day, my greatly appreciated and avid readers. I hope that you're all having a pleasant day, and that any troubles you may be having have been small and/or entertaining, at the least. Oh my, and I almost forgot: a heartfelt 'Booyah' to all of you out there that might be in need of one..._

He paused.

"...That... that's not actually too bad." Slowly, a thought filtered through his sub-processors and he turned to regard the vision of domestic bliss at his side. "Say, Kasumi?"

Apparently quite entranced by the T-Ship at the moment, the Tendo replied with an absent "Hm?"

"Can I ask a favour of you while I'm away?"

* * *

-T-Minus 8 hours—

Squeezing her eyes closed, Raven took a deep breath as she rested her forehead against the door of her room. The cool metal provided a calming sensation across her skin, and with a hesitant twist, she engaged the door's lock, effectively sealing the room from most unauthorized entry. The absolute last thing she wanted at the moment was for Beast Boy, or anyone else at all, to come barrelling into her room. Taking another nervous breath, she pushed herself away from the door and took a few backwards steps towards the heart of her personal sanctuary.

As always, the lighting in her room was subdued, dim, and shadows crept up from behind every object, artifact and furnishing she owned. The dark blue coloration of her room only enhanced the effect, the long shades blending in with the already bleak background giving an impression of space beyond the already spacious area. Spacious, but claustrophobic all at the same time. Like standing in the center of a massive cavern, but barely being able to see your own hand in front of your face.

She knew that others were put off by the ...decor... of her room. Beast Boy called her gloomy, gothic and just plain spooky – usually when she was out of earshot – but she could hardly fault him for his conclusions. He was, after all, a creature that dwelled in the positive, while she was... not. What others perceived as oppressive, she found comfortable. Other people feared the dark, and what it contained.

She knew that what she feared the most did not hide in the shadows. No, her greatest fear dwelled in the blinding light of eternal flames. What engendered a feeling of terror from others, the fear of the unknown so closely linked with darkness... it filled her with a sense of security, of safety. After all, she might not know everything which dwelled in the darkness...

But she knew what did _not_ dwell there, and everything else be damned.

Of course, all of those thoughts of her dwelling quarters , and how uncomfortable it was for anyone and everyone else only served to draw her back to the present, and her current predicament. Reaching up, she slowly lowered her hood, allowing what dim lights were present to reach her face more fully. And then, feeling that her courage was as marshaled as it would ever get, she spun around and regarded the – quite possibly first – person whom she had invited into her room.

Ryouga sat on the edge of her large, ornate bed. The lavender colored satin sheets pooled around him, pulled in as his mass displaced the wonderfully soft mattress. She had not had time to make her bed that morning, much to her embarrassment. Her blanket was still tossed haphazardly across the bed, a testament to how eager she had been to throttle Beast Boy that morning for waking her at such an ungodly hour.

If he noticed the slovenly display, the very lost looking boy gave no sign. His legs were spread out and his feet planted firmly on the floor before him. He had his elbows resting firmly on his knees and used the strong foundation to cradle his head in the palms of his calloused hands. The poor guy had not even changed from his morning spar with Robin, and was wearing a bright white gi uniform. Though it was the last thing she should have noticed, she could not help it as her eyes lingered on the way the loose top hung low as he hunched forward, revealing much more of his chest than she was used to seeing.

As quickly as she had turned to look at him, she spun away clutching her hands to her chest and feeling a blush burn her cheeks. This was, in its purest essence, exactly what she had been hoping for, striving for over the past several days. Even before Terra's triumph over Adonis just last night, Raven had been hoping to steal herself a moment with the emotional martial artist. He had done so much for them, and asked for nothing in return but their friendship; she had wanted, so very much, to be able to put into words just how grateful she- that _they_ all were for what he had done for her- for _them_.

So it was almost perfectly fitting that she should get exactly what she wanted, only to have it happen in such a way that what should have been the sweet taste of victory now turned to bitter ash in her mouth. Even her innocent embarrassment over the situation only filled her with a shame that writhed in her belly. The fact that she even let such thoughts occur to her, considering the situation, felt like a betrayal to both Starfire _and _Ryouga.

He had come here, to her room, doubtlessly looking for comfort over the impending departure of their dear friend, and she could barely even control herself long enough to think about how he must be feeling. Ryouga and Starfire had become like a pair of siblings in the short time they had known each other, joking, playing and squabbling as much as any other brothers and sisters she had seen throughout their city. Starfire had brought no small measure of light into the Lost Boy's life, had never stopped pestering him, no matter how much he would try to push her away. The Tamaranian had been relentless, had never let his grim personae and dark nature frighten her into shunning him. Quite the opposite, as she had even gone out of her way to try to pull him, often against his will, ever further out of his shell...

And now Starfire was leaving...

Not entirely sure why, Raven found her arms wrapping around her torso, hugging herself tightly. Leaning forward, her head dipping down, she felt her head reeling. She still couldn't believe it. Starfire, who had been almost as much of a pest to her as Beast Boy from time to time, would be leaving for home – her true home, apparently – and would never be returning. Just what would ..._he_ do without the bubbly alien around to draw her – draw _him_ out of his personal darkness?

The sudden feeling of a warm, calloused hand on her shoulder sent a shock through Raven's body and her entire frame shot up straight –

Stars filled her vision and pain blossomed in the back of her skull. She nearly fell forward, when the hand on her shoulder tightened its grip, ever so slightly, and restored her balance in an instant. With the helping hand, she was able to turn around and fire a scathing glare...

Directly at a sheepish looking Ryouga. While he held her shoulder gently with one hand, his other hand was currently clutching his nose and doing a poor job of hiding a wide grin on his lips. Realization as to what had happened flooded into her aching head instantly, and her knee jerk reaction was to offer up an apology. Thankfully, the sentimental urge was quickly quashed, as she found the sharp strike to her cranium had been surprisingly effective in getting her mind back on the proper set of rails.

"I'll have you know, I'm only a fan of slapstick humor when Beast Boy is involved... or possibly Cyborg," she explained in a blasé tone of voice.

Giving his nose one last pinch before lowering his hand, revealing not so much as a red mark from where she had all but head-butted him, he chuckled weakly as he went about scratching the back of his head in that fondly familiar gesture of his. Then, almost as an afterthought, he finally let go of her shoulder as well, pulling his hand back to his side just a bit swifter than necessity necessitated.

"Sorry about that, Raven. I didn't mean to startle you like that."

She rolled her eyes. "And what makes you think that I was startled?"

He began to stare at her incredulously, but she quickly fired a glare his way that just _dared_ him to say what he was no doubt thinking about saying at that moment. Incredulity waxed, waned and finally melted into helpless amusement. Shaking his head, he gave a small shrug, an open admission of his defeat.

"Sorry again," he finally replied, not quite able to completely suppress the humour in his voice. A second later, though, any mirth died away completely, and his stare became intense as he locked gazes with her. Carefully he reached out and dropped a hand on her shoulder once more. "I really am sorry, Raven. Here, I came all the way to your room just to help cheer you up, and all I do is end up wallowing in my own misery. Some friend I am."

Raven found herself staring at Ryouga, her turn for incredulity.

"...Pardon?"

The martial artist shook his head in a helpless sort of gesture. "I know, I know, I was being really selfish there, just taking advantage of your hospitality-"

Raven felt her face screw up into an expression that no doubt mirrored the state of confusion overtaking her thoughts. If he noticed it, Ryouga gave no sign, just continuing on with his admission.

"I mean, yeah, Starfire and me have gotten pretty close, and I like treating her like a sister, but... but then it occurred to me. I've only known Star for a few months. _You_ have known her for _years_! She may be _like_ family to me, but to you, she _is_." Ryouga dropped his gaze, apparently unable to continue looking her in the eyes. The pressure on her shoulder increased incrementally, but not uncomfortably so, and Ryouga lifted his free hand, curling it into a fist of frustration. "If I'm feeling as terrible as I am at the thought of Starfire leaving, then you – all of you guys – must be feeling a hundred times worst. And, honestly, I can't even imagine what that must be like for you."

Raven found herself simply staring at the wandering martial artist, her jaw hanging agape. She barely even had time to register what her body attempted to do before her mind marshalled up the pure force of will to prevent herself from leaping forward and crushing him in a desperate embrace. Instead, she directed the built up physical inertia into coughing violently into her fist to cover the near gaffe. She regretted the feint immediately, as Ryouga hastily patted her on the back to help her out, nearly dislodging a few ribs, but thankfully not causing any permanent injury.

"Raven! Are you alright?"

Wincing, she attempted to glare balefully at the over exuberant fighter, but found herself unusually lacking in negative emotion at the moment. Instead, she nodded gingerly and placed a hand on his chest. Unfortunately the gesture was simply to help her maintain her balance, as opposed to any affection at this point.

"I'm... I'm alright, Ryouga. Just a cough." She massaged her throat to emphasise her point before continuing. "Still... I don't think you need to stretch your imagination too far. Your emotions are already a hundred times more uncontrolled than mine at the best of times. Let's just say that we'll miss her equally, alright?"

"I guess that's fair-" A beat passed, and suddenly a startled look crossed his face. "And hey! I am _not_ a _hundred_ times worse than you!"

She stared at him flatly. "You're completely right. ...I was being generous to spare your feelings. Honestly, I'm surprised you aren't hatching a hair brained scheme to get Starfire to stay, even as we speak."

"_Hey_! The hair brained schemes are Ranma's department!" He held his indignant stance... for all of a second. Deflating visibly, Ryouga began to twiddle his fingers around one another in an adorably embarrassed manner. "Besides... I already tried to, but Starfire told me that this was something that she had to do. It's just not _fair_! How am I supposed to do anything if she tells me, flat out, not to?"

Raven nodded slowly in agreement. "As carefree as she may act most of the time, Starfire holds her responsibilities dearly. If she feels that what she must do is for the best of Tamaran, then who are we to try to dissuade her?"

"Her incredibly selfish friends that couldn't care less about a planet a trillion miles away?"

A grin twisted Raven's lips. "Well, that goes without saying. But as little as we may or may not care about Tamaran, we still care about Starfire and her wishes, correct?"

"..._yes,_" he finally admitted grudgingly. Crossing his arms over his chest, he let out a huff. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

She nodded again. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we still have to accept it. I recommend that we make the best of the time we have left with her, and enjoy it as much as possible. I'm sure that's what she would want as well."

Ryouga held his stern looking posture for several seconds before finally sighing wearily and lowering his arms to his sides. Finally, a ghost of a grin flitted across his lips. "I guess you're right. Man, am I glad that I came to talk to you about this. I don't even want to know what I would have done on my own."

"I'm glad that I could help cheer you up," she replied, unable to suppress an impish grin.

"Yeah, I – _Wait just a minute_! I came here to cheer _you_ up!"

She nodded patronizingly. "Of _course_ you did."

"_Hey_!"

* * *

-T-Minus 6 hours—

A shower of sand was blasted up into the air as Beast Boy slid frantically to the side. It was followed by him flipping up into the air, shifting into a pigeon mid-flight, and shooting straight up. A second later, a heavy boulder crashed into the earth, utterly erasing his foot prints from the ground and kicking up a great plume of beach front property as the projectile buried itself halfway into the loose soil.

Bird shifted into gorilla and the changeling came hurtling back down, landing on the boulder heavily enough to shatter the improvised weapon to gravel. In a blur of green he shot forward, shedding mass in defiance of all physical laws and dropping forward onto all fours. The claws of the emerald cheetah found just enough purchase on the shifting sands of the beach to sprint at full speed, devouring the distance between him and his prey at a blistering pace.

His implacable opponent raised her thin arms up over her head, incidentally causing her long golden hair to flare out dramatically behind her. Her pale blue eyes met his and he noted the grin on her lips just before it vanished from view; a massive wall of earth and stone shooting up from the ground right before the slender girl and launching a distracting spray of sand and soil out in every direction with the violence of its appearance.

Several responses flitted through his head in an instant, but as was usually the case for him, raw instinct took over and his body was already finished reacting long before his conscious mind even had time to say so much as '_Buh?'_

He could only imagine the look of shock on Terra's face when the titanic emerald triceratops crashed through the stone barrier like a living locomotive...

Literally, he could only imagine it, as there was no one on this side of the wall!

The terrible lizard began to turn, lumbering limbs shaking the earth with each step, but dexterity was not the strong suit of this shape. Where on earth had she gone-

"Looking for someone?"

Beast Boy had just enough presence of mind to track the voice, and look straight down... to where Terra's head was sticking out of the ground! Had he been in his elfin form, he would have squealed in horror at the sight of the wildly smiling cranium as it looked up at him. As it was, he recoiled from the shocking sight-

Or would have, if a pair of monolithic stone arms didn't shoot out of the ground and lift his multi ton bulk right up and into the air. Below him, Terra easily slid out of the ground, revealing that head was still attached to appealing body, and she lifted her hands up again, mimicking the actions of the towering stone appendages that held him aloft.

A second later, the look of victory on the cute blonde's face shifted to wide eyed surprise and she let out loud grunt as his ten ton mass suddenly began to skyrocket exponentially up to a truly massive one hundred tons. Had he the physiology to do so, he would have laughed out loud as Terra's eyes bugged and her cheeks puffed out comically as his form swelled and lengthened into the sauropod that the Nature Channel had just recently educated him as being named _Argentinosaurus_.

Unliftable object met irresistible force, and the stone arms holding him up began to bow under the sudden shift in load, and long fractures began to appear along their surfaces, corresponding with shotgun loud '_cracks'_ which snapped the air. Beast Boy watched on triumphantly, preparing a cool one liner to end the fight with-

When suddenly, two more huge earthen arms shot out of the ground, followed by two more a heart beat later. As quickly as the look of exertion on her face appeared, it was replaced again by her look of triumph as the stone appendages, each one as thick as Cyborg was tall, slammed into his belly and began to wrap around his body. Not only did he stop falling, but he actually began to rise into the air all over again.

It had been a long time since Beast Boy had been afraid of heights, though. With startling speed a hundred tons shrank to ten grams, and a green hummingbird zipped out from the forest of animated stone. Even as he made his escape, stars danced across the changeling's vision. Even for him, that had been a truly staggering transformation. His heart now beating twenty times a _second_ in his tiny chest, felt like it would burst out of his torso.

It took several agonizing seconds for him to acclimate to his new form and for the black spots to finally go away, but thankfully, it looked like his hesitation hadn't cost him. Far below, on the ground, Terra spun around, left and right, obviously trying to spot him. All around her, the six stone arms - each one easily five stories tall at the moment – formed an imposing ring around her, each one flailing about independently each other in search of his elusive self.

'_She's gotten so powerful..._' he mused to himself as he watched with a bit of awe. Each of those arms probably weighed nearly as much as the dinosaur form he'd just been using, and only now were her eyes even beginning to glow, a sure sign that she was actually exerting herself. Unfortunately, in her excitement, she was paying more attention to him than to her surroundings. '_If she's not careful, she could knock over the tower with those things!_'

Course of action firmly in mind, Beast Boy dove steeply down, shifting from tiny hummingbird to sizeable condor without missing a beat of the wing. He just needed to build up some momentum and then he should be able to get close enough to end the fight with a single strike.

Extreme Touch Tag _always_ lived up to its name.

Too slow! Spinning around, Terra spotted him before he could close the distance! In the blink of an eye, the massive stone extensions of her will burst into action – suddenly dropping down around her with lightning speed and fluidly forming into an earthen dome that would make most fortresses look insignificant.

He shifted into a Tyrannosaurus at the last moment, and slammed into the wall of the dome with earth shattering force... Or, at least that had been the intention. Despite the echoing boom and plume of earth and dust that was blasted into the air, the heavy, Cyborg thick walls barely even trembled at the tremendous impact, and he barely had the presence of mind to shift into a Sloth and latch onto the roughly hewn, curved surface before he slid off and fell to the ground below.

'_Now how the heck do I get through this?_'

He quickly considered and rejected the idea of trying to burrow through earth that Terra was currently controlling as being stupidly suicidal, even by _his_ standards. If not that, though, then wha-

Too quickly for him to react, the wall directly beneath him suddenly _changed_. Solid stone transformed into shifting sands in the blink of an eye. Rather than pour down to the ground, the sand remained where it was, and Beast Boy began to sink into it. Shifting back to his elfin form, he tried to pull his arms out of the sand, but the stuff actually stuck to his limbs, flowing up over his gloves like it was alive, and pulling him back into the sand pit. It all happened so quickly, that he didn't even have time to change shape before he was pulled completely under the surface and he was forced to squeeze his eyes shut and snap his mouth closed.

After a few seconds, he felt his lungs begin to burn, and panic started to rise in his chest... and then just as quickly as it had happened, it was over. Bright light cast away the darkness, even through his closed eyelids, and he felt the gentle caress of the ocean breeze on his skin as opposed to the harsh graininess of sand. He took a deep breath, giving silent thanks that he was still alive-

"Tag! You're out!"

When he felt a hand drop onto his shoulder and playfully push him forward. Opening his eyes, Beast Boy turned around to see Terra standing before him. The cute girl was leaning forward, her hands resting on her knees as she looked down at him, and a teasing smile was on her lips. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to match her encouraging expression, and looked up at her sullenly. Instantly, the light hearted look on the girl's face descended into a powerful pout.

"Oh, come on, don't be such a sore loser, B.B. I'm sorry I had to use a dirty trick like that, but it was the only way I could think to catch you! You're just so-" Terra grasped at the air, clasping her hands together several times like she was trying to catch an errant fly. "You're just so _move-y_!"

Sighing loudly, he waved off her concern with a weary gesture. "Naw, it ain't that, Terra. It's just that... well, I thought that getting some training in would help take my mind off ...stuff... but all its doing is reminding me how much I dislike getting hurt."

Instantly, Terra was kneeling at his side, lifting his arm and checking him over intently for any injury. Even as she started twisting his head around, probably looking for a goose egg on his skull or a nasty bruise of some sort, she anxiously blurted out, "Ohmygosh! I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I knew I should have been more careful! I'm still not that great at control-"

Grabbing her wrists firmly, stopping her before she could inflict more injuries than she would find, Beast Boy quickly pulled her down to sit beside him. "No! No, you didn't hurt me, Terra. You were doin' great there, I promise!"

Not bothering to pull her arms back from his grip, Terra stared at him uncertainly, her long golden tresses slipping down to cover one of her eyes. "Are you sure, Beast Boy?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I am!" He paused for a moment, letting the mood sober a bit. "Besides, that wasn't what I was talking about. It's just that getting totally wailed on by a cute girl is just reminding me of Starfire, and that she's gonna be gone soon..."

Terra's face scrunched up adorably. "I'm... not sure if I should be flattered, or if I should be questioning your sanity, here."

He couldn't help but smile and laugh at that. "Given the options, always choose flattered." Taking a slightly more serious posture, he leaned a little closer to the blonde girl, catching her gaze. "I mean, I've practically been killing myself over the past week just to finally tear you away from Ryouga's greedy clutches... But it takes pretty much the worst event in the history of the world to make you finally start paying attention to me."

She stared at him oddly for a moment. "Greedy clutches? Beast Boy, what on earth are you talking about?" The rail thin dropped her fists on her narrow hips and turned her nose up with a sniff. "Honestly! You're making is sound like Ryouga is my _boyfriend_, or something. I haven't been _ignoring_ you!"

"You so _have_!"

"So _not_!"

"You spent, like, every _minute_ of the last week with Ryouga!"

"Um, _training to control my powers_, here?"

Beast Boy stopped short. "Oh... um, yeah, I know that." Hmm, where had he been going with this? The start had seemed so promising, but now he could see the smoke from his imminent crash and burn. Where had it all gone _wrong_?

"Wait just a minute there..." Terra's sudden statement drew him out of his blooming panic, and he froze, statue-like, as the blonde suddenly leaned forward even further, eyeing him with an intense level of scrutiny. "Are you acting... _jealous_?"

"What? _No_!" he barked defensively. A moment later, he started fidgeting nervously where he sat in the sand. "Well... maybe just a little... But can you _blame_ me? I mean, admit it! You totally think Ryouga is cute, don't you?"

Instantly, Terra's gaze dropped to the ground and her cheeks began to burn bright red. Twiddling her own fingers now, she shifted back and forth as well. "Well... he _is_ pretty hunky. And resurrecting a girl _is_ a pretty attractive trait in a guy-" Suddenly, her eyes lifted, a fire of indignation lighting in her stare. "And hold on just a second! How is _that_ fair? I _dare_ you to tell me that you don't think Raven is totally hot! Go on!"

Backpedalling quickly, Beast Boy frantically waved his hands in front of him. "_What_? No way! I totally don't think Raven is hot!"

Terra just stared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, seriously! I totally don't..." Her eyes narrowed and he could feel twin drills piercing his very soul. He only managed to withstand the psychic assault for another second before throwing his hands up. "Okay, _fine_! Raven is totally hot! But you can't blame me for that! The girl is practically lives in a freakin' skin tight swim suit!"

"Ha! I knew it!" Terra cheered victoriously. She then poked him hard in the chest. "There you go, Mr. Hypocrite. If you can leer at Raven all day for wearing combat swimwear, then you _can't_ blame me for... _appreciating_ Ryouga... and those cute little fangs of his."

At that, Beast Boy dropped back onto his butt, crossly crossing his arms over his chest. Letting out a loud huff, he looked off to the side, taking in the glittering sight of the ocean as it washed up on the beach of their small, private island. "_Hmph_! It's not like Ryo's the only guy that's got cute little fangs."

"_I know_." Instantly, Beast Boy's entire body froze, as he actually felt the warm breath that spoke the words washing over his ear. Slowly turning, his vision was quickly filled with twin oceans of pale blue, Terra's face less than an inch from his own. The girl was on her hands and knees beside him, her chin almost resting on his shoulder, and there was a smile on her face that was threatening to steam his eyeballs up from the inside out.

Moving faster than he'd ever moved before, Beast Boy – not even sure how he actually managed the feat himself – slid backwards several inches. Afraid that he would spontaneously combust from nervous embarrassment, he frantically waved his hands back and forth, as if he was trying to ward off a vampire.

Only to stop a moment later, a flat expression on his face as he watched Terra roll around, clutching her ribs and spraying out a stream of giggles like she was a comedy lawn sprinkler. It took the _oh-so-funny_ Titan a few moments to regain her composure before she could sit up again. A single wave of her hand caused all of the sand to drop off of her back and out of her long hair, and she did her best to suppress her smile as she looked back at him.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but you are _so_ fun to tease."

Annoyed now, he crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his nose in the air, mimicking her pose from a minute or two ago. "Yeah? Well maybe now isn't the best time to be teasing people, y'know? I mean... aren't you broken up that Starfire is leaving too?"

He regretted the words the second they left his mouth, as Terra suddenly looked away, her eyes narrowing. "Of _course_ I am! But you're not being fair! I love Starfire to death... but I haven't known her nearly as long as you. You can't expect me to feel the same way you do." She pouted mightily. "She said it's what she wants, and if it is, then I'll support her."

Feeling like a total heel now, for so very many reasons, he nodded sheepishly. "Yeah... I know you're right... about everything. It's just so hard, though. Star has been a part of the team forever. I don't know what we're gonna do without her, and not even getting pounded into the dirt, literally in this case, is takin' my mind off of it."

Giving a low 'Awww', Terra wrapped him in a hug. "It'll be okay. You know, there's another reason that I'm not freaking out now, you know?"

"There is?" he asked, genuinely curious.

She nodded excitedly. "Of course! Think about it, Beast Boy. This is Starfire we're talking about. Do you _honestly_ think that Robin and Ryouga are gonna let this happen? There's zero chance that those knuckle heads are going to let her get married to some complete stranger and move to a different star system. If those two aren't already hatching some crazy scheme to get Star outta this, then I'll eat a whole plate of Starfire's homemade Glorrk!"

"...But you love Glorrk..."

"I know. I'd totally eat the Glorrk either way." She rubbed her tummy, eyes losing focus. "_Mmmm_... sushi and ice cream..."

The green teen shook his head. Some people just could not be understood. Still, she did have a point. There was no way that Robin was going to let Star get away. Beast Boy would eat one of his _birdarangs_ if Star stayed on Tamaran.

"Hmm... yeah, you're totally right, Terra." Sitting up straighter than he had bee, finally feeling more confident that everything would be already, he nodded to his companion. "Thanks for that. I'm actually feeling a lot better now."

"Good. You know what that means then?" she asked, sly smile on her lips.

"No. What does that mea-"

"_ROUND TWO! FIGHT!_" Was quickly followed up by Terra tackling him to the ground.

"Hey! It's _on_ now!"

"Bring it, Green Bean!"

"Consider it brung!"

"Hey! Someone's claws are on my grebnaks!"

"Uh... my bad..."

* * *

-T-Minus 4 hours—

The knock on his door did not surprise him. Even as consumed in his work as he was, it was a knock which he had been expecting. No, expecting did not even begin to explain it; perhaps 'dreading' would be a more apt descriptor. True, it could have been anyone outside his door, however, the cadence of the knock, the almost hesitant pause between them, and another dozen hints besides narrowed down the list from half a dozen to one in mere seconds.

Sighing wearily, Robin closed his laptop and spun around in his seat. As usual, his room was cast into perpetual shadows, the only meagre light present generated by the single bulb of the lamp hanging directly over his desk. If anything the contrast between the sliver of light and the gloom of the rest of his room just intensified the blackness of his dwellings, especially to those not accustomed to such. He was more than accustomed to it, though. Even more so than Raven herself, he liked to believe.

The shadows weren't his refuge, nor his sanctuary. The darkness was his place of business, it was where he went about his just works. The only person he had met more at home in the night than himself... had been the man whom had taught him how to live within it. Perhaps he should have taken more of those lessons to heart? It certainly felt like ignoring one particular speech he had been given, a seeming lifetime ago, was biting him in the ass particularly hard this morning.

Another knock shook him from his reverie. He glared at his gloved hand for a moment, annoyed that he'd let himself get distracted so easily. Clearing his throat, feeling an odd catch there, he finally responded.

"Come in, Starfire."

The door slid open with a silent swish, bathing the room with painful light. Robin was forced to wince and look away as the light washed over him, but recovered quickly. The sight of flowing crimson hair, fathomless green eyes and silken titian skin was, if anything, even more painful to see than the blinding light, but in this case, he was unable to look away. If looking at the sun could blind a man, then there were worse stars to have as your last sight.

"...Robin? May I... May I enter your room?"

He nodded, but not too quickly, and waved her in with a weary roll of his wrist. "Sure. Do you need something?"

Taking a few tentative steps into his room, far enough to be fully within his domain, but not so far for the door to automatically close behind her once more, the Tamaranian stared at him with an expression which he could not decipher. "I do not. I was just inclined to inquire whether or not you were feeling 'the ill'."

His head tilted to the side as he regarded her queerly. Luckily he was used to 'Starfire-speak' and figured out her meaning easily enough. Giving a quick shake of the head, he responded with a note of confusion in his voice. "...No. What makes you think that?"

"Well, it is just that you have sealed yourself within your room since early this morning." The Tamaranian's gaze wandered around the room – Robin found himself wondering just how much her perceptive eyes could pick up on in the gloom. Her hands fidgeted before the purple material of her skirt, her long fingers running along one another before reversing direction when they reached the tips. "With the preparations for the take off complete, Cyborg and Kasumi had begun to prepare a 'Party of the Away Going'?"

She frowned at that, a look of consternation creasing her features adorably. "I had thought the earth term was 'Going Away Party', so their choice of words is quite odd." At that, Starfire suddenly looked up, a gasp on her lips. "You do not believe they were making 'the fun' of me, do you?"

Unable to resist, Robin grinned. Giving a quick shake of his head, he replied, "No, I'm sure it's just some kind of... cultural thing."

Starfire stared at him intently for a moment, her head quirking to the side as she studied him, but finally, she released a satisfied 'hmph'. "If you say it is so, then it must be. Still... if you are not feeling beneath the weather, then... perhaps you would consider joining us?"

Tapping the arm of his chair with a finger, his gaze dropped to study the leather surface intently. "I don't know, Star. There's still a lot for me to do here. It's going to take us nearly a week just to get to Tamaran. I have to do everything I can to make sure that the city will be properly taken care of while I – while _we're_ gone."

Damnit, why was she making this so hard on him? Why was she acting like – like nothing was even happening? Like she wasn't just about to walk out of his life forever... Why had he ever let himself get involved like this in the first place?

Wait another moment. Robin's eyes narrowed as he considered something else. Starfire had hardly even spoken to him for over a week. Not even that, she had actually been going out of her way to _avoid_ talking to him. Why the sudden change in her opinion of him?

...Even to the Boy Wonder, his pretext for anger felt hollow, meagre justification to avoid what was truly bothering him. Nonetheless, he refused to back down now. It just... it just wasn't fair, to him, to their friends... or even to her.

"But Robin, I implore you to join us. The merry making and emotional stories will be most engaging. I am even preparing a bountiful portion of the Pudding of Sadness to assist in soothing the pain of my departure-"

"Starfire, that's enough," he interrupted more sharply than was required. Even as he said it, he felt something twist in his chest, but he forced himself to continue. He needed to be strong, he needed to do his job. That was his one priority, his only priority. Getting out of his chair, he strode towards the Tamaranian. His approach was so sudden, that she took a few startled steps backwards and out of his room.

"I'm sorry, but there is a lot that I still need to do, and I don't have a lot of time to get it done."

Lifting her hands to her chest, Starfire stared at him, shock in her eyes. The look quickly melted away, though, revealing a hard gaze. Sniffing loudly, Starfire nodded. "I see. I will cease distracting you, then. I have preparations of my own yet to finish, and would not want to come between you and your other... priorities."

The alien girl took another rapid step back, her gaze never faltering. "I wish you luck with your _important_ work, and your beloved student."

"Huh?" was all that Robin managed to get out before Starfire was gone, leaving the corridor before his room barren and empty. What had _that_ been about? It had almost sounded like she was mad at _him_ for some reason. How did that even make any sense? He'd been trying to talk to her all week.

"Beloved student? What was she talking about?"

Shaking his head, he went back into his room and opened up his laptop.

Unfortunately, he still had one more call to make. One that he was not looking forward to at all.

The things he did for this city...

* * *

-T-Minus 2 hours—

Ryouga stared up at the door, not feeling too sure about his current course of action. To make this point, he turned to his companion and stated, "I'm not feeling too sure about this, Beast Boy."

The emerald changeling stared back at him, honestly shocked at his indecisiveness if the look on his face was any indication. Gesticulating wildly, Beast Boy rounded on the smaller martial artist. "What are you talking about, Ryo? This is probably our last, best hope of getting Star to stay!"

"Well, that's just it," Ryouga replied uncomfortably. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked up to meet the green teen's eyes. "Starfire specifically asked me not to try any more hair brained schemes to make her stay... Also, Cyborg is still way ticked that I tried to 'accidentally' push the T-Ship over."

Beast Boy shook his head incredulously. "Dude, I still can't believe you thought you'd be able to do that. That thing must way, like, a gagillion tons with those huge booster things hooked to it."

"What? Like I'm some kind of rocket scientist? How was I supposed to know that Liquid Oxygen wasn't as light as air?"

The fact that even _Beast Boy_ was rolling his eyes informed Ryouga that he might have been a bit more off base there than he'd thought. The changeling quickly followed up by dropping a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, Dude, you're totally not breaking your 'no hair brained schemes' promise here!"

"I'm not?"

"Heck no, cuz this plan is _totally awesome_!"

Ryouga frowned at that, trying to find the holes in the changeling's logic. No glaring flaws were evident, though, so he held his peace. "Well, I'm already not wild about the first part of the plan, and hair brained or not, it _is_ a scheme to get her to stay. Are you sure she won't get mad?"

"Of course, Ryo," Beast Boy assured him with a confident, fangy grin. "Besides, this isn't just about getting her to stay. You saw how upset she was when she came back to the party."

The martial artist fidgeted. "I dunno... are you sure she was really all _that_ upset?"

Beast Boy lanced him with the flattest of stares – nearly Raven levels, actually, which was pretty impressive. "Dude... she stormed in, ate the _entire _bowl of the 'Pudding of Sadness' and then vanished into her room ever since."

Ryouga let out a pathetic sigh at that. "And yet _this_ is the best that we could come up with after two hours..."

"Hey, shut up! Operation 'Dwight Lightning' is totally off the hook!"

At that, Ryouga shook his fists irately in the air. "And then there's _that_! Why are we calling the plan _that_? It has _nothing_ to do with _anything_!"

"Um, cuz it's an awesome name for an awesome plan?" Beast Boy replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, we're totally gonna hit Star in both of her weakest points at the same time. There's no way that Operation 'Dwi-"

"_Don't_ say it!"

"- ght... Fine, spoilsport." Beast Boy stuck out his tongue and raspberried him for all he was worth. He then held out his hand expectantly.

"Now just shut up and give me one of your headbands already."

The Tamaranian stared at the object in her hands with some difficulty, as pools of liquid gathering at the corners of her eyes threatened to blur her vision. The crimson material was beautifully ornate, and felt quite pleasant to the touch. It was odd that she should get so emotional at the sight of it, having only seen it for a few short days, many months ago. After her heart rending ... discussion... with Robin, though, the scant few memories she had of the implement in question took her back to a far happier time.

The sound of her door opening nearly shocked her completely out of her skin. Moving as swiftly as she ever had, panic fuelling her movements, she swung the item in question behind her back. The bulk of her ill gotten gain threw her off balance, though, resulting in her standing in a very awkward position when she faced the door, feet far apart, but knees tightly pressed together, and both arms held suspiciously behind her back.

She had not wanted anyone to disturb her at this time! She prepared to impart a section of her brain on whoever had decided to trespass upon her room...

Starfire's eyes widened to the size of emerald colored saucers at the sight that greeted her: An eight year old Ryouga - wearing his normal clothing, which were currently ridiculously too big for him – and holding in his arms a tiny green piglet with a yellow and black spotted bandanna wrapped around its neck.

Holding the tiny green piglet out towards her, the porcine creature's unusually large eyes shimmering with emotion, the juvenile Hibiki thrust out his lower lip in a power pout. His own eyes shimmering with every bit of the same emotion that the piglets were, Chibi-Ryouga spoke in a high pitched voice.

"_Pwease_, StarFire... you aren't gonna _weave_ us... are you?"

The piglet let out a low, plaintive _bweee_, blinking its eyes several times.

Starfire could only stare. Her heartstrings pulled so taunt that she feared her primary blood pumping organ might burst right from her chest in a spray of green ichor.

'_So... __**adorable**__...'_

Nerveless fingers were unable to maintain a grip, and the floor shook as the item hidden behind her back slipped from her hands and crashed calamitously to the ground.

While the piglet continued to stare at her expectantly, the young Ryouga's gaze slid down to the ground at Starfire's feet, easily spotting the bright red item that lay in plain sight behind her now.

"Hey... that's my umbrella!"

Fear overrode her nearly lethal overdose of the cute, and Starfire dove down, snatching up the ornamental paper umbrella and clutching it possessively to her chest. Taking a few frantic steps back, she turned to her side, trying to hide it once more. "_No_! It is – is not what it looks like!"

Absently, Chibi-Ryouga dropped B-Chan to the floor – the changeling immediately changing back and firing a few unpleasant words back at the martial artist – and the miniature martial artist let out a squeaky laugh.

"Were you in my room, Starfire?" he asked, no longer mispronouncing his words in a tactically adorable manner.

Starfire looked to Ryouga, then to the umbrella, then to Ryouga once more. Finally, she released a sad sigh and held out the umbrella with one hand, unable to even look at it as she waited for him to take it back.

"I apologize, my friend. I did trespass into your personal chamber. I had only hoped to find a... a reminder to take with me of our time together. It was then that I noticed you had several umbrellas such as this stored in your room. I... I did not think you would miss one..."

She felt the umbrella taken from her hand, and forlornly opened an eye to see him – with no small amount of effort – flip the umbrella around in his hands, examining it critically. For some reason, he was smiling quite broadly. "Say, why did you take this one?"

The odd question threw the Tamaranian off balance for a moment. Was he not angered at her theft? "Well... of the three I saw, this was the one which most drew my eye." Reaching out tentatively, she pointed to the elaborate painting of a dragon and a tiger chasing one another's tails as they circled merrily around the canopy of the umbrella. Of course, with it closed, the full painting could not be seen, but the memory of it was still quite fresh in her mind.

"The second one did not appear to be in a state of completion yet," she continued, "And the last one possessed a handle carved from the tusk of a pachyderm, which I did not like at all."

"Wait a sec!" Beast Boy interrupted sharply. "You were making stuff out of _ivory_!"

In an instant, Beast Boy collapsed to his knees, clutching Ryouga's baggy shirt and tears in his eyes. "Say it ain't so, dude! Say it ain't so!"

Looking very awkward at the moment, Ryouga dropped a hand on the distraught shape shifter's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy. Really, I am. I... didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. That umbrella is a... it's something of a special order." Still patting the changeling's shoulder, he turned back to Starfire, smiling again. Then, against all reason, he reached out and pressed the umbrella back into her hands. She could only stare at him, wide eyed at the abject generosity. "Heh, don't look so surprised. After all, I_ did_ make that one for you, anyway."

"You... what?"

He shrugged. "Well, I had to make a new umbrella for... a friend of mine, so while I was at it, I figured I'd make a new one for myself as well, since the Headmaster destroyed mine. Then, I figured 'What the hey, I'll make one for Star, too'. You seemed to like mine quite a bit way back in China."

The feeling of tears beginning to sting her eyes anew prompted Starfire to sniff loudly. Immediately, she dropped the cherished umbrella onto her bare mattress – prompting the bed frame to snap in half and collapse to the floor – and crushed Ryouga in a hug, incidentally catching Beast Boy in said hug due to his proximity to ground zero.

"_Gah!_"

"_Merciful Buddha, my ribs!"_

Hastily, the brawny Tamaranian released her spindly companions, letting out a gasp as she did. "I apologize. I neglected to recall the magnitude of my own musculature. You are both alright, are you not?"

Wheezing, Beast Boy collapsed to the floor, clutching a hand to his chest. "...K-Kunou flashbacks... Busted ribs... Burning agony..."

Sucking in breath himself, Chibi-Ryouga just shook his head and nudged the changeling with a toe. "It's... alright, Star. We're both fine, I just forgot that I'm not nearly as tough in this form..."

Giggling in embarrassment, Starfire quickly floated over and swept up her umbrella once more, clutching it to her chest. "I can not express my gratitude over your wonderful gift, Ryouga... but there is one thing which confuses me. For what reason was Beast Boy wearing the guise of a small piglet?"

Sitting up, yellow bandanna hanging loosely around his neck, the changeling offered up a curious look of his own. "Hey, yeah, and how come when I changed back, this thing ended up around my neck instead of on my head?"

The young Hibiki shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno about that, BB, it's just always worked that way for me." He then turned back to Starfire. "And... well, Beast Boy asked me what the cutest animal I knew of. Of course, the first thing I thought of was... well... P-Chan. I mean, you'd be just amazed at how many girls just loved that little guy."

"I call him 'B-Chan!', and I'm at least twice as cute as Ryo was as P-Chan!" To prove his point, Beast Boy helpfully shifted back into the piglet and let out a tiny 'Bwee!'

Instantly, Starfire's eyes doubled in size and she felt her chest tighten up once more-

The Tamaranian gave her head a hard shake. The power of the piglet's cuteness was formidable indeed. Starfire had not trained herself to be able to resist that magnitude of adorableness yet. It also reminded her of something else. Even as Beast Boy shifted back, bandanna dropping onto his shoulders again – and the changeling started fiddling with it, trying to shift it past his face and up to his forehead – Starfire turned to regard the cursed martial artist.

"So, this is what the infamous 'P-Chan' looked like?"

Ryouga nodded. "Pretty much, except for being black instead of green."

She nodded sagely. It was fascinating to finally see this aspect which had been such an integral part of Ryouga's life until just recently. It also warmed her heart to see that Ryouga and Beast Boy had grown so close that he would willingly concoct such a hair brained scheme together...

Slowly, Starfire's sunny smile melted into a frown. Turning a suspicious stare to her companions, she dropped her umbrella onto her shoulder with one hand, and planted her other fist firmly onto her hip.

"Which brings us to the second topic of our discussion," she intoned seriously. "Did I not request, quite specifically from the both of you, that you would _not _enact any further plots to sway my decision to leave?"

Both of the young males began to shift awkwardly, Beast Boy digging his toe into the carpet while Ryouga ruffled the hair on the back of his head.

"But Star-"

"We didn't-"

She held up a hand to cease any further attempts at explanation. "As I have already stated, I do not desire to leave any more than you desire me to, but the choice is not ours to make. What I do, I do for the best of Tamaran. I had hoped you would understand..."

Starfire gazed at her old friend and her new, her already mild glare softening to nothing. The guilty expressions they wore threatened to break her heart. "...However, that was likely unfair of me. I should not have expected you realize the importance of this to me. Nor should I have expected you to disregard your own emotions; I know this can not be easy for either of you as well."

"No – no, it's okay, Starfire," Ryouga blurted out.

"Yeah, it's totally our fault!" Beast Boy agreed hastily.

Grinning now, she nodded amicably. "I do not disagree. Despite your intent, you _did_ break your promise to me. Recompense must be made for your transgressions."

Both of the boys swallowed nervously at that.

"W-what do you mean?"

"What could you possibly want?"

Her grin growing into a full blown smile, Starfire held out her arms expectantly.

"I demand more of the 'B-Chan'! And that both you escort me back to the Party of Away Goings. We must enjoy our time together as much as possible."

Laughing loudly, Beast Boy took a step forward, shifting into his B-Chan form again and leaping up into Starfire's open arms. The Tamaranian quickly juggled about her umbrella and animal companion, slinging the former over her shoulder once more, and hugging the latter to her chest.

To her side, Ryouga muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Lucky pig', but Starfire did not catch it fully. Before she could ask, the child-like martial artist beamed a smile.

"Alright then, let's get you back to the party and have the best going away party ever."

"Ha! I knew that 'going away party' was the proper terminology!"

She would have to ask Robin why he had misled her so... among other things.

Still, it was good to be surrounded by friends. She held on to that thought with frantic desperation as she allowed Ryouga to lead them out of her room and back to the party.

To her amazement, it only took him a half of an hour to find it.

* * *

-T-Minus 1 hour—

Reaching out her arms, Terra waved her hands up and down pleadingly, trying her best to level a devastating 'puppy dog pout' in the direction of her latest obstacle. Unfortunately for the tiny Titan, her unscrupulous foe was not only immune to her assault, but was scarcely even paying enough attention to notice her pout at all. Grumbling to herself, the blonde stamped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest.

"_Kasuuumi_! It's my turn to hold B-Chan!"

The elder Tendo – really, the eldest person in the tower – finally looked up from the little piece of green ham snuggled tightly to her chest and stared blankly at Terra for a moment. The moment passed quickly, however, and the geokinetic was forced to fallback, clutching her hand to her chest, when Kasumi suddenly returned her pout, but with ten-fold the power.

"Oh my, I'm sorry," replied the ponytailed brunette. She glanced down at the transformed Beast Boy, then back up to Terra. "It's just that it's been so long since I've seen P-Chan. I guess I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic is all. Can't I please hold him a bit longer?"

The last bit, said with an especially poignant tone and strategically pouting lips was too much for Terra; the sheer magnitude of the attack sent her reeling back from Kasumi. For her trouble, she nearly stumbled right back into Cyborg. The massive Titan currently had his arms crossed over his chest and was doing his best to fry up some B-Chan with his gaze alone.

"Heh, I know, right?" she quipped, elbowing him in the... well, the hip was about as high as she could reach. "Kasumi is totally Bogartting the pig."

Cyborg stared down at her, incredulous for a moment. "The pig? Like I wanna cuddle up with _Beast Boy_! At least he's in the right shape at the moment, considerin' how he's takin' advantage of all you gals like that."

Terra rolled her eyes mightily. "Oh, come on, Cy. It's all in fun, besides, Starfire started it. I just wanna snuggle something _cute_!" Pouting, she stamped her foot again. "And _no one_ is _letting me_!"

The titanium teen chuckled at her frustration, before pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "Well, there's always the Kid-Ryo option for you. Judging by the girl's reactions, eight years old is still in the 'cute range'."

Looking around her team mate's bulky frame, she spotted the Lost Boy... what she could see of him, anyway. The de-aged martial artist was currently wrapped in the billowing expanse of Raven's dark cloak, his head poking out from just below her bosoms as he looked outwards with a look akin to that of a caged animal. The violet haired Titan currently had her arms wrapped around his neck, her hands resting on his chest – though it was hard to see that with the cloak wrapped around the two of them – and Raven was looking up into space, an embarrassed tinge of red on her cheeks and a hint of a smile on her lips.

Rolling her eyes, Terra waved to the spaced out sorceress. "Hey, Raven! Can I snuggle Baby-Ryouga ye-"

A snarl which sounded more likely to originate from a Rottweiler than from Raven's delicate throat, combined with a pair of flashing red eyes, sent Terra diving for the couch in terror. Even as she tried to climb into Starfire's back pocket looking for sanctuary, Raven immediately ceased barring her gnashing teeth and once again started looking off into blissful space.

"Tut tut," Starfire admonished Terra, wriggling around in amusement as the blonde girl wildly violated her personal space in search of safety, "It took me well over twenty earth minutes just to undermine Raven's resistance to the youthecized Ryouga's adorableness."

Grabbing Terra and gently pushing her down onto the cushion next to her, Starfire lanced her with a playfully serious glare. "You should not so casually attempt to undo my most Herculean labour."

The tiny blonde crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "Hmph! What's up with her, anyway? She'd usually rather chew her own arm off than actually hug a guy."

Nodding in a sagely manner, Starfire leaned over to whisper. "This is true... it is also a part of my most nefarious scheme."

Leaning in as well, Terra eyed the Tamaranian and whispered back. "Um... why are we whispering?"

"... Because that is what people do when discussing schemes of utter nefariousness."

Terra's head tilted to the side. "Well, can't argue with that kinda logic," she relented quietly.

Nodding rapidly, and smiling impishly, Starfire replied quickly. "It is quite acceptable for women of our age to hug adorable young children. Thus, by imprinting this knowledge into Raven's brain, we acclimate her to human contact of the 'affectionate' variety."

"...Wait, so what you think you just explained is that you're training Raven to be able to hug Ryouga... by making her hug Ryouga?" Terra's brow crinkled up as she tried to sort through that. "What's the diff? Why not just 'acclimate' her to Ryouga when he's normal?"

"Because, while in this form, Raven may find him 'the cute'," Starfire explained carefully, lifting a single finger between them to point out the point she was making, "In his normal form, Raven finds Ryouga to be ..._attractive_. Surely you understand the difference, no?"

Looking up from their secretive huddle – a huddle which, oddly enough, no one but Cyborg was paying any attention to – Terra glanced over at the cloaked duo of Raven and Ryouga. Looking at Ryouga in particular, she did note that he was certainly cute... but certainly _not_ attractive.

She wasn't some kind of freaky weirdo, here!

"That... actually makes a weird kind of sense," she whispered, ducking back into the huddle. "Rae would die of embarrassment if she hugged him normally. But... is it just me, or is Ryouga noticeably _not_ totally loving the fact that he's nearly wearing Raven's boobs as a hat? Why the heck isn't he dying of embarrassment there?"

The alien girl giggled knowingly at that. "Tell me, how many young children do you know that enjoy being fawned over by 'the old ladies'?"

Only lightning fast reflexes allowed Terra to slap her hands over her mouth before she could explode into laughter at the idea of Raven being called an 'old lady'. This action garnered them a few stares, but everyone quickly went back to their own business quickly enough. A second later, though, something occurred to Terra.

"Wait... are you saying that when Ryouga is a kid... that he actually _is_ a kid?"

Starfire shrugged. "He does not seem to lose any of his knowledge, if that is to what you are referring. But I have noticed marked changes in his behaviour during the few occasions where I have seen him transformed. It is not remarkably important... but _so_ amusing!"

"Hey! What are you two talking about over there!" Ryouga's squeaky voice sounded out, immediately eliciting helpless giggles from the pair of females.

"N-nothing!" Terra replied hastily.

"Certainly nothing concerning your adorable self!" Starfire added, having trouble stifling her laughter.

"You better not be laughing at me! Don't make me beat you two up!"

Terra couldn't take it anymore, the slight girl nearly doubled over in laughter at the sight of Ryouga's tiny, bright red face as the rest of him was cloaked by Raven's dark robes. "W-way to prove Star's point, perfectly, Ryouga."

"Actually," Starfire managed between giggles, "His current reactions cast dispersion upon my entire hypothesis."

"Huh?" Terra inquired eloquently. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at the Tamaranian, draping her shoulder in long blonde hair.

"Well," Starfire replied, brushing her own lengthy locks over her shoulder with the back of her hand. "When one contemplates upon it, Ryouga is not exactly the most mature male at the very best of times."

"_What_? Oh, that's it, I'm so gonna-"

Whatever imaginative punishment Ryouga was about to describe was cut off as the elevator door slid open. It was not so much this simple act which so distracted everyone, though, as it was the person that stepped through. And even then, it was not the mere sight of Robin, determined strides carrying him directly to the heart of the room without a single wasted motion, which silenced the irate infantile.

No, it was the stone cold look on the bird boy's face which gave pause to each and every person present. Immediately, B-Chan leapt out of Kasumi's arms and changed back to his elfin form, a wary look on his face. Starfire half stood from her spot on the couch, while Terra actually leaned back further into the piece of furniture.

Without wasting another moment, Robin spun around the instant he reached the center of the group. "It's almost time to go. Is everyone prepared?"

All around the room, faces fell as their reality was well and truly checked by the masked Titan. Nodding, Cyborg leaned back on the kitchenette's island.

"Yeah, the T-Ship is prepped for launch. I can have us in the atmosphere in ten minutes once we're in our seats."

Robin gave a sharp nod, obviously satisfied with that answer. Around the rest of the room, hesitant nods and quiet confirmations were given by Beast Boy, Raven and, of course, Starfire. Oddly enough, to Terra's reckoning, though, Ryouga and Kasumi remained silent. Shrugging her narrow shoulders, the blonde rose to her feet and held up her hand.

"I'm all ready to go, too, Robin. I'm gonna need a convenient beast of burden to get all my luggage down to the ship." She shot a teasing glance in a certain changeling's direction... but was further confused by the odd look on the boy's face.

All around the room, people looked around awkwardly – everyone except one person. Robin walked over to her and dropped a hand on her shoulder, an equally odd expression on his face as well.

"Terra, I... think there has been some kind of misunderstanding. You, Ryouga and Kasumi... you're all remaining here."

Terra felt a sharp 'crack' run through her heart. "_What_?"

She turned to stare at Kasumi, who only looked down, suddenly finding her knuckles utterly fascinating. She then fired a look Ryouga's direction, looking for an explanation for this base betrayal. "Ryouga?"

"Terra, I –" The youthecized martial artist stopped, grumbling darkly at the high pitch of his own voice. He then turned to Cyborg. "Hey, Cy, can you help me out here? I'm trying to be serious."

The cybernetic Titan seemed to get the gist of the cursed kid's request instantly, and held up his hand. Said hand quickly went through its familiar transformation, though the end result was different than what Terra had ever remembered seeing. Instead of the wide, glowing barrel of a sonic cannon, his main weapon appeared to be sporting what looked like... a water nozzle?

Before Terra could question the unusual sight, a waft of steam started rising up from the end of the 'weapon'. This sight, and the unholy smile that formed on Ryouga's face at the sight of it only through the geokinetic girl further off kilter. She had no idea what was going on.

Unlike her, though, Raven seemed to have an idea of what was going on as, just as Cyborg raised his arm and pointed it directly at Ryouga – still clutched tightly in the dark Titan's arms at the moment – a shocked expression of realization dawned on Raven's face.

"One super-sized Ryo, coming up," Cyborg stated proudly.

"_Cyborg wai_-"

And then Cyborg fired his most powerful weapon... and a narrow stream of lightly steaming water shot out of the end of the sonic cannon... The water splashed Ryouga right in the face, and in an odd moment – honestly, the transformation just wasn't that fazing anymore after getting to know Beast Boy so well – Ryouga was back to his normal age and height.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, it was all that Terra could do to clap her hands over her mouth to prevent a gale of laughter from exploding out.

It took Ryouga a second to realize the nature of his tactical error before his face went bright red. But, considering that Raven's arms, which had been loosely hanging around his neck were now sprawled across his chest, and that the violet haired Titan's ... _ahem_ ... _generous_ bosom was now crushing into his back in a most personal way, well... Terra could hardly blame him. The only things which were a brighter crimson in the room at the moment were Starfire's hair, Robin's shirt... and Raven's face.

Out of respect for their painfully shy friend's – how could she put it? – compromising situation, all of the Titan's present were graceful enough to give the flustered pair a moment to disentangle themselves.

"_Way to g_-"

Before Beast Boy could make a liar of Terra, Kasumi leaned forward, her hand shooting out with surprising speed, and clapped it down firmly over the changeling's mouth. She then pulled the shapeshifter back against her and then beamed a smile which seemed to say 'Perfectly normal, nothing to see here!'

A good ten seconds later, and with Raven and Ryouga now standing about a dozen feet apart, Terra finally turned her attention back to the Lost Boy as he looked ready to continue his explanation.

"Terra, I... I-" a puzzled expression settled on his face, "I... have no idea what I was about to say..."

Unfortunately, the Lost Boy had already used up all of his obligated mercy for the day, and this time, the room broke out into laughter. Even as Raven's face burned like the sun and she pulled her cloak tightly closed around her, everyone else present couldn't contain their mirth. Even Kasumi held up a hand to cover her mouth as she giggled, her cheeks tinted a faint red. And it was the eldest Tendo that, in Terra's mind, summed up the entire scenario perfectly.

"Oh _my_."

"Alright everyone, that's enough." Robin, proving once again to have by far the most self control of those present, broke up the incessant teasing and turned to face Terra once more. "I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression, Terra, but the T-Ship can only fit five people."

"Yeah," Cyborg chimed in. "I mean, if we had had more time I could have co-opted Kunou's T-Ship, but at the moment, theirs is still only rated for air and sea, it's not prepped for space travel yet."

Rising up from the couch, Starfire drifted to Terra's back and wrapped her in a tight – but not bone crushing – hug. "I apologize as well, Terra. I did not realize that you had misunderstood our intentions in this matter."

"But... but I..." she trailed off lamely, not sure what else to say.

"I know," Starfire assured her, "You wished to be present for my - for my ...wedding..."

The Tamaranian's enthusiasm died out quickly at the mention of the 'w' word, but giving a quick shake of her head, the alien warrior quickly soldiered on. "And I most desperately wanted you to be there as well, my dearest friend. I wanted all of you to be there, you, Ryouga and Kasumi as well, but... but I could not even imagine leaving this world without Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy and... and Robin with me. You can understand that, can you not?"

'_Argh_!' This was why Terra hated math. Numbers sucked, especially when it came to subtraction and division. Of course she couldn't expect to compete with the original Titans, with Starfire's oldest and closest friends.

Still, that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Y'know," Beast Boy started conversationally, non-chalantly making his way over to Terra's other side. "If you really want Ryo to give you away, or whatever it is you guys do, Star, then, oh, I dunno, maybe _he_ could go and _I_ could... well... y'know... _stay_? Here... with Terra... for a week or two... alone..."

"_Beast Boy_!" Starfire objected, scandalized. Though, whether she was scandalized by the _implications_ of his statement – Terra felt her own cheeks beginning to burn now – or because he was attempting to bail on going to Tamaran, Terra had no idea. Immediately, the changeling held up his hands, backpedalling like a reverse Tour de France champion.

"Nonono! I was just kidding, Star, just kidding, I promise!"

Slugging him in the shoulder for good measure, Terra nodded firmly. She then spun on the alien girl, gripping her shoulders and staring at her mournfully. "I get it, Starfire, I really do," she stated, "But – but that means that today might be last day that I _ever_ see you! I – I thought that I would at least have another week or more to get used to the idea..."

She spun on the rest of her team mates, a glare forming for one person in particular.

"And you, Ryouga? Are you fine with this? I thought Starfire was supposed to be like your sister! Are you ready to just let her walk away without saying anything? You're giving up, like that, just because of some dumb tradition thing?"

Immediately, the martial artist's gaze dropped to the floor. "Terra..."

Annoyingly coming to his rescue, Raven stepped up beside the Lost Boy. "Terra, please don't try to make this Ryouga's fault. This arranged marriage might not make sense to you, but Ryouga comes from a country where it is a common practice. He might not like it, but he still has respect for the institution."

Ryouga's eyes shot wide open at her declaration, only for him to start fidgeting madly, trying to do his very best to shift behind the cloaked girl and out of sight. For his part, incredulous look on his face, Cyborg lifted a finger. "Umm... Rae? I think you might be forgetting something..."

He looked about to continue, only to be interrupted by Beast Boy, shaking his head in an abjectly sad manner. "Dude... dude, just drop it."

Even Kasumi was rolling her eyes like it was going out of style. And had Starfire just slapped a palm to her forehead? Shaking her head, not sure what everyone's deal was, Terra just turned her attention back to her erstwhile 'master'.

"Ummm... _yeah_..." he replied weakly. "I _totally_ respect arranged marriages..."

Before she could question his odd tone, though, he quickly shook his head, standing straight again. "Seriously though, Terra. A day, a week? I doubt I would ever get used to the idea of Star leaving, no matter how long we had. I do know, though, that however hard this might be for you and me... it's gotta be way harder on everyone else."

The Lost Boy shot a telling look in Robin's direction, but the masked vigilante just looked away.

"If anyone needs the extra time, if anyone should be at her side through all of this... it should be them." Ryouga gestured to the four original Titans in turn, only to point his finger sharply at the cybernetic Titan. "Though that doesn't change the fact that this is all Cy's fault for being too lazy to fix up Kunou's ship beforehand, instead of leaving it for months!"

"_What_! You backstabbing Hibiki! I oughta break you down into bio-diesel!"

"Please, everyone, calm down." Kasumi's words, as only Kasumi's words could, actually had the desired effect. Instantly, ire's cooled and amusement reverted to seriousness. All but gliding across the room, Kasumi moved to Terra's side, dropping her hand on her slim shoulder.

What was it, pet a geokinetic day?

"I know this is all terribly sad, Terra. I'm going to miss Starfire every bit as much as you-" The Tendo and the Tamaranian shared a brief, emotionally charged glance. "-But try to see the silver lining. You may be staying, but in doing so, you and Ryouga are taking full charge of the city's safety while everyone else is away. Doesn't that show just how much Robin has come to trust the two of you?"

Instantly, Terra brightened at that idea. "Hey, yeah! That means that it's up to us to take care of Jump City! I'm totally done my probation!"

"_Ahem_!"

The semi-vocal interruption drew both ladies' attention to the person responsible. Scratching his chin and looking unusually abashed for him, the Boy Wonder seemed to be having some trouble maintaining eye contact with them. "...Actually... That's not ...entirely... true. You see, I've called in an old friend of ours to come and – and _assist _the two of you while the rest of us are away."

Even as Ryouga let out an overtly obvious sigh of relief at the idea of them bringing in a pinch hitter, Terra felt her face going red. After everything that Kasumi had said, Robin _didn't_ actually trust her? Why, of all of the-

Wise beyond her years, Kasumi released Terra's shoulders and took two long steps backwards. She then shot Robin a pointed look.

"Ah... you're on your own."

At which point, Terra stalked forward, poking a finger right into Robin's big, stupid looking 'R'. "And just _who_ did you get to _babysit_ us while you were off partying it up on some gorgeous alien planet, huh?"

Refusing to retreat in the face of her righteous wrath (approved by Tamaranians everywhere) the Boy Wonder, for some reason, glanced over her shoulder and to the far end of the room. Annoyed that he couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to her, she looked around to see what he was looking at.

Hmm... that was odd. The number above the elevator was currently counting up, indicating that the elevator was in motion. She didn't remember anyone going down, and hadn't really noticed it leave their floor either. So who was on it?

"Actually, that would be him now," Robin replied calmly, "Fifteen minutes late, no less, but at least he's here."

"Who is _he?_"

Rather than reply, Robin simply waited as the elevator car rapidly approached its destination. Everyone else, equally in the dark, quickly shuffled forward, crowding around the elevator and its mystery occupant. Their curiosity was not left to simmer long, though, as mere seconds later, there was a loud ding, and the doors slid open of their own volition.

"Hello Titans Tower! Long time, no see, my friends!"

'_My friends?_' Terra mused. She was quite certain she had never seen this guy before in her life. Oddly, though, despite her certainty that she had never met him, the newcomer looked oddly familiar. The bright red uniform and bright yellow boots was new, but a number of small details just stuck out as being _way _too familiar. The matching yellow utility belt could have been a fluke, the stylized 'S' worn over his breast was pushing it a bit, but the small black domino mask which just covered his eyes?

Terra looked from Robin, to the stranger, then back and forth again for good measure. If it weren't for the new guy having bright red hair and a quiver strapped to his back, she could have sworn he was Robin's clone.

"_Speedy_, dude, how ya been?" Beast Boy exuberantly greeted the archer, and was joined as Cyborg stepped forward and grabbed this 'Speedy's' hand.

"Yo, my _man_! It's been way too long!"

Speedy nodded, grinning broadly. "Yeah. I haven't heard from you guys since the _last_ time you needed me to babysit this place for you. God, how long ago was that now? Feels like forever."

Almost unconsciously, all of the original Titans in the room turned to look at Ryouga, who, for his part, just stared at the red headed archer cluelessly, obviously not making any connections. Speedy didn't miss the telling looks, though, and did a quick double take as he looked around the room more carefully.

"Hey now, what's going on here? I'm seeing some fresh faces. Looks like some stuff has gone down since last we parted ways. Anyone feel like bringing me up to speed?"

Beast Boy, always the most enthusiastic, nearly leapt forward in preparation to spin the colourful tale of what had happened over the past months-

"Unfortunately, Speedy," Robin interrupted sharply, "We don't have time to catch you up on everything. We'll make introductions on the way to the T-Ship, and then you can get filled in at your leisure once we're underway."

Speedy's eyes widened at the brusque declaration. "Whoa, didn't realize you were in that much of a rush. Well, alright then, let's get this show on the road then."

Stepping back into the elevator, he gestured for everyone to get in as well. Frowning, Terra shuffled in, followed by Kasumi, Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg. She wasn't sure why Robin was acting like such a ... well, like such a jerk.

And apparently she wouldn't get to ask, when – just before the elevator doors could slide shut – Ryouga, still standing just outside the elevator, suddenly stuck his arm out to bar access to the car. "Whoops, looks a bit full. We'll wait for the next one."

And then, before Terra even had time to protest her teacher and her leader being left behind, the door closed and the elevator was underway. All she could do was look around and share equally confused looks with all of the other occupants of the elevator. It hadn't been _that_ crowded, after all. Maybe Ryouga was still embarrassed over his 'close encounter' with Raven?

Boys were so hard to understand.

"Alright, then! So who's going to introduce me to these two new super cuties?"

Terra fired a lidded glance in the direction of the unfamiliar archer.

Alright... _some_ boys were hard to understand.

* * *

Robin looked up, curious as to why Ryouga had blocked his entry into the elevator. The slightly taller martial artist lowered his arm, then turned around to face the masked hero-

The Boy Wonder's world was suddenly sent into a tailspin as, catching him completely off guard, Ryouga grabbed the front of Robin's uniform and spun him around to pin him against the elevator doors. Feet dangling over a foot above the ground, Robin had to force himself to stop, his hand already digging into his utility belt before he even realized he was about to counter attack. Considering the advantage of surprise that Ryouga had, and the fact that he hadn't followed up with a finishing blow, Robin realized that this wasn't an attack.

Forcing himself to relax, not the easiest of tasks when someone was crushing you against a wall, Robin looked down at his assailant with a flat expression. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

The bandanna wearing martial artist snorted loudly, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Damn right. I want you to know that you had _better damn well_ bring Starfire back with you!"

Despite the unusual situation, Robin felt the corner of his lip quirk up into a smirk. Crossing his arms over his chest, but beneath Ryouga's fist twisted tightly into the material of his tunic, the smaller martial artist couldn't help but ask, "Oh, is that so? But I thought that you _respected_ the institution of arranged marriage."

"Oh, shut up," Ryouga half snarled, his cheeks tingeing red with embarrassment. "Starfire's parents, or whoever is setting this farce up, can go to hell for all I care. The _only_ thing that I care about, is that Star is _happy_."

"And if she is?" Robin asked leadingly. "What if she falls in love at first sight?"

Despite the fact that he was just testing out Ryouga's rather nebulous intentions, Robin couldn't help but notice how his chest tightened at his own question. This new pain had absolutely nothing to do with being crushed against the elevator door, either, but he hid his discomfort with no small effort.

Ryouga's face twisted, uncertainty and indecision wracking him. "If she... I mean, it's poss-" A fierce shake of the head. "Look, that _isn't_ going to happen! _This_ is her home now. There's no _way_ she could possibly be happy getting married to some complete stranger!"

Smirk growing slowing into a smile, Robin nodded. "I agree with you completely... But, I have to ask, if you feel _this_ strongly about it... why didn't you say anything earlier? Why only say it to me?"

Slowly, Robin slid down the wall until his feet touched the ground. Sighing wearily, Ryouga's gaze dropped to his feet and he released his grip on Robin's shirt. "I _wanted _to," Ryouga admitted, "But, well, she treats me like her brother, you know? That means that it's my job to be there for her, and support her decisions and that kind of stuff."

The martial artist looked up, catching Robin's gaze. "It isn't _my_ place to object. But we _both_ know that it _is_ yours."

"W-_what_?" Robin asked, stuttering in shocked embarrassment. "Why... why would you say it's _my_-"

He was cut off when Ryouga lifted a warning finger right before his face. Of course, Robin was not at all worried, as he trusted Ryouga with his life and knew the newest member of the Titans would sooner die himself than hurt him.

...But he certainly did seem a _bit_ upset this day.

"Cut the crap, Robin. Even _I_ know how you and Starfire feel about each other! Heck, even _Kunou_ figured it out, and he's still a little blurry on the whole 'pigtailed girl/Ranma' concept." Ryouga's finger curled back into his fist and he shook it under Robin's nose for emphasis. "I don't know what the heck has been up with you two for the fast couple weeks, but like _hell_ am I going to believe that you're _actually_ okay with this!"

The masked hero shifted uncomfortably, not at all liking being put on the spot like this. Of course he felt... a certain way... about Starfire. And of course this entire situation was twisting him up inside, but...

But what? Like Ryouga, he had no idea what on earth had been going on over the past few weeks. Starfire had been colder to him lately than Raven to Beast Boy... on a good day. It had been frustrating, and confusing, and painful...

That didn't change the fact that the idea of never seeing Starfire again made him feel like his chest was going to implode at any second. Hell, for her, he would fight Happosai himself, full out and while wearing a bandoleer of lingerie, and not even flinch. So why was he even considering letting her go again? Even for a second?

Smiling seriously, Robin nodded to his contemporary in the warrior's arts. "Alright, Ryouga. I don't think either of us is really the type to talk this kind of stuff over... but you're right. I swear, if Starfire is not _one hundred percent_ happy with this marriage, then I am absolutely bringing her back... no matter what."

"Good, that's exactly what I wanted to hear," Ryouga replied, grinning that fanged grin of his. The grin only held for a second, before descending into a vindictive smile. "Because, if you don't bring her back, _I_ swear that you'll regret it for the rest of your life... both _seconds_ of it."

Chuckling easily, Robin brushed out the wrinkles in his shirt from where Ryouga had grabbed it. Thankfully the material was not so flimsy as to be ruined by a mere multi-ton grip. "You shouldn't make empty threats, Ryouga."

Ryouga's head tilted to the side, confusion and indignant anger warring for dominance at the cavalier reply. Robin paid it no heed, though, smiling grimly to himself. Turning around, he hit the elevator button, calling the car back up to the Main room.

"If I don't bring her back... I'll already be dead."

* * *

- T-Minus 30 Minutes -

The hug seemed to last forever... though at the same time it felt infinitely too brief indeed. Eventually, victims of timing and circumstance, they were forced to part, sliding a step away from each other, though they continued to clasp hands. Melancholy emotions choked at her throat, the bittersweet unexpected loss of her dear friend striking her harder than she would have thought. That didn't stop her from wearing a warm smile, offering up all of the care and support that she could generate.

After all, if Starfire could manage a weak smile, then how could Kasumi do any less?

Giving the Tamaranian's hands a tight squeeze, Kasumi almost pulled the tall girl in for another hug, but managed to refrain. She was the oldest, and the most mature person in the tower, so it was her responsibility to provide an example of calm acceptance and dignity. As much as she would have liked to, letting herself be overwhelmed by emotions wouldn't help anyone, least of all Terra. So young and impressionable.

With only a small sniff, the eldest Tendo dabbed her sleeve to the corner of her eye and nodded to Starfire. "I'm certainly going to miss you, Starfire. There was still so much that I had wanted to do together, and now we may never get the chance."

The lovely alien girl nodded sadly, her eyes shimmering in the bright lighting of the hangar. "It fills me with great sadness to know that we will be unlikely to venture to the opera as we had planned, or to the Jump City Gardens... or to witness the dancers of the 'Chips and Dales'-"

"Tut tut tut," Kasumi cut in quickly, pressing a finger to Starfire's lips. Leaning in, she offered up a wink and a grin. "That last one was just between us girls, right?"

"Oh, yes, I had forgotten," Starfire admitted sheepishly. "Though, I still do not understand. I know that 'chips' are thin wavers of fried potato, and 'dale' is an archaic term used to describe certain topographies... but how do the two interact in any form of dance?"

Smiling mysteriously, Kasumi replied evenly, "Well, obviously that would be why we would have to go and see, right?"

Obviously the Tamaranian could not argue with that logic, and simply nodded her agreement. The pair shared another quick giggle between them, before turning to regard the rest of their friends. At the moment, Ryouga had both Cyborg _and_ Beast Boy in headlocks, and Terra was clinging to the metallic Titan's back, apparently trying to assist Ryouga in wrestling him to the ground.

Robin and Speedy were near the loading gantry, exchanging a few last minute instructions no doubt. Even to Kasumi's keen eye, the Boy Wonder's expression was all but unreadable. It was impressive that he was able to school his expression so well, considering there was enough tension in his slim frame snap most piano wire.

And then... off on her own, Raven watched the proceedings silently. Though her attention was mostly focused on the farewell wrestling match, the dark Titan's gaze flitted across all of them in turn. For some reason, the sight made Kasumi just a tiny bit sadder than she already was. Perhaps she would have to do something nice for the girl when she got back? It would be such a terribly long time, though...

"I am afraid that it is nearly time for us to depart, dear friend Kasumi," Starfire lamented, finally letting go of Kasumi's hands. "There is... something I wanted to speak with you on before I left, though..."

Kasumi's head tilted to the side curiously as she regarded her friend. "Whatever do you mean?"

Starfire fidgeted uncomfortable for a moment, her boots scuffing across the hard metal floors. "It is – I mean... What I wish to say is..." The flame haired girl suddenly swallowed an entire lungful of air before blurting out, "_!"_

"..." Kasumi blinked... twice. "I... don't think I caught that. What did you say again?"

Taking another, more calming breath, this time Starfire managed to pace herself before replying. The Tamaranian wrung her hands before her, sliding one set of knuckles over the other again and again, but succeeded in speaking clearly. "I have noticed that you have gotten ...close... to Robin over the past weeks," she noted in an oddly neutral tone.

"Well... yes, I suppose I have," Kasumi answered, nodding slowly. She had grown much closer with everyone in the tower, hence why this meeting was so much more painful than she would have thought it to be. Who would have thought that after only a month or two, it felt more like she was losing another sister, than saying goodbye to a near stranger.

"That is ...good..." Starfire stated with a strained smile. "My only request is that you continue to make him happy in my absence."

Well, that seemed like a rather simple request. She knew that Starfire cared very deeply for Robin, so it only made sense that she would want someone to look out for him, and help him through this difficult time. "Of course I will, Starfire," she replied earnestly. Taking the Tamaranian's hand, she squeezed it reassuringly. "I promise that I'll make Robin happy for you."

She could probably get Ryouga to help her by distracting him with training. And then maybe Cyborg and Beast Boy with their video games could help cheer him up as well. There were so many things they could do to help Robin cope with his loss... though Kasumi had to wonder if he would ever really get over Starfire.

Starfire returned her nod, her smile strained from the grief. The mighty alien squeezed her hand lightly in return – actually, Kasumi winced as Starfire's grip grew just a _touch_ too tight for comfort – but then Starfire released her hand and spun around, sniffing loudly. Kasumi herself sighed as well, it was so hard to watch her friend in such a sad state.

Unfortunately, despite her wishes, there was nothing she could do to ease her own pain, or that of Starfire. And when Robin finally called out that it was time to leave, there she could only give a small wave of her hand as the Tamaranian drifted morosely away from her and towards the great, orange ship that would take them all away.

All that was left was the goodbyes.

"So... do you guys know how long you're going to be gone yet?" Ryouga asked lamely.

Raven, with her hood pulled back, allowing the bright lights of the hangar to illuminate her face and set her eyes to shining, shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Cyborg seems to think that we'll be able to make the trip in roughly a week, but even if that's so, we have no clue how long the wedding arrangements might take."

Ryouga sighed at that. At least two weeks away from R- from his friends? His own personal feelings aside, he was actually afraid for their fair city, more than anything. With only him, Terra, and the mystery bowman to watch it, how could they possibly keep it safe?

...Okay, yeah, that was a complete load. Keeping the city safe was about as far from his thoughts as Tamaran itself. He was furiously wracking his brain to find the _perfect_, cool, suave goodbye that would totally blow Raven away. At least half a month apart, after he just finally finished with his merciless training of Terra, and actually had time to hang out? It was like the world was just finding a new, more insidious way to punish him, since he'd hardly gotten lost at all lately.

"Ummm, Ryouga? Are you alright? You... kind of stopped talking there," Raven asked tentatively. The dark Titan studied him with wide, violet eyes, her head tilted slightly to the side, just enough so that a few strands of her short, silken hair pooled on her shoulder-

Giving his head a good shake, Ryouga let off a string of curses in his head. '_I'm totally blowing it_!'

Quickly waving off her concern, he shook his head in the negative. "Nono, I'm fine. It's just that, well, you guys are going to be gone for so long. I'm really going to miss y-"

Instantly, Raven's eyes widened, ever so fractionally, and he could almost swear that she was rising up on her toes slightly, rapt with attention. Wait! What was he saying? He didn't want to sound like some clingy loser!

He'd had _way_ more than enough experience with _that_ from his pursuit of Akane.

"-oouu _all_!" he frantically finished. So impressed with his last minute save, and wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, he did not at all see the crestfallen look which flitted across Raven's face at roughly the speed of light, nor the way her entire body settled back and seemed to actually deflate, balloon style.

"Yes, I'll miss... all three of you guys, too," she responded in kind, listlessly looking at the floor.

Growling under his breath, Ryouga could feel his frustration boiling over. It was now or never, this would be his last chance to tell Raven how he-

"Alright, everyone, it's time to go!" Robin's voice echoed across the vast hanger, bouncing off of distant wall and ceiling. Immediately, everyone turned their attention in the brightly dressed teen's direction, and just as quickly, people began to move towards the T-Ship.

For a long moment, Raven held her ground, and the pair of them shuffled uncomfortably. Ryouga lifted a hand... only to drop it a second later. Raven opened her mouth, as if to say something... only to sigh instead and press her lips closed once more. Vainly, Ryouga tried to find the words-

And then Raven ducked her head, murmuring a swift apology, and made her way to the loading gantry, with the rest of the people that would be going to Tamaran. And as he watched her go, the martial artist could only groan softly, utterly defeated.

It seemed that all that was left was the goodbyes.

* * *

Speedy watched, mildly interested, as the lengthy procession of goodbyes took place. He had offered up a few quick words to the Titans as well, but it was obvious that these three strange new team members had more to say. It took nearly fifteen minutes, in all, to finally get the Titans into their ship and prepped for launch.

"Ten...," Cyborg's voice echoed out through the hangar's speaker system.

Standing safely behind the safety barrier, Speedy put on his safety goggles.

"Nine..."

The young blonde girl, moisture shimmering in the corners of her eyes, held her hand to the transparent wall before them.

"Eight..."

On the other side of the slim blonde, the dark haired new guy growled dangerously to himself, clenching his fist in front of his chest.

"Seven..."

The tall brunette woman gingerly slid on her own safety goggles, a melancholy expression marring her otherwise pretty face.

"Six... five... four... three... two... one-"

The thunderous roar of the solid fuel rockets drowned out every other sound on the entire island. Even with nigh indestructible barrier between them, Speedy felt his entire body quake, like standing right beside a speaker at a Disaster Area concert. Reaching up, he quickly slapped the pair of sound reducing head phones over his ears, watching as everyone else did likewise.

The ship seemed to lift off in slow motion, as if it might not even make it off the ground. Even as torrents of flame and smoke exploded out from the bottom of the rocket boosters, billowing down the exhaust tunnel like a runaway freight train, the ship itself rose only an inch at a time. Gradually, though, its speed increased; the T-ship soared a foot, then a dozen, then a hundred and in less than half a minute, it was beyond the now open hangar roof and quickly shrinking away to nothing against the dark, starlit night sky, only the thick column of black smoke remaining as evidence of their passage.

...For a long moment, the four of them just stood there, staring at the now empty sky. It was, it appeared, a very solemn moment. Slowly, his companions removed their goggles and headphones, never taking their eyes off of the heavens. Finally, though, the spell broke, and everyone dropped their protective gear back where they had gotten it and left the no longer needed protection of the bunker.

"So... that's it, then, is it?" Speedy asked quietly. "The Titans are off on their trip through the stars."

The blonde girl, Terra if he'd heard correct – and why was that name familiar again? – nodded. She then turned to her companion, Ryouga, he was pretty sure. "Yup, and you know what that means?"

Ryouga shook his head. "Um... not really."

"It _means_," Terra stated obviously, before suddenly ducking down. Standing up a second later, she was holding a large pair of backpacks, both filled to bursting. "That _we're_ going _camping!_"

"_What_?"

"Huh?"

"Wait, what?"

Terra nodded happily, before shoving one of the backpacks into Ryouga's arms. "That's right! I didn't pack all my stuff up for nothing. If I don't get to go to Tamaran, then I'm _totally_ taking advantage of the fact that we got a week or two off from training and patrols and stuff."

"Ah... excuse me," Speedy butted in. "But Robin put me in charge of protecting the city while he's away. I'm pretty sure taking a _vacation_ wasn't what he had in mind for you guys in the meantime."

Ryouga nodded. "He's kinda right there, Terra."

"Pfft! _Whatever_!" Terra barked indignantly. "Robin _obviously_ doesn't think we can take care of the city, since he's bringing in Arrow Boy here-"

The young girl gestured to Speedy for emphasis.

"To take care of the city for him. Well, if he trusts _Speedy_ so much, then he _doesn't_ need us to help." Nodding firmly to herself, Terra hefted her backpack over her shoulder. She then grinned. "Besides, you _know_ you want to go."

The bandanna wearing guy hemmed and hawed for a moment. "Well... it _has_ been quite awhile since I've hit the road, as it were..."

"Ha! I _knew _it! Hey, Kasumi, you wanna come too?"

"Oh, I don't know-"

"Okay, seriously," Speedy interrupted, growing more frustrated by the moment. "Let me _reiterate_. Robin put _me_ in charge, which means _I_ decide what we're doing until Robin gets back."

Terra and Ryouga both turned to stare at him for a few seconds – only to immediately turn back to each other.

"Well, we obviously can't go _tonight_. I mean, I need to actually pack _my_ stuff if we want to go on a proper camping trip," Ryouga explained patiently.

"Oh, come _on_, Ryouga! I'm too excited to wait, now. Just the thought of the wide open skies over my head... It'll be great.' Terra turned back to Kasumi. "Are you _sure_ you don't wanna come? I can make you some of my famous 'Whatever I can scrounge up Stew'!"

"Mmm, I _love_ that stuff," exclaimed the dark haired guy, chuckling in amusement.

"Oh my, I'm afraid I'm not much for camping, Terra," explained Kasumi, tapping her chin. "However... now that you mention it, your idea just reminded me of something that Cyborg asked about. I have to go look into it, though, to refresh my memory."

"Oh... alright then," the slight Titan replied in a sullen tone. Her mood quickly brightened, though, and she turned back to her male team mate. "Well, it'll still be fun, just the two of us."

Speedy just shook his head. It seemed pretty obvious how things were gonna go here. Well, that was fine with him. He hadn't needed any backup the last time he took care of the city, and butting heads with a pair of newbs would just make things harder than easier. And, at least he still had one person left to help out. Speaking of which, he turned to Kasumi.

"Alright then, Kasumi, I think I got the gist of those two jokers on the way down the elevator. Terra's an elemental type, and Mr. Muscles over there is another one of us martial arts types. I don't remember anyone mentioning what your gimmick was. What kind of skills or powers do you got when it comes to fighting crime?"

Pretty much in unison, his three companions all ceased their idle chatting and turned to face him. An uncomfortable silence ensued, until finally the tall brunette held up a finger to clarify. "I believe there has been some misunderstanding. I don't actually assist in the fighting of crime here. I don't possess any special powers or talents in that regard."

Speedy blinked... twice. "...Um, what? You _don't_ fight crime? Then... what exactly _do_ you do here?"

"Oh, well, I try to help out in any way that I can. I assist with the cooking... and the cleaning, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," Speedy interrupted. Holding up one hand to silence her, he used his other to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "You're, like, the Titan's _maid_, or something?"

His attention on Kasumi, the archer didn't notice as Ryouga's and Terra's eyes went wide as saucers. For her part, Kasumi began to wring her hands in front of her. "Well, I wouldn't put it _quite_ like that. I _do_ do other things, like... like..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you do lots of stuff," Speedy stated, suddenly feeling quite tired. "Unfortunately, none of that helps me out in the streets. That's gonna put a few kinks in my big plan here."

Straightening her back, the Tendo woman lifted her chin. "I'm sure it won't be as bad as all of that. As I said, I'll be happy to assist you in any way that I can."

Speedy just stared at the woman, then shook his head. "Well, if you're that eager to help, I could _really_ use a sandwich right now. How about you get on that?"

"D-did this guy just tell Kasumi to go _make him a sandwich_?" Ryouga echoed in disbelief.

Terra just continued to stare, wide eyed. "Oh _snap_..."

Though, for maybe a fraction of a second, Kasumi's body seemed to stiffen, it passed so quickly that it was hard to tell if it had happened at all. She quickly lifted a hand and waved off the duo's incredulous reactions. "No, no, it's quite alright, you two. After all... Ranma asked me to make him food all the time. This is... nothing unusual. I'll take care of it straight away."

"Oh, great, now I've got a mental link between this guy and _Ranma_," Ryouga growled in a low voice. He turned back to Terra. "Alright, we're definitely going camping tomorrow, be up by dawn."

Terra's cheer was quite exuberant. "Alright! But, are you _sure_ you don't wanna come, Kasumi? _Really sure_?"

The Tendo woman shook her head, holding up her hand in the negative. "No, no. I think that I might just be able to find ..._something..._ to do while you two are away. Just don't leave before I have the chance to talk to you tomorrow morning, alright?"

"Sure thing, Kasumi!" The slight blonde then grabbed the martial artist's arm and started dragging him forcefully out of the hangar, excitedly going on about the preparations they needed to make. Kasumi studied Speedy for several seconds, an unreadable expression on her face, but she soon adopted a bright, cheery smile and followed after the pair a moment later.

Left alone, Speedy dropped his hands onto his hips and let a broad smile fall onto his lips. Yeah, it seemed like he'd been saddled with the scraps from the Titan's table, but that was fine. Having the two troublemakers out of his hair would actually be better, now that he thought of it.

After all, he had some preparations of his own to make.

The smile on his face nearly doubled in size, almost hurting his cheeks.

Oh yeah, big, big plans indeed.


	38. Wedding Party Chapter 2

Dark Titans – Arc 5 - **_Wedding Party_**

Chapter 2

Enjoy if you Will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

The young woman took in a deep breath, relishing the smell of the early morning air. It was, Kasumi reflected, something she would never grow weary of: the smell of the ocean breeze, the light mist of salt water filling the air and giving her a delightful chill. She almost couldn't imagine _not_ living on a small, private island with over a half a dozen of her friends.

Despite the fact that most of her new friends were younger than the family she left home in Japan, they were surprisingly more self-sufficient than her dear father and the Saotomes. It granted her much more spare time to spend as she saw fit, as the Titans only humoured her desire to take over every single task in the massive Tower to a certain point before they would all jump in and lend a helping hand.

That thought brought a smile to her lips. As much as she loved her family - and she did, so very much - it was nice to be 'one of the gang', rather than the surrogate mother. A sudden shiver running through her body brought her back to the moment.

After all, it was starting to get a bit cool lately, though she had read that it was still a month, or two before the snow would likely begin to fall. As such, she had bundled up in a jacket (borrowed from Cyborg's room as, unfortunately, if Starfire had ever even owned a jacket in the first place she had taken all of her clothing with her back to Tamaran.)

Speaking of which:

"Geez, Ryouga! Are you trying to cut off my circulation or my arm? The straps don't need to be _that _tight!"

Terra's barked objection only widened the smile on the Tendo woman's lips. Standing before her, several yards outside the door of the brilliant Titans Tower, the young geokinetic girl and her devoted master struggled through the final preparations for their camping trip departure.

"I just want to make sure your pack doesn't slip off when we're on the move," Ryouga countered, concern evident in his voice.

Kasumi covered her unpainted lips with her fingers, fondness and amusement nearly overwhelming her as she watched the indestructible powerhouse that was Hibiki Ryouga, fretting over the slight Terra as if he were preparing her for her first day of school.

Terra, clearly exasperated, spun around and started swatting away at her mentor's hands energetically. "Come _on_! I've spend a good chunk of my life on the road too, you know?"

Even as Ryouga hastily retracted his hands, Terra crossed her arms over her chest and turned her nose up to sniff loudly. "I'm not a little kid, Ryouga. I don't need lessons on camping."

Instantly, the martial artist's face fell and his hands dropped limply to his sides. "Terra... I..."

Now, Kasumi decided, was the moment for some timely intervention. The only question was whether she should be serious, or have a little fun with her adorable friends?

She nearly giggled aloud at that thought. As if it was even a choice worth contemplating at this point. Stepping forward, Kasumi pulled another jacked from behind her back.

"Now, Terra," she began smoothly, "We all know that you're a mature, lovely young woman."

Holding out the jacket, she suddenly pressed it into Terra's hand. "Now put on this jacket. You'll catch your death of cold wandering around the countryside in just a shirt."

For just a moment, Terra looked ready to argue, but each time her mouth opened to form a rebuttal, it closed a second later, words apparently failing her.

Finally, the super heroine shook her head, her long blonde hair catching on the breeze and floating about wildly. Not for the first time, Kasumi felt a tiny pang of envy over the simply gorgeous, exotic hair possessed by some of the members of her new family.

Maybe she should try dying her hair? That would certainly be fun!

"But – but isn't this _Beast Boy's_ jacket?" Terra barked, mortified. She spun on her mentor, currently wearing little more than his sleeveless yellow traveling shirt. "And what about him? How come he doesn't need a jacket?"

Tilting her head to the side, smiling serenely, Kasumi nodded. "Why yes, it is Beast Boy's jacket. It's just that he's the closest to your size, and the few jackets that Raven owns are far too nice to take on a camping trip."

Whatever else the Tendo woman might say about the reclusive Titan – most all of it quite positive! – the woman did have impeccable fashion sense... at least when she wasn't wearing that leotard.

The sound of Ryouga's chuckle drew her attention and she levelled a pointed glance his way. "And as for Mr. Hibiki. I would assume that someone _so_ experienced with travelling would have more sense than to wander around outside in the fall wearing a t-shirt."

Instantly, Ryouga's laughter stopped, the young man adopting a rather spot on impression of a deer in headlights. "Um...but... _Kasumi_…'

A short pause was followed by an inevitable slumping of his shoulders as he acknowledged defeat. With dejected movements, he began to trudge his way back into the tower.

"Fine... I'll go get a jacket..."

"Don't be silly," Kasumi tittered. Taking a single step back to the small pile of crates behind her, she pulled out another of Cyborg's coats. This one was not a fall jacket, like she had borrowed, looking rather more like a parka. This time, it was the martial artist's eyes that widened at the sight of her thoughtful gift.

Unlike Terra, though, Ryouga could not vocalize even an attempt to deny Kasumi's will. A moment later, and with much grumbling, the pair of earth-shaking warriors doffed their packs and began slipping on their coats. It was, Kasumi noted, a major feat to remain perfectly serious and not burst into giggles at the sight.

Finally ready to go again, taking a few last seconds to arrange straps and other minutia, the pair began to offer up some heartfelt goodbyes.

"Please, wait just a moment," Kasumi interrupted them politely. Pointing back to the stacked boxes behind her, she asked innocently. The three plastic containers, a lovely shade of blue and each nearly big enough to hold a mid-sized dog, had been oddly conspicuous for the duration of the conversation. "Which one of you is going to carry all the food I prepared for you?"

"What?" Terra barked incredulously. "You mean that all of that is _food_?"

Ryouga shook his head. "I thought you were having me bring down all the week's _recycling_. Kasumi, we're only going to be gone for a week at the most."

Kasumi nodded, grinning impishly. "And no doubt _both_ of you had been planning to show off just how well you could 'live off the land', eating roots and berries the whole time." She fired pointed glances first at Terra, then Ryouga. "However, a growing young woman should have a properly balanced diet... as should a growing young man."

"But... Kasumi," Terra retorted, pointing to the large boxes, "I can out eat pretty much anyone but Cyborg, but even I think that's _way_ too much food for just the two of us!"

The eldest Tendo sister felt a small sweat drop gather on her brow at that. Even after seeing it, she could still scarcely believe it. She had a sneaking suspicion that the... 'slender'... young woman must have a nuclear reactor in her tiny little tummy to eat like that and still be so skinny.

"Well," Kasumi waffled for a moment. "There actually _is_ something else I need to tell you, somewhat related to that issue. You see-"

"Oh, good, everyone's still here!"

For just the briefest of instants, Kasumi's smile faltered, but quickly resumed its former brightness. As one, everyone turned to regard the newcomer. The red headed lad, wearing an unseemly amount of red for so early in the morning, waved jauntily as he approached them.

"I was hoping to catch you two before you left," Speedy continued, nodding towards the pair of expert outdoors-people.

Ryouga, his own fallen smile having failed to revive as Kasumi's had, offered a grunt and the narrowing of his eyes as response. "Why? What is it?"

For some reason, rather than answer directly, the crimson themed archer lifted his wrist to glance at his watch. "Actually… give it just a minute…"

Rolling her eyes discreetly, Kasumi turned back to Terra and her mentor. "Actually, that reminds me."

Digging into her (or actually, Cyborg's) jacket pockets, she pulled out two familiar yellow objects, one circular, the other a more familiar hexagonal shape.

"What? Our communicators?" Terra asked, her voice rising a few notches at the revelation. The geokinetic's hands flew to her belt and found the empty holder which normally acted as home for the communication device.

The eldest Tendo sister nodded, holding out the pair of communicators freely. "Yes. I was dabbling with the communications systems last night and noticed they were acting a bit funny. So I used some of Cyborg's equipment to fix them right up for you."

Nodding, Ryouga snatched his communicator back hastily, quickly examining it for any supposed imperfections. Considering just how weathered, scratched and beaten up the hexagonal device was, it amused Kasumi to no end when the martial artist let out a silent sigh of relief to see that it was just as he remembered it before slipping it into his own pocket.

"That's cool, Kasumi," Ryouga finally muttered, relief still palpable in his expression. "Thanks a lot."

Handing Terra her much newer, far less banged up Titan Communicator – the slight girl taking it and absently sliding it into its belt holder without a word – Kasumi waved off his gratitude with a simple roll of her wrist. "It was nothing. In fact, I really enjoyed tuning them up properly."

"Yes, yes, that's _fascinating_," Speedy cut in. Ignoring the heated glares fired by two of his three new companions, the veteran hero (relative to his present company at the very least), then held up his hand… only to extend three fingers.

"Annnnd… Three… Two… One… _Zero_!"

Counting down with each finger, Speedy ended with his hand curled into a tight fist, only to pump it victoriously into the air upon reaching zero.

"And the Titans are now, _officially_, out of all meaningful communications range."

The odd statement only served to confuse the gathered reserve Titans further. Not only was it something of a non sequiter to the ongoing conversation, but the gleeful way with which it was mentioned set the eldest Tendo sister just the tiniest bit on edge.

Ryouga and Terra seemed to share her trepidation. The martial artist responded with another disgruntled grunt, while Terra unleashed a full-on suspicious glare.

Honestly, Kasumi _wanted_ to feel bad over the fact that her friends were letting their feelings for her sway their opinion of Speedy for the worse… but, well, the archer did appear to be something of a… well… a jerk?

"What's the big deal the guys being out of communication range?" Terra inquired. The young woman's fists were planted firmly on her narrow hips and she was leaning forward, her posture openly adversarial. Her stern look only lasted for a moment, though, before her face screwed up adorably. "Wait just a second. And how can they be outta communications range? I thought all the hero types had intergalactic communication all figured out, or something… don't they?"

Speedy shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, yeah, sure, if you happen to have a Green Lantern or two on your team, that kinda stuff isn't a problem. Contrary to popular belief, though, not _every_ earth based team of heroes has access to billions of dollars of super/alien technology."

"Actually," Ryouga cut in just a tad smugly, "Starfire has her own communication… thing… that she uses to talk to Tamaran."

For the first time that she could recall seeing from him, Kasumi noticed a slight widening of Speedy's blank white eyes. Panic, perhaps? Enough to even show through his oddly expressive diamond cut mask.

"Wait, she did?" Asked the archer insistently. "Where is it?"

Immediately, Ryouga's superior grin withered away, his chin dropping a few centimeters. "It's… um… with Starfire? …On its way to Tamaran…"

An explosive sigh signaled Speedy's relief better than any neon sign could have hoped to. Drawing the back of his hand across his bare brow, the scarlet archer let out a bark of laughter. "Whew! You had me worried there for a second. Man, the last thing I need is anyone getting in touch with the real Titans now!"

Bristling visibly, and even baring her teeth in a manner somewhat worryingly similar to her beloved mentor, Terra let out a surprisingly good imitation of one of Beast Boy's more bestial growls. Contrasted with Ryouga's merely befuddled glance, it demonstrated the slight geokinetic's opinion of not being considered a 'real Titan' by the newcomer. Thankfully, her mentor was not so oblivious as he used to be, and dropped a restraining hand on her narrow shoulder, pulling his dear protégé back to his side.

"Alright, so what's the big deal, anyway?" Ryouga asked, his patience growing as thin as Terra's rapidly.

Strolling over, devil may care attitude being flaunted with much aplomb, Speedy dropped a companionable hand on the martial artist's shoulder. Leaning forward, grin growing by the minute, the archer arched an eyebrow.

"Why, only the kick off of the second Annual 'Whenever the Titan's need me to baby sit the Tower' Party Extravaganza!"

Instantly, Terra's eyes shot wide open, a smile that threatened to consume her whole face alighting on her lips. Clutching her hands to her chest, the young woman bounced up and down excitedly. "A _party_? An honest to goodness, _real_ party? Like, with lots of people and everything?"

Fretting slightly, Kasumi wrung her hands slowly before her. "A party? I don't know about this…"

Ryouga, on the other hand, had a slightly different reaction.

"Hold up. What do you mean '_Second' _party? You've done this before?"

Looking more than pleased with himself, Speedy nodded grandly. "That's right." A pause, as the archer lifted his knuckle to his chin in thought. "Well, I suppose technically the last one was back in February or March, so it was still this year, but, what the hey? I like the idea of making new Traditions."

Immediately, Ryouga lifted a hand and started counting off fingers as he muttered silently to himself. "…March? That was back when I met the Titans in China." The reserve Titan pointed an accusing finger at the red headed bowman. "You threw a party while the Titans were stranded at the Amazon village with me?"

Speedy stared at Ryouga queerly for a moment, until he finally shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "Robin didn't mention many details, but the timeframe sounds about right. And yeah, totally threw a party. " A wicked smirk. "Granted, I knew the Titans were still on the line, though, so I had to be careful about who I invited, and how. So the last one was a pretty small affair."

Stepping back, Speedy threw his arms up and spun around once, laughing loudly. "But _this time!_ With the Titan's out of the system entirely? There's _no limit_ to how many people I can invite! I even know the perfect lady to get the word out! Man, it's gonna be _awesome_!"

"Did you hear that, Ryouga?" Terra inquired excitedly as she tugged on the martial artist's puffy sleeve. "A real party? With _people_! I've always _wanted_ to go to a cool party, just like in the movies!"

The bandanna clad martial artist let out a loud huff, sending his overly long bangs fluttering before his face. "It's always been my experience that big social gatherings are more trouble than they're worth. The only thing I've ever gotten at a big party is a big helping of disappointment."

Kasumi sighed forlornly. It seemed that the young Hibiki was _still_ smarting about the Christmas party. How long ago had that been again? Finally shrugging, she turned to the red clad bowman. "Are you certain about this, Speedy? I don't think Robin and the others would appreciate you taking advantage of their trust like this."

Speedy waved off her concerns with an absent wave of his hand. "Oh, come on. What they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, how often do us teenage super heroes get to do anything actually _fun_? I'm doing a public service for our industry here!"

"Teenage super heroism is an industry now?" Ryouga asked, a tad perplexed.

"Well, there is a 'Raven' brand of sneakers now, and Cy-B-Q sauce does pay a lot of the Tower's bills last I heard," Terra responded with an impish grin. "There's probably a 'Starfire' line of lingerie in the works out there somewhere… and probably a 'Robin' one too!"

"_Terra_!" Kasumi squeaked out, scandalized… only to pause as a thought occurred to her, "… Wait… does Starfire actually _wear _undergarments when she's not dressed for work?"

"_INSTANT TOPIC CHANGE!_" The vehemence of Ryouga's outburst was only matched by its volume. The windows of the Tower itself nearly rattled and slender geokinetics were nearly bowled over, even as Kasumi was nearly blinded by the brightness of the red flushing the martial artist's cheeks in that next instant. Moving with speeds normally reserved for life and death combat, Ryouga then stepped away from his current companions, dragging Speedy along with him, the archer's heels digging deep furrows in the sandy soil behind him.

"I _really_ don't think that we should have a party," the Hibiki quickly followed up, his words nearly tripping over one another. "I mean, about the only people with worse luck than _me_ in this world are the people that live in this tower. And you want to gather a few _dozen_ of them together… at once? Do you know the kind of trouble you're asking for?"

Waiting until the unstoppable force finally stopped pulling him around by his lapels, Speedy hastily started attempting to smooth out the front of his suit, obviously frantic to head off any damage that Ryouga's curled fist might have done.

"Sheesh, chill out, man. It's just gonna be a party, not the end of the world, here." Grumbling under his breath, but grudgingly satisfied that his tunic wasn't permanently ruined, Speedy matched Ryouga's gaze pointedly. "It's gonna be fun, I swear."

Then, sly smile blooming, Speedy suddenly leaned forward, wrapping a conspiratorial arm around the bandanna wearing fighter's neck. Whispering just loud enough for Ryouga to hear, Speedy added, "Besides, do you _know_ how most Super heroines _dress_ these days? I promise you, this. Will. Be. _Awesome_!"

Kasumi tilted her head slightly, curious as to just what was being said in the small, two man huddle. It was quite clear that it was concerning something purported to be '_awesome'… _but she hadn't managed to catch the rest of it.

"Besides," Speedy followed up immediately before turning around and gesturing towards Terra, then Kasumi herself. "You two are up for a wild party, aren't you?"

Terra's wild, excited nodding was all the answer she needed to provide.

Kasumi, though, hesitated for a moment longer. It seemed that she was, yet again faced with a moral dilemma. Do the right, proper and boring thing… or the wrong, exciting and fun thing? She seemed to be running into these situations a lot lately, and recent precedent dictated her answer more quickly than she herself expected.

"Can I invite my sister?" she asked pleasantly.

Instantly, Speedy let out a bark of laughter, grin growing into a full blown smile. "Kasumi, you can invite anyone you want."

"Argh! Can you at least tell her not to bring Ranma with her?"

"Hibiki Ryouga!" Kasumi chided sternly. Gracing him with a pointed glance and a point of her finger, she replied matter of factly. "She is allowed to bring anyone that she wants. Including Ranma, and that's the last I'll hear of it."

"…yes kasumi…" Ryouga's timid reply and deflated appearance was not at all helped by the fact that Terra was currently giggling right behind the martial artist's back.

"Alright, so now that we're all on the same page," Speedy began, taking charge of the conversation once more. He then pointed at the pair of backpack-toting would-be campers. "If you guys are so dead set on ditching us, then at least make sure you get back here in a week. I figure that should be long enough to get the word out properly. I'll set it up for Saturday night, so any of the 'secret identity' types will be able to come out."

"That gives us five days," Terra stated the obvious proudly, "That should be more than enough time to get our 'camp' on!"

Sighing weakly, Ryouga shrugged his shoulders In obvious defeat. "Well… I suppose there's not even anything we can do to stop you, since we're ducking out of our responsibilities to go camping, anyway… so why not?"

"That's the spirit!" Giving the both of them pats on the shoulders, Speedy gave one final thumbs up before heading back towards the Tower. "So remember, you two make it back early Saturday. And don't go too far out, just in case I need to call you for back up. Have a good trip now."

And with that, the crimson archer departed, leaving the three of them standing in the brisk September air. Kasumi found herself smiling then, just the tiniest bit surprised at the fact that she actually found herself… somewhat excited at the prospect of a secret party. She could only imagine the kind of people that Speedy would invite. Would she know any of them? Would she have even heard of any of them at all?

"Hmm… you know… maybe that guy isn't as big of a jerk as Ranma after all," Ryouga stated absently, a small smile on his lips.

"Heh, you say that like it's an accomplishment!" Terra replied with a bark of laughter, only for it to be echoed by her mentor.

Rolling her eyes fondly, Kasumi decided against reminding Terra, again, that she had yet to actually meet Ranma. Still, it was sweet that she respected her 'master' enough to pick up his bad habits as well as his good. A tiny smirk quirked her lips for a fraction of a second.

It probably wasn't _good_… but it was still sweet.

Speaking of doing good, Kasumi finally remembered just what it was she had meant to mention earlier. She still felt a bit bad about it, but Cyborg _had_ asked her…

"Before you two go," the tall brunette intervened, noticing the pair getting ready to don their travel packs once more. "There is something else I need to talk to you about."

She caught both of their attentions easily, and the pair stared back at her inquisitively.

"What is it, Kasumi?" Ryouga asked plainly.

"Yeah, what's the hold up?" Terra asked, her double enthusiasm for camping and partying showing through quite readily in her tone.

At that, the ex-home maker found herself wringing her hands once more, not _quite _sure how to break the news. The more she thought about it, the more awkward she felt about asking. Even though it had seemed likesuch a good idea at the time…

"Well… it's just that…" she hemmed and hawed for a moment. "You see, before he left, Cyborg asked a favor of me."

"Um, okay," Terra stated flatly, "But what's that got to do with us?"

"The thing is," Kasumi tried to pick her words carefully, "That while I was doing that favor, I found out that Cyborg owed a favor to someone _else. _But with him leaving for Tamaran with the others, he wouldn't have been able to keep his promise. So… when you said what you were doing last night, I may, a touch hastily, have happened to promise that you two could help in his place."

She winced, not able to meet their gazes, feeling quite guilty over her actions now.

"Wait, so you're asking us a favor to help with a favor that Cyborg asked you… to help with a favor that he owed someone else?" Ryouga's voice was just slightly more amused than good manners would have dictated.

The Tendo sister nodded meekly. "I hope you don't mind…"

"Well, it's kinda hard to say," Terra quipped with a grin. "I mean, you haven't actually told us what the favor is yet. And I'm not sure how we're supposed to be helping you out when we're out on our camping trip."

"Actually, that's it precisely," Kasumi replied matter of factly. "You see, Cyborg and Beast Boy had promised a 'Miss Simms' to go on a camping excursion with a scout troop… or something to that effect. Unfortunately, with all of this unfortunate business over the past few days, he wouldn't have been able to do it."

"You want us to babysit a bunch of kids?" Terra asked, obviously skeptical.

"It would only be for two days, just one night, I promise," Kasumi pleaded. Holding her hands to her chest, she donned her most effective pout. It made her feel just the tiniest bit worse to see Ryouga start to crumble almost immediately. "And the children have been so very eager to spend time with some of the Titans."

"Are you sure you can't just wait until Cyborg is back?" Ryouga asked, nearly pleading himself. "I mean, no one even knows either of us."

"I had thought of that," the Tendo sister admitted. "But they've already had to put it off several times, with emergencies popping up at just the wrong time. And now, if he won't be back for at least two weeks, it's doubtful that they'd be able to go until next spring."

The martial artist and the geokinetic shared a long look between the two of them. Kasumi could almost read their minds as she watched the looks flash across their faces. The growing look of trepidation on Ryouga's face was mirrored quite completely by the growing grin on the young blonde's. True, the conclusion had never been in doubt, but it was important to at least make it seem like Ryouga had some choice in the matter. If only to soothe his fragile male pride.

Kasumi nearly giggled at that thought, but managed to stoically maintain her concerned façade.

At least, until the fanged warrior suddenly threw his arms up into the air, something of great import obviously occurring to him.

"Whoa! Hold on just a second there!" Ryouga's expression, now one of near panic, matched the tone of his voice. "You want _me,"_ he pointed emphatically to his chest, "To wander off with a pack of _children_ into the _wilderness_?"

"Can you even _imagine_ what could happen?"

Instantly, the aptly named Lost Boy stared upwards, losing himself in a terrified daydream.

* * *

Ryouga trudged forward, his feet as heavy as lead as he dragged them through the desert sands. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the line of his charges – an endless stream of young children from eight to ten years old – stretching on past the horizon.

"Mr. Ryouga, when will we reach the promised land?" asked the lead boy scout.

* * *

Kasumi and Terra shared an aside glance. Immediately, the blonde waif shrugged her shoulders. "We watched one of those old Charlton Heston movies last night."

"Ohhh," Kasumi 'oh'd'.

It was too bad that she missed that. It sounded quite entertaining. The price she paid for spending all night on the computer and in the kitchen, she supposed.

Ryouga clasped his hands to his cheeks, his panic only growing. "Or… or what if-"

* * *

Tiny legs pumped as fast as possible, propelling the troop of small children as they scrambled frantically through the underbrush of the ancient Rainforest. The hot, humid air and desperate exercise left all of the boys matted with sweat and grime and they ran for their very lives.

The echoing roar of the great cat gave all the explanation required for the frantic exodus.

Kid-Ryouga, leading his small band of a dozen terrified, sprinting young children yelled out his favorite curse for just these kinds of occasions. _"Ranma! This is all your fault!"_

Behind him, one of the children cried, nose running liberally. "I just wanted to go _caa-aaa-mping!_"

* * *

Kasumi and Terra shared another glance, as well as a pair of large sweat drops between them.

"Ahhh… I do believe that there are going to be several girls along as well," the Japanese woman supplied haltingly, not exactly sure how that would make things better herself.

"Girls!" Ryouga's eyes widened in terror. "But then what if-"

* * *

Ryouga ran for his life, carrying three kids on each shoulder and two clinging to his backpack. They blazed across the idyllic meadow, brilliant green grass beneath their feet and sapphire skies above and the sweet aroma of lilacs filling the air. Everything about the scenery seemed to personify the very concept of paradise itself…

Except for the army of angry Amazon warriors chasing after them, golden spears and golden arrows flying through the air. That the front row of Amazons looked to be roughly nine year old, toga wearing terrors was totally lost on the fleeing males.

* * *

"Okay, _enough_ with the crazy daydreams!" Terra barked, exasperated. Throwing her hands up into the air, the young elemental stomped an indignant foot to the ground (eliciting a not so small tremor on the island.)

"You are _not_ going to get the entire group of kids lost, Ryouga," Terra insisted forcefully. She pointed a finger to her own chest. "_I'm_ going to be there, too, remember?"

Instantly, Ryouga froze-

* * *

'_Except for the army of angry Amazon warriors chasing after them, golden spears and golden arrows flying through the air. That the front row of Amazons looked to be roughly nine year old, toga wearing terrors' _led now by a golden haired teenager wearing an abbreviated toga of her own, and hefting an overly large spear, preparing to throw it has Ryouga's unguarded back-

* * *

A clout to the back of the head snapped Ryouga out of his daydream instantly.

"_Don't make me a bad guy_!"

Terra followed her outburst up immediately by pummelling the martial artist's shoulder with both of her dainty fists. "And what's the idea puttin' me in a tiny little toga like that!"

"_Hey, quit it_!" Waving his hands before him in a vain attempt to ward off the young woman's righteous fury, Ryouga quickly backpedaled to gain some space between them.

Kasumi found herself smiling all over again, a wave of nostalgia tinged with homesickness washing over her as the duo continued their indignant squabbling. It was nice to know that, no matter how far away from home she might be, that home would never be quite as far away as it felt. Granted , Ryouga and Terra weren't engaged (nor _would_ they be; Kasumi would make sure to avoid inviting anyone's potentially shiftless fathers around, just in case), but it was still heart warming to see them acting like such good friends.

"Alright, you two, that's quite enough," Kasumi stated calmly, holding up her hands to calm them. Almost immediately, the pair broke up their 'fight' and fell in step. …Well, almost, as Terra would periodically thrust her elbow into Ryouga's side, even as he retaliated by kicking sand onto her shoes.

Rolling her eyes, Kasumi pointed to the martial artist first. "Now, Ryouga, you're being quite silly. Both Terra and Miss Simms will be there to guide the children, so you won't have to worry about getting lost. Just have fun, and show them how much you know about camping. I'm sure the children will really learn a lot from you."

Her attention then shifted to the geokinetic young woman. "And Terra, you really shouldn't be ashamed to wear a toga like that. You do have very nice legs, after all."

"_Kasumi_!" Terra's face immediately went beat red, even as Ryouga and Kasumi both began laughing. Wiping a small tear from her eye, the Japanese woman stepped forward and swept Terra up into a tight hug.

"Now, you two go on and have a good week." Pulling back, she turned back to Ryouga. "And Ryouga. Tonight was too short of notice for Miss Simms to organize things, so she is going to meet you tomorrow, alright? Can you please remember to contact me when you find where you want to stay, so that I can tell her where to meet you?"

"Of course, Kasumi. That isn't a problem," Ryouga replied easily. "We'll try to find a good spot for a large group. It shouldn't be too hard."

"That sounds lovely." This time, Kasumi bowed deeply, first to Ryouga, then to Terra. "And, again, thank you both, so very much, for doing this for me. I know that I sprung it at the last minute, so I wouldn't have blamed you if you said no."

"Ha, as if," Terra barked, laughing now. "We're just lucky you aren't asking us to rob a bank for you. Even then, I'd probably be tempted to go along with it."

"Hmm," Ryouga ran a knuckle along his chin, "I never _did _get to do the Hive Academy mid-term. I heard it was supposed to be a bank robbery, too."

For just a second, Kasumi found herself thinking '_With Ryouga __**and**__ Terra's powers…_', but quickly shook her head. No, no, that wasn't a nice thing to think about at all. Though… it would be interesting just to see if they _could_ pull it off-

Rapping a knuckle against her head, Kasumi forced the thought from her mind. Noting the odd looks from her companions, she quickly smiled broadly and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I just forgot about something else. Well, it's time for you two to be off. Remember to call me when you arrive at your destination."

Before the duo even had a chance to nod, Kasumi quickly began to retreat back to the tower.

Behind her, Ryouga and Terra shared a confused set of looks. Shrugging first, Terra rolled a wrist lazily. "Man, must have been something pretty important. Maybe she forgot to set the PVR for my shows?"

Ryouga rolled his eyes. "And you couldn't have done that yourself? Oh, what a shameful pupil I have!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever '_master_'. Come on, let's go already." Looking back at the tower one last time, Terra noticed the trio of sealed containers, filled with food for them and their future guests. "Um, so who's getting the food, anyway?"

Smiling widely now, Ryouga turned and began to walk away lazily. "Just who do you _think_ is getting the food, _pupil_?"

The geokinetic looked from her 'master', to the stack of boxed food that probably weighed more than her, then back to Ryouga's slowly diminishing back. "You know… I'm starting to regret this idea already."

Grumbling to herself, Terra lifted a hand. In response to her slight movement, a loud 'crack' split the air, and a disc of earth beneath the containers rose up, lifting the food containers. Then, with the ear grating sound of gravel on gravel, it began to slide across the ground, following closely after Terra as she moved to catch up with the itinerate martial artist.

"Ryouga, wait up… You're going the wrong way!"

* * *

Sighing in contentment, Speedy leaned back into the large chair. Stretching his arms over his head, he interlaced his knuckles before cracking them loudly. A light kick of his foot set the chair to revolving, slowly revealing the entirety of the room as he spun around. Even after all of this time, the sheer size of the Titan's tower staggered the young archer.

Certainly, working with a billionaire like Oliver had its perks (obviously not enough to stick around any longer than necessary, but it had been good while it lasted), but even then he never would have imagined living in such a place as this.

The massive bay of windows, letting the brilliant rays of the morning sun spill in, gave way to the cavernous interior of the Titan's main chamber. Granted, the décor was pretty weak. Reds (which were fine), but a lot of grey, pretty much no decoration, and scant else besides the small kitchenette and the massive semi-circular sofa at the heart of the room. As it was, it was a tremendous waste of space, space with the potential of far greater use.

In his mind's eye, he could see his perfect vision. The room was nearly dark, the intimate atmosphere punctuated only the flashes of colored light angling down from up above. A bass beat so deep that it rattled the ribcage pulsing in the background, inviting – compelling you to move your body. And, of course, the churning sea of nubile young super heroes swaying and grinding to the music.

All the drinks you could drink, all the foods you could food, and an entire tower filled with scantily clad super heroine's just itching to prove that they were just as capable of holding their liquor as their male counterparts.

Scratching his head idly, the crimson archer chuckled. Granted, he had no idea how he could actually get any booze, but it was still nice to dream. As awesome as it was to imagine, he doubted that his gathering would devolve into an orgy of hedonism and debauchery. Probably it would end up more like a high school dance than anything.

Spinning back to face the main terminal of the Titan's equally elaborate and overpowered computer system, Speedy kicked his heels up onto the display console and lazily crossed his hands behind his head. Still, a party was a party, and even without drowning in a flood of teenage hormones, it would still be good to see some of the old familiar faces.

Maybe next time, he might even invite the Titan's to one of their own parties. If only to be polite.

The first step for now, though, was to start inviting people. It was already going to be problematic finding enough people to fill even this single room, let alone half of the tower. The very nature of their profession did not lend itself to what could be called 'large peer groups'. Teenage super heroes were not exactly the most common resource on the planet, after all. Even if he invited all of the teen heroes he personally knew, he'd be lucky to fill up the couch.

A grin settled on his face. Luckily, he knew someone that was a lot more connected to the community than himself. A relative newcomer, true enough, not even a full year on the job, but she'd made something of a reputation for herself. A veritable mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and gifted with a damn sexy voice.

If one needed to get the word out, and to the right people, then there was only way to go.

Leaning forward, he reached for the phone-

The sound of a throat clearing lightly behind him caught his attention. Glancing back over his shoulder, he noted the tall, Japanese woman standing behind him. No longer wearing the oversized coat, she was dressed in a pale yellow blouse and a pair of finely fitted jeans. Kasumi's hands were clasped before her and she stared at him intently, head tilted to the side a few fractions of an inch.

"Excuse me. I just wanted to ask-" The older woman hesitated for a moment, eying him evenly. "Are you certain that holding a party is what you should be doing? Shouldn't we be focusing on protecting the city?"

Uncraning his neck and going back to his splendid view of the city's famous bay, Speedy scoffed audibly. Holding up a hand, he extended one finger.

"First off. It's '_me_', not '_we_'."

He then extended the next finger. "Second. This city is a piece of cake. Seriously, I've worked in _Bludhaven_ before. There's nothing in this town that's gonna give me any trouble."

Dropping his feet from the console, he replied to the notably non-super woman directly. "No need to worry, lady, I'm still gonna do patrols and whatnot, but that'll still leave plenty of time for me to set up the party. No problems."

Kasumi's head tilted from one side to the other, her eyes still studying him owlishly. "Well, then if you don't want my help with the city, then perhaps I can help with the party? If I can take over some of the host duties, then you'll have more time to devote to the city."

It only took Speedy a moment of studying the demure, proper looking woman to come to a decision. "Ummm, _naw_. I want this to be a cool party, not a knitting circle."

For just a fraction of a second, he could have sworn that the tall brunette's knuckles went white, but it passed so quickly that it was likely just a trick of the light. The pleasant smile on her face never left, after all. If anything, her smile only seemed to grow.

"I can assure you that I've hosted 'fun parties' before," she stated calmly. Leaning forward slightly, she swung her hands behind her, clasping them behind her back. "But if you really don't need my help for anything, well, I suppose that leaves me with plenty of time on my hands."

The corner of her mouth quirked upwards, almost a twitch really, just enough to – again, for only a fraction of a second – make her already wide smile look nearly painful. The idea of free time must have really been appealing to the older woman, though, as her eyes were positively dancing with excitement.

"I'm certain that I'll be able to find _something_ to do with my evenings."

Speedy stared at her oddly for a moment before finally shrugging. Spinning back to the computer, he waved dismissively over his shoulder. "Sounds good to me. If you _really_ wanna help, I suppose you can pick up some snacks, or something. Chips, pop, that kinda stuff."

Behind his back, he could hear his companion's light footfalls as she began her egress. "Of course. I was thinking of heading into town this evening, regardless."

"I just… need to pick up a thing or two first."

And with that, she was gone. Speedy let out a puff of breath, teasing his bangs. That Kasumi was an odd one. Pretty hot, for certain, in an older woman kinda way, but her uselessness to his causes was a bit annoying. He still hadn't gotten a satisfactory answer as to why she was hanging out with the Titans. At least the headband guy and the blonde twig were both _supposed_ to be super types, even though they were pretty unreliable themselves.

Well them, at least, he could give the benefit of the doubt. If anything did come up, they'd be a call away, after all. He wouldn't mind seeing what the dirt loving duo was capable of.

He still couldn't shake the sense of déjà vu with the blonde, but nothing he could put his finger on.

But that was a matter for another time. Back to the important stuff. Leaning forward, Speedy picked up the phone imbedded into the computer console and dialed the set of digits he'd managed to weasel out of Robin a few months back. He still didn't know how Robin got the number, but the Boy Wonder was tied to a somewhat more infamous mentor than Speedy was, so aggressive information gathering had always been a bit more of Robin's forte.

The phone only rang once.

"Oracle here. What can I do for you, Robin?" The voice was undeniable female, even though it was obviously being run through a few filters. These tech types always went way overboard with the whole 'secret identity' thing. Reminded him of when Robin told him about the week when the Batman had strep throat, or something like that. Talking so growly and gravelly that it had been all the Boy Wonder could do not to fall over laughing.

"Heh, a little off the mark, mystery lady," he replied smoothly. "This is your friendly neighbourhood archer."

"Speedy?" The voice inquired, sounding curious even through the distortion. "Why are you calling from the Titan's Tower? Last I heard, you were in Fawcett City."

"Hmm, you _do_ keep in the loop, don't you?" he replied, quite impressed. He had been in Fawcett, but the lead he had been following had unfortunately dried up.

And, by dried up, he meant 'captured by the 'Big Red Cheese' himself, Captain Marvel, and thrown into prison. Kind of hard for a no-namer like himself to question a guy in lockdown, that much was for certain.

"For the most part, anyway," he correct smugly. "After all, if you were _really_ up to date, you'd know that the Titans were off planet."

"They're what?" came a surprised bark. "All of them? Even their two new members?"

"Well, no, they lef-" He paused. "Wait a minute. You know about Fang Guy and the Waif Wonder?"

He heard her scoff loudly. "Are you kidding? With the uproar on the web from the fact that the Titans are crazy enough to let that Terra girl stay with them after she nearly wiped out the entire city?"

The dose of information struck Speedy with freight train force.

"Whoa, hold on a second." His eyes widened in near panic. "Did you just say that _that girl_, she's _that_ Terra? The traitor that tried to kill off Robin and the others?"

He nearly dropped the phone, his fingers suddenly feeling numb. Terra, the powerful geokinetic girl that had the power to take on the entire Titan team, _by herself_, and Robin had left Speedy to watch over her by himself? And the spikey haired jerkass hadn't even thought to _mention _that fact?

"That's right. Hell of a stupid thing to do, if you ask me. But Cyborg has been defending their actions adamantly for weeks now. Says she's getting training with her powers, has changed her ways, the whole nine yards."

The image of the small blonde girl, laughing and smiling as she joked easily with her so-called mentor flashed through Speedy's mind. Now that he thought about it, this 'Terra', hadn't exactly looked or acted like the Terror that the news had painted her out to be. Robin had never said anything about her, one way or the other, so it wasn't like Speedy had had any different viewpoints to work from.

But after last night, and this morning… And Ryouga had mentioned doing some training on their trip. Was he the one that was training her? It suddenly made things make more sense in his mind. Who better to leave the dangerous girl with than with the person that was training her to use her powers?

Though… just what the hell had this 'Ryouga' guy done to so earn the Titans' trust? They only asked Speedy to come in and protect the city from muggers. Yet they had left Ryouga as the sole preventative measure against a city leveling threat like Terra.

Okay, so maybe there wasn't a need to panic yet. Like he'd thought earlier. Benefit of the doubt. That… and maybe keeping the 'big boom' arrow within easy reach in his quiver for the next few nights.

"So, what can ya tell me about this Hibiki guy, anyway? The Titans were in too much of a rush last night to actually tell me anything useful."

"Embarassingly, not as much as I'd like" Oracle admitted, her voice a bit terse. "The guy's paper trail is spotty, to say the least. And even though he's been with the Titans for months now, they've been keeping him under lock and key for most of that time. From the sounds of it, his first serious mission with the Titans was two nights ago, fighting that Adonis lunatic."

He could hear the sounds of the skilled hacker typing away over the line. "Robin hasn't volunteered any information, either, and I never got around to asking, since the 'Terra' stuff was a lot more important. All I know for sure is that he's from Japan, is purportedly a skilled martial artist, and that he's somehow related to that Saotome Ranma guy over in Tokyo."

Saotome…? Oh, right! The giant ink demon battle! Damn, but that had been an epic fight!

A pause. Whoa, he remembered just what kind of a fighter that Saotome had been. Calling him a 'skilled martial artist' would be like calling Black Canary, 'a bit of a loud mouth'. Speedy was no slouch himself in hand to hand, but last time he'd checked, he wasn't up to punching holes in concrete with his _head_.

Was Ryouga _that_ kind of guy? If so, then having him in charge of Terra started making even more sense.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember that. So you figure he's as badass as Saotome? That explains why the Titans brought him in."

"Actually… no. From what little is mentioned in Cyborg's post, and what I've been able to pull from the rumor mills, they didn't bring him in to fight."

"Really? If they weren't looking for a new butt-kicker, than why keep him around?"

"Well, this might sound a bit far-fetched, but he… supposedly brought Terra back from the dead."

Again, Speedy found himself at a loss for words.

"He _what_?"

"You heard me. Like I said, it's impossible to tell for sure. Cyborg uses terms like 'restored', and 'reverse fossilization', which sound like total bunk." He could hear the mysterious woman give a frustrated huff. Apparently lacking possibly critical information was somewhat annoying for notable 'fonts of information'. "But it _would_ explain why this Hibiki guy never got out until recently. If he was spending all his time working with Terra."

Again, the memory of Ryouga interacting with Terra earlier that morning flashed through the archer's head.

…_Nah_.

"I think that one is definitely more fiction than fact, babe. Trust me, _that_ guy is no miracle worker." He chuckled to himself. "Anyway, I'll keep an eye on the both of them while the Titans are away. I called you for something more important than gossip, Oracle."

"You still haven't told me why the Titans are off planet," she reminded him sharply.

He smirked. "Alright, but you can consider this tidbit as payment for the favor you're going to be doing for me, alright?"

"As long as it's good."

Speedy nodded to himself. "Oh, it is. The Titans are on their way to Tamaran. For a wedding."

"A wedding? On Tamaran?" Oracle's voice rose in pitch. "Starfire is getting married? To who? It isn't to… to _Robin_, is it?"

Were it anyone else, Speedy could have almost sworn that Oracle sounded caught somewhere between worried and furious. But why would an anonymous information provider care who got married to who?

"No, no. Some alien prince, or _something._ So Star is moving back home. The Titans are just giving her a ride, so they're going to be out of town for a good two weeks at least."

He was almost certain he heard a silent sigh of relief, but honestly wasn't too interested in his current friend's emotional entanglements.

"Starfire is leaving for good? That's… too bad…" Oracle's voice finally returned to a more even keel. "Well, alright, that seems to explain just a tiny bit of the crazy that's been going on around that place for the past few months. Now what was this about a favor?"

Finally! Time to get to business. He nodded to himself again, though it was a wasted gesture. "That's right. It actually has to do with the Titan's being away. See, I'm planning to have a – an intimate get together in their absence. So I want you to get the word out to all the teenage heroes out there and let them know 'Party at Titan's Tower on Saturday'."

"You're throwing a party at Robin's home while he's away?"

"That's the long and the short of it, yeah."

"While he's entrusted you to watch his city?"

"One does not preclude the other, my dear. In fact, imagine how much safer the city will be with so many heroes in it!" He leaned back, kicking his feet up again. It was hard to keep a mostly straight face.

"And why, exactly, would I want to waste my _important_ resources, and my _precious_ time acting as a singing telegram to invite people to this party?" she asked, sounding far less inclined to help him than he was hoping she would be.

"Well… I _did_ just fill in a pretty big blank in your 'all knowingness'. I doubt even the Bat knows that his favorite protégé is out of the belfry." He grinned to himself. "And, of course, you're invited as well. Beautiful women are always welcome to one of Speedy's party."

A light chuckle was his reply. "Presumptuous much? I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm not much of a dancer these days." A pause, followed by a somewhat baser bark of laughter. "But, I suppose I did say I'd help you if the information was good… and it was. Alright, I'll put the word out. I won't guarantee that anyone will actually _like_ you enough to come to your party, but I'll try, at least."

"Oh, ha ha. A comedian, I see. Just you wait and see."

He leaned forward, excitement dancing beneath his domino eyemask.

"It's gonna be _perfect_."

* * *

The dim lighting glinted off of the polished, silver surface of the slightly bent fork. The interplay of light and shadow on the small implement's surface only seemed to accentuate the small payload of pale yellow food it promised to deliver. The smell was of a fine, spiced cider, and the warm, crispy crust nearly crumbled from the force of his gaze alone. Even the small rivulet of melting ice cream as it slid between the steaming slices of apple was nearly hypnotic.

Apparently the chef of Ben's Roadside Diner knew a thing or two about cooking up a nice apple pie.

Ryouga smiled as he looked around, taking in the décor. He was sitting at a long, wooden bar, the top of the bar polished to a glasslike surface by the sleeves of a thousand hungry and thirsty truckers before him. A wide mirror hung on the far side of the bar, a dingy film from years of smoke, steam and whatever else hung in the air clung to the broad sheet of silvered glass, but it still provided a passable reflection for him to see the rest of the diner.

Sitting at his side, staring at him expectantly even as she held up a piece of her own apple pie, was his golden haired disciple. Beast Boy's green wind breaker had been draped over the worn, orange stool next to the slight warrior, and her sky blue shirt took on something of a navy hue through the looking glass darkly. Behind them, various tables, for both dining and playing pool, were spread out across the room. Old styled light fixtures, hanging long, stained glass housings with amusing designs cast an orange hue across the entire room, generating a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

It was a bit at odds with the somewhat rough crowd that filled it. Ryouga noted a few obvious bikers, as well as some large truckers. But not only had Terra not flinched as they entered, she spoke to the waitress like a regular.

"Sheesh, are you gonna eat the pie, or are you gonna ask it to marry you?"

The voice, tight with impatience, snapped the drifting drifter back to the present. He frowned slightly as he noted most of the ice cream had melted off of the sliver of pie he'd been holding up, and steam was no longer rising up from the apple filling. Glancing at his student out of the corner of his eye, he let out a low grunt.

"Just letting it cool down, student. You really need to learn some patience."

She eyed him before letting out a petulant huff, puffing up her cheeks. Dropping both hands to rest on the edge of her stool, she leaned forward. "Just _try_ the _pie_ already!"

Shaking his head, he leaned forward himself, and slid the fork into his mouth. Chewing on the delicate desert for a few moments, tilting his head from side to side, he noted Terra's eyes going wider as she watched him intently. Finally, he nodded to himself as he swallowed the thoroughly chewed pie.

"Mmm, that wasn't too bad."

Obviously, he must have said something wrong, as instantly, Terra deflated. Spinning back towards the bar, she dropped her elbows on the edge of the bar and dropped her chin onto her upraised the palm before letting out a sad little 'huff'.

"What?" he asked. "It's good pie, I'll give you that. What's the matter?"

Letting out a sigh, Terra turned back to look at him. Picking up her fork, she idly waved it in his direction. "I dunno… I was just expecting a bigger reaction. I mean, when I brought Beast Boy here, he was all, like-"

The young geokinetic scrunched up her face, ending up looking a bit shell shocked. "_This is the greatest pie… in the history of pie._"

The itinerate martial artist couldn't help but chuckle at the startlingly accurate impersonation. "That definitely sounds like something he'd say." He wiggled his fork back at her, a smirk on his face. "Though, are you sure he might not have been a little influenced by the company he was keeping? You never told me you took Beast Boy on a _date_."

"_It wasn't like that_!" Terra's face went red and she nearly dropped her chin right into her pie, trying to hide her embarrassment. Before he had a chance to tease further (how often did he get to be on this side of the teasing? Like twice in his life?), her expression suddenly sobered. She didn't look up, but she did respond further.

"It really wasn't like that… I mean, it kind of was, but it all just went so wrong." The blonde warrior lifted her gaze to stare at the grimy mirror across from them. He couldn't really place her expression, but it was almost… searching. Was she expecting to see something in the reflection when he couldn't?

"I actually _did_ want it to be like that, but-" Her gaze dropped down to stare at her shoes, her feet kicking weakly against the stool post. "I… don't even know what I was _thinking_. After what I'd done… did I think he was just going to run away with me? I – I -" Her shoulder's began to hitch as her voice wavered.

Instantly, Ryouga's frame went stiff. Realization struck him like one of Ranma's fists. Cyborg had mentioned the night when the Tower had been attacked, so long ago. It had been when Ryouga was still trying to gather information to help him free Terra from her igneous prison. His titanium team mate had mentioned that Beast Boy had been absent that night, but hadn't had too many details.

Reaching out, he dropped a gentle hand on her narrow shoulder. Caught mid-sniff, Terra nearly recoiled from his touch, but he held her in place, if only to prevent her from falling off her seat. Lowering himself down enough to let him meet her gaze evenly, he gave a small shake of his head.

"You don't need to talk about it, if you don't want to, Terra," he explained quietly. "I understand if you want to keep it to yourself."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she stared back at him. One of her hands dropped down on his, gripping on with manic intensity. "Do you mean it? You don't mind if I – if I keep secrets from you?"

Giving a loud chuckle, as much bravado as mirth, he waved off her concern with his free hand. "As long as it doesn't involved water balloons, I'm alright. After all, I know better than most, about keeping secrets." He shook his head weakly. "I'll have to tell you about the Koi rod sometime…"

He quickly re-thought _that_ offer.

"On second thought, actually, I'll be taking that one to the grave with me, if at all possible."

"Wait, what's a 'Coy Rod'?" Instantly, Terra's expression shifted from grim to curious. Leaning forward, she caught his gaze with intent inquisitiveness. "What happened?"

He let out a bark of laughter, carefully nudging her back onto her stool. "Now now, no prying into secrets, remember? I think we'll both feel a bit better not knowing about each other's lowest points, yes?"

Instantly, a weapon's grade pout settled on Terra's face, and she crossed her arms firmly across her chest. "Hmph! I never said it was okay for _you_ to keep secrets from _me_! That's not fair!"

"That's the _definition_ of fair!" he fired back incredulously. Giving her a light pat on the back, he nodded to her dessert. "Now eat your pie already. We still need to plan out our trip."

Letting out an annoyed grunt (where did she pick up such an unladylike habit, anyway? He'd have to talk to Beast Boy about that.) she began to dig in. Despite her annoyance, Ryouga could still see a ghost of a smile on her face as she complied with his 'order' to eat her food. He let out an internal sigh of relief, having nearly skirted disaster there.

"Now," he began between bites. Pulling out his map once more, he pointed to a region north of the city. "I think we should head up here, to the forested area north of the city. There should be some ideal camping spots up there."

"What?" Terra dropped her fork before dropping a fist onto her hip. "I don't want to camp in any lame forest!"

Pointing with much aplomb, she indicated the blank stretch of map to the east of the city. "I wanted to camp out in the desert. It's way more beautiful out there, and it won't even get too hot this time of year."

"Yeah, and it'll only get 'slightly' freezing at night," he countered, rolling his eyes. Tapping his fingers to the map again (but not detonating it… yet), he nodded firmly. "The forests will help cut down on the winds, so it will be more comfortable at night."

"Comfortable? _Pffft!_" Terra rasperried him shamelessly. "I didn't realize we were a bunch of little girls afraid to get dirt under our manicures."

Ryouga just _stared_ at the young woman, but she met his gaze, chin held high and proud and met his look with one that said '_I dare you to say what you're thinking of saying!'_

"Besides," Terra added, "There forest is way too cramped if we wanna do any actual training. At least in the desert we can have some fun without worrying about leveling the place."

"Hmm," Ryouga hmm'd. "You actually have a point there."

Of course, and very much unlike himself, Ryouga found it necessary to consider things beyond just himself. "Unfortunately, while _we_ might not be a pair of young girls-" He eyed her tellingly at that. "We _are_ going to be travelling with a bunch of little kids for at least a day or two, remember? And I think they're all expecting a woodland excursion."

"Excursion? What's with the Raven language?"

"Hey, I can watch documentaries, too, ya know?" he fired back in annoyance. Granted, said documentaries were infinitely more watchable in the company of… certain individuals. Not that he'd had any _time_ for that lately, nor _would he_ for at least _two weeks_ with all of this insanity lately! Never even mind this complete Tamaranian marriage _bullsh-_

"Hey! You still in there?"

Ryouga snapped back to focus, noting a bony knuckle bouncing off his forehead. Giving his head a shake, he glanced askance at Terra. "What?"

She studied him dubiously for a moment, before pointing to his hand. "Umm, I was just suggesting that, maybe, we spend the first couple of days with the kids in the forest. And then, ya know, spend the rest of the week in the desert. But then you started bending your fork into modern art…"

Looking down, he noted the piece of twisted steel in his hand, the silvery metal wrapping around his fingers like pulled wire. Chuckling in embarrassment, he quickly attempted to unbend the ruined implement.

"Sorry, just got distracted," he assured her. "But yeah, that sounds fine. Training in the desert would actually be the best, now that I think of it."

Frowning, Ryouga pinned the end of the fork to the bar with one finger, then pressed his palm down onto it, before sliding his hand along the bar to flatten it out. Once done, he lifted up the fork… which was now perfectly flat, and probably 25% longer and thinner than it had been before.

Shrugging, he put it down carefully beside his plate. Maybe they could use an extra knife?

Letting out an annoyed huff of her own, Terra pulled out some money and dropped it on the counter before pulling him off his stool. "C'mon, let's get going. We need to find a place to stay before sunset."

Ryouga let himself get pulled out the door of the diner. "Oh, don't worry, Terra. We've still got a few hours."

"Yeah, and I want to find a good place to set up before those hours are up. I hate setting up camp in the dark," she declared indignantly. Sliding her coat back on, and donning her pack once more, Terra dispersed the stone prison covering the stacked up boxes of food they'd left outside the diner, and willed up another stone platform to drag it behind them.

"Don't be so serious," he chided teasingly. "This is a vacation, not a mission. I mean, didn't I see an Amusement Park not too far from here? I bet we could have some fun there before we-"

"_No!"_

"…Or not…" Too bad, he'd always wanted to try a roller coaster.

* * *

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

_Oh my, have Ryouga and Terra finally found a place to stay?_ Kasumi looked up, noting the setting sun in the distance. It was certainly about time that the pair called her. She was starting to get worried that they actually _had_ managed to get themselves lost. Luckily, it seemed, that Terra had been able to reign in her 'mentor's' somewhat notorious direction sense.

Taking a moment to prepare herself – noting the nice breeze in her hair – she took another few seconds to primp before finally pulling out her communicator. Taking a quick glance from side to side and, quite predictably, seeing no one in her vicinity, she ran a finger over the smooth surface of the hexagonal communicator. Unlike Ryouga's, the surface was still flawless and gleaming, having seen very little use since she had received it.

Flipping it open, she prepared to greet Ryouga and/or Terra-

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, honestly surprised.

Only for her caller to be neither of the above!

"Tendo Kasumi?" asked the wizened, raspy voice, sounding very nearly as surprised as the Tendo sister, herself.

"Elder Cologne?" Kasumi replied, her surprise now of the pleasant variety. She brushed a few errant locks of long, chestnut hair over her ear as she lifted the communicator closer to her face to hear better. "What a pleasant surprise. It's been some time since we've spoken."

"An oversight which, unfortunately, I have not the time to remedy at the moment," Cologne offered politely. "Alas, pleasantries must wait. I must speak with Starfire, post haste."

Kasumi's eyes widened slightly. Shifting slightly upon her uncomfortable perch, she waffled for a moment. "I'm… very sorry, Elder Cologne, but – but Starfire is not available to speak with you."

"Please, this is very important," the ancient warrior intoned solemnly. "If she is on a patrol, or involved in something else, please interrupt her. What I must speak to her of, is of the utmost importance to the Village."

That, alone, nearly left Kasumi speechless. She touched her fingertips to her lip, letting out a small, worried gasp. What could possibly be so important that it had the Matriarch in such a state? Granted, Cologne could tend towards the melodramatic just as much as any other of Ranma's friends… but still, this seemed quite urgent.

"I'm afraid that I can't help you," Kasumi insisted. "You see, Starfire left Earth last night. She is currently on her way to Tamaran, even as we speak."

"She is what?" Cologne asked, her voice rising a fraction of a decibel. "Did she give a reason? The timing of all of this… it cannot be coincidence."

"Timing of what?" Kasumi studied the small screen intently, but the wizened Amazon was an eminent master of the 'poker face'. "Starfire is going to be married. Did – did you hear about it from someone else already?"

Cologne's large, owlish eyes widened visibly at her revelation, and her face suddenly expanded to fill more of the screen as she pulled her own communication device closer. "Starfire goes to be _wed_?" The aging martial artist shook her head at that. "No, it can certainly be no coincidence… but I can scarcely believe that she would be involved in such a thing."

"Really?" Kasumi asked, somewhat confused. "Well, it seemed that Starfire wasn't enthused with the idea, but she is a woman that takes her responsibilities seriously. She said that her Grand Ruler decreed the wedding-"

"No, not that," Cologne interrupted a touch sharply. "I mean with the dissolution of the treaty between the Joketzuko village and Tamaran."

"Wait, what? Starfire mentioned nothing about that," the Tendo responded earnestly. "And why would Starfire do such a thing? Wasn't she the one that proposed it in the first place?"

At that, Cologne leaned back, revealing darkness behind her… and perhaps a few lights in the background. City lights? It was almost impossible to make out.

"Indeed, which makes it all the more puzzling." Steepling her hands before her, Cologne studied Kasumi carefully. "You say Starfire was told to come home, to be married, but mentioned nothing of the treaty?"

Taking another moment to brush several more windblown strands of hair from her face, Kasumi nodded. "That is precisely it. She received the call early yesterday morning. They have been out of communication with us for most of the day already."

"Hmm," Cologne hmm'd sounding quite wise indeed. "By 'them', I assume you mean the rest of the Titans are with her as well?"

"Everyone except for Ryouga, Terra and myself, yes."

A minute nod. "Ah, yes, the elemental girl. Another oversight which I need to rectify… if only I had the time." A deep frown settled on the ancient Amazon's withered lips. "Unfortunately, this situation is quickly growing from annoyance to mystery, and I do dislike mysteries. I only received word of the treaty's dissolution mere hours ago, and the Council was only made aware by the fact that the Tamaranian cruiser stationed above our village has begun preparations to depart permanently."

Cologne allowed herself a small smile next. "I've been told that it took no small amount of feminine wiles to convince the Captain of the vessel to explain his actions."

Kasumi mirrored the sly grin with one of her own. Though she, personally, would _never _use her feminine wiles in such a way (…except for maybe once or twice, but those didn't _really _count), her lessons on the subject meant she could understand the usefulness of such techniques. Of course, that made the entire situation only that much more confusing. Was Tamaran cutting off all ties with earth? Had they only been interested in their planet as long as Starfire had been living here?

"Well," Kasumi trailed off uncertainly, "I'm not certain what I can do to help you. Asides from hoping you some luck, it seems that this situation is beyond any of our control."

"There are _very few_ situations which are beyond _my_ control, child," Cologne corrected her proudly. "In fact, with what you have told me, I believe there is only one logical course of action to take. Thank you for your assistance, young one, I will not forget it."

Dipping her head politely, Kasumi held up a hand and waved it slightly before her face. "Oh my, no, I did hardly anything at all."

She paused, curiosity gnawing away at her.

"Before you go, though…" She leaned from side to side, trying vainly to peer around the seated Cologne. "Are you… in a city? I thought you were back in the village?"

Expression as cool as ice, Cologne waved a hand dismissively. "I am merely visiting a recently acquired business partner. I plan to return to the village immediately."

At that, Cologne leaned forward, eyes searching for clues. "But, if I might ask… why does it appear that you are on a rooftop?"

Kasumi started at that, quickly pulling the communicator closer to her face. "Oh, I was just watching the sunset from the top of the tower, is all."

"Ah, and I made you miss it. Apologies, child. But I must say farewell for now. I have much to do this night."

The Tendo sister nodded politely. "Think nothing of it. I… have a few things to do tonight as well."

And with that, the call finally ended. The small screen flickered to black, and Kasumi clicked the device closed before slipping it back into the compartment on her belt. Smiling sheepishly, Kasumi leaned back on the ledge of the Titan's tower.

She hadn't lied at all, though she'd probably seemed a bit suspicious. Of course, there was the truth, and then there was 'the truth'.

As she said, she did have a few things to do this night, after all.

That in mind, she picked up the black piece of fabric from where she'd set it beside her when she'd received the call from Cologne. Stretching out the elastic material revealed a stark white picture at the center of it, a rough depiction of a skull. With smile widening by the moment, Kasumi slid the mask on-

* * *

Red X leapt up to her feet, enjoying the sensation of the high winds as they caressed her body through the thin, though insulated material of her suit. The breeze cracked through her short cape and whistled over her ear covers, and she loved every minute of it. It had been far _far_ too long since she had been able to come out and play.

It was so very nice that all of her friends had made it just too convenient to resist. It was also so nice that _Speedy_, that primping, preening, egoistical little priss of a hero had been so kind as to give her such a good excuse to get out once more. Oh, the fun they would have.

First thing first, though, she had a thing or two to pick up in town.

A flicker of blackness and a second later, the rooftop was empty once more.

* * *

Cologne turned off the display with a flick of her finger. The ancient warrior then leaned back, sinking into the exquisite comfort of her imported leather conference chair. Though none of the lights were on, her vast office was still illuminated by the light pollution of the metropolis that was Metropolis.

Though, she supposed that she wasn't one to speak of naming conventions. Naming a tribe of warrior woman, 'the tribe of warrior women' wasn't exactly that far removed from naming a city after the number of occupants it had, now was it?

Still, she would have to be careful about that in the future. She'd already allowed Hibiki to catch her once, and now Kasumi. True, she had not actually lied in either case, but then, there was a difference between the truth, and 'the truth'.

Just how interested would Ryouga's new friends be, if they were to learn that Cologne was currently staying in Metropolis? In the employ of one Lex Luthor?

But, that was a worry for another time. As much as Luthor offered the village, it was nothing compared to what the alliance with Tamaran, an actual interstellar race, offered. Cologne _had_ to find out why the treaty had been dissolved. And why it had been done in such a disrespectful manner. There was no way that the charming young Starfire would be a party to such an act; at the very least, she would have had the courage to tell them directly if something was amiss.

There was only one thing that was for certain.

She _would_ be on that ship when it left for Tamaran.

Leaning forward, she activated the communication display embedded in her oversized desk once more, entering a frequency be rote. It took only a scant few moments before a familiar face appeared on the screen.

"Lotion, find someone you trust and meet me at the stone circle to the north of the village. I will meet you there in less than four hours."

The young, yet mature looking Amazon warrior stared back across the communication channel, clearly shocked. "_Four_ _hours_? But, Elder, are you not still in Met-"

"Do as I say, child," Cologne ordered. "I _will_ be there when I say."

"And," she added after a brief moment of thought, "Please collect the following things before you set out…"

* * *

With one last hit from the rock, Terra drove the final peg of her tent into the ground. Standing up, the blonde dropped her makeshift hammer before dusting off her hands, feeling quite satisfied with herself. It had actually been quite some time since she'd had to pitch a tent… quite some time, plus nearly a year on top of that, now that she thought of it.

Tilting her head to the side, she eyed her tent critically. Come to think of it, the camouflage green pup tent _was_ looking a little saggy. The triangular enclosure dipped down a bit in the middle, and she probably could have spaced the spikes out a bit better… but whatever, she'd get more practice over the rest of the week.

Spinning around, she dropped her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly. The clearing they had found to set camp in was spacious, and the full moon overhead bathed them with soft, silver light, nearly lighting up the night completely. Lush grass covered the forest floor, and the tall trees which surrounded the clearing offered some protection from the breeze she could hear whistling through their upper branches. In the distance, she could even hear the sound of a stream flowing past. All in all, it was just an utterly gorgeous night.

The sight, sound and smell of the campfire sent Terra's mind hurtling back through an endless stream of memory, countless nights spent beneath the stars huddled up next to a fire exactly like this one. The feeling of warmth on her skin, even from a few yards away, was wonderful, and she took a few steps closer to battle off the chill night air.

On the far side of the fire, Ryouga's tent was already setup. Her mentor chose a more modern style dome tent (whatever happened to tradition, anyway?), and had pitched it right next to the stone enclosure she had created to keep their food stores safe from unwelcome animal visitors. At the moment, the master martial artist was stacking up some wood next to the fire, carefully bisecting each cord of wood in half, and then in half again with expert swipes of his hand.

Terra found herself scratching her head. How exactly was he doing that again? It wasn't like his fingers were sharp, or anything. Just another one of those odd martial artist things, again, she supposed.

Another sharp '_crack'_ split the air as he cut the last piece of wood and carefully stacked it a safe distance from the fire. Taking advantage of the lull in activity, Terra paced around the fire to stand over her 'master' and leaned forward, hands still on her hips. Smiling brightly, she addressed her current concern.

"So, what do ya want to do first? Make some Smores? Tell some ghost stories?"

Taking a moment to nudge his pile of wood this way, and then that, aiming for perfection, Ryouga glanced up at her. Serious expression on his face, he replied matter of factly, "The first thing we are going to do, is get some sleep. We've had a long day on the road, and I have a feeling the next few days are going to be pretty busy."

"What?" Terra barked, "But I don't wanna sleep yet. We got a bunch of camping protocol to follow still."

"Protocol?" Ryouga asked, smile creeping onto his face. "Sheesh, Terra, we've got all _week_ out here. We'll get to the '_row-row-row your boat'_ later. Are you seriously telling me that you're not tired after walking all day?"

"Of _course_ no-" Terra's indignant denial dissolved into a hideously embarrassing intake of air that, to the layman could be confused with a yawn, but most assuredly wasn't. "-_aww_-ot…"

Her cheeks burnt with heat that had nothing to do with the fire at her side, but Terra refused to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging her slip up. Planting fist ever more firmly on hip, she leaned forward nearly close enough to headbutt the kneeling martial artist.

"I'm _so_ not tired! Let's _do_ something."

Her mentor stared at her evenly for a moment, before that nasty little grin of his resurfaced, one of his oversized fangs peeking out over his lower lip. It was an odd mixture of adorable and dangerous (Beast Boy had a similar thing going, though his mixture was more 90-10, as opposed to Ryouga's 50-50… or Raven's 10-90). Rising to his feet, Ryouga dusted his hands off on his pants before bringing them together to crack his knuckles loudly.

"Well… if you're _that_ fired up… then it would be a waste to, well, waste all that energy." Suddenly, the martial artist dropped back into a combat stance, holding his hands up in a threatening gesture before her. "Night training sounds like a good idea. How about we start with a nice light spar?"

She missed Ryouga's stunned double blink as he finally realised she was already on the far side of the camp again, digging her sleeping bag from her back pack. She did catch him stand up and run a hand through the hair at the base of his neck and release an amused chuckle, though.

"What happened to all that energy? I thought you wanted some exercise?"

Rolling her eyes, she freed the heavy, goose down sleeping bag and began untying the straps. Firing a flat glare over her shoulder, she let out an annoyed huff.

"I've got a headache."

Ignoring the bark of laughter from behind her, Terra started to look for her pillow next. Where had she put it again? She had been sure she packed it… Oh, wait, there it was! Triumphantly, she dug the highly compressed head comforter from the very bottom of the pack and held it above her head. Turning to gloat over her victory, she paused at the unusual sight of Ryouga unrolling his own (synthetic) sleeping bag, right on the ground next to the fire.

Still holding her pillow over her head, she let out an interrogative grunt. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Kneeling down to smooth out his dark green sleeping bag, Ryouga gave a simple shrug of his shoulders. "It's far too nice of a night to spend in a tent."

Obviously satisfied with his answer, the older warrior then slid himself into the insulated depths of his sleeping bag and quickly began making himself comfortable. Terra could only stare for a moment, her gaze shifting from Ryouga, to her own sleeping bag, and then to her own tent before making the rotation a second time.

It _was_ beautiful out tonight… but a sharp shiver as an errant breeze cut through her light shirt reminded her of the reality that it was no longer summer out. She didn't want to look like a wimp; If he could sleep under the stars, then she could do it _better_. Sure, she wasn't exactly sure what that _entailed_, but it was the thought that counted.

The sight of her teacher now completely relaxed, arms stretched lazily over his head and his hands folded behind his head as if he didn't even notice the temperature in the slightest, only steeled her resolve. Nodding firmly to herself, she came to a decision and stuck with it.

She was rewarded with Ryouga's puzzled expression as she walked back over to his side of the camp fire and unfurled her sleeping bag right next to his – well, overlapping a few inches, actually – placing herself implacably between him and the fire. She didn't even dignify his questioning glance with a shred of acknowledgement as she crawled into her sleeping bag. It wasn't until she was firmly in place, and dropped her head onto his upturned arm for a pillow, that she finally met his gaze.

"_What_?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just wondering if I'm going to need a 'personal boundaries' speech here," he replied with a lazy grin.

"Pfft, as if," she retorted, looking straight up at the stars now. "Get your mind out of the gutter, _master_. It's cold out, is all."

"Oh _really_? So says the girl that wanted to camp out in the desert? Please tell me that you didn't get any dirt under your manicure while you were setting up your tent."

"With all due respect: please shut it, Ryouga."

"Oh, the disrespect I put up with," the human pillow responded, mock hurt in his voice. "This must be how Mr. Saotome feels every day."

Immediately, Terra lashed out with a righteous elbow of justice – only to clutch it back to her side an instant later.

'_Oh, funny bone! Funny bone!_'

The slight geokinetic rolled from side to side for a moment, before finally turning to glare at her head rest. "You better not have just compared me to Ranma, there," she half growled.

Looking straight up now, and obviously fighting a vain battle to stop from snickering, Ryouga shook his head from side to side a few fractions of an inch.

Grumbling under her breath, Terra spent a minute rubbing her elbow, trying to disperse the annoying sting. Stupid funny bone… it was only funny when it happened to someone else! Gradually, though, the pain vanished, and she could focus once more. Craning her neck just a bit, she looked over again at her teacher, her mentor and her savior.

Ryouga was staring intently at the heavens. His deep brown eyes, nearly black in the weak moonlight, darted around rapidly, as if searching the stars. Which, in retrospect, was likely exactly what he was doing. Instantly, Terra found herself doing the same, and wondered how it had ever taken her so long to realize why he had chosen to sleep under the stars.

Their long trek suddenly made more sense. An entire day of walking, getting as far away from the city as possible for two vaguely super human people. Out this far, there was hardly any light pollution at all, and the night sky was a brilliant tapestry; millions of points of light stretched across an infinite velvet cloth. There was the big dipper, too…

"Which one do you think is Tamaran?" she asked, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire.

With his free arm, Ryouga pointed a single finger to the void of the universe. "I think… it's that one," he stated, pointing to a single bright speck in the sky.

"…That's the north star, Ryouga."

"What? I thought _that _was the north star?" he inquired, pointing to a completely different celestial body.

"Ryouga… that's a plane…"

He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "It is not. I've seen that constellation plenty of times."

"Wha- _Ryouga_, it's _blinking_! …And _moving_!"

He looked at her owlishly, an adorably clueless expression on his face. "Well… yeah. How else are you supposed to use it navigate by? Haven't you heard the expression 'Follow the North Star'?"

Terra's cheeks puffed up with irrational, indignant fury… only for her incredulous annoyance to deflate like a pricked balloon. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she settled for glaring at him, the cheeky grin he was failing utterly to hide giving him away completely.

"You're just _teasing_ me! Not even _you_ are _that_ clueless."

He managed to hold onto his blank stare for another few seconds before finally dissolving into a few silent chuckles. He gave a single nod. "Yeah, but I almost had you there. Actually, if Starfire is right, then it's actually easy to find. The Vegan star is the main star of the Swan constellation. It's actually the fifth brightest star in the sky, on account of how close it is."

Terra's eyes grew wide with wonder. Absently, she lifted her own hand and gently nudged Ryouga's finger from the star on Orion's belt over to the actual Lyra constellation. She could see it so clearly now, the bright point of light that stood out amongst all of its neighbours. It was mystifying to imagine. All of this time, the entire time she had known Starfire, and she hadn't even realized that she had looked up at her friend's home a thousand different times over her life.

It was a bit humbling. She could almost imagine a tiny, tiny speck at the center of the distant star, now. Perhaps the shadow of a T-Ship arrowing through the dark, homing in on that distant point of light.

"So, how do you think they're all doing?" Terra asked softly.

* * *

"Cyborg?"

"Yes, Raven?"

"Where did you install the 'rest room' feature again?"

"The… 'what room' feature?"

"…There is no word for the hatred I feel at this moment."

* * *

Ryouga waved his hand absently. "I'm sure they're doing fine. You know Cyborg, he always thinks of everything."

Terra nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Kinda silly to be getting worried at this point, anyway. How many millions of miles away are they right now, anyway?"

"More than I can count," the martial artist admitted with a wry grin. "It's hard to imagine. All of them being so far away. I mean, just a year ago, the thought of even travelling by plane was nearly foreign to me… and now I live with people that can traverse the stars themselves."

"It's hard to imagine," Terra countered quietly, "That we're never going to see Starfire again…"

Her mentor gave a lethargic nod. His eyes shone in the starlight - unshed tears, perhaps? – as he studied the night sky. She still wasn't exactly sure just what Ryouga's relationship with Starfire had been. Sure, Terra had liked Starfire a lot. She was fun, and happy, and treated her like a real friend, everything Terra had always wanted in a friend.

But Ryouga and Starfire seemed to have something… beyond that, and it didn't really make any sense. It was pretty obvious that there was a thing between Raven and Ryouga, after all (no accounting for taste, it appeared), and whatever that thing was, it was far more in line with the 'boy meets girl' kind of relationship that Terra knew about. But the Tamaranian and the martial artist couldn't seem to decide whether they were coming or going. Thick as thieves one second, but completely chaste the next.

Granted, her own botched attempt at a love life wasn't exactly much better. The less that she thought about that at the moment, the better, though. They were supposed to be on this trip to have fun, after all, not mope after cute members of the opposite sex that would be absent for the foreseeable future.

"Ryouga…"

"Yes, Terra?"

"What are ya thinking about?"

Ryouga shifted slightly, forcing her to lift her head and slide up a bit to get comfortable again. Glancing over out of the corner of her eye, she saw he take in a deep breath before replying.

"Just imagining what we're going to do when they get back from Tamaran," he muttered wistfully. "I can just imagine the huge meal Kasumi will make to celebrate."

Terra nodded energetically at that. Clutching her sleeping bag more tightly to her chest, she giggled. "Yeah, that'll be awesome!"

"And how Robin will probably flay us alive for skipping work and throwing parties instead of protecting the city."

She giggled again. The threat was still far enough off in the future that it was amusing.

"Oh yeah. _Really_ looking forward to that."

"And then how you'll be so happy to see Beast Boy that you'll drag him off to make out all night."

"Yeah, I-" Suddenly, the Lost Boy's words caught up with her. Bolting upright, Terra let out a high pitched squeal and started pummeling Ryouga's chest with small fists. "_Ry-o-ga! Gross!"_

Laughing earnestly now, but not bothering to defend himself in the slightest, her mentor just shook his head from side to side.

"Why would you even _say that_?" she asked, still red faced and scandalized.

"Heh, sorry. …Just seemed like what Jinx would say right there."

That caused Terra to pause right there. Propping herself up with an arm, so that she was half laying, half leaning over Ryouga, she studied her mysterious master with an appraising eye.

"Ryouga… Just what does this Jinx girl mean to you, anyway?"

"Excuse me?" he replied, sounding put on the spot.

She rolled her free hand absently. "Well, you never really talk about her, but I remember how you acted when you saw her during that fight with the Crocodile guy."

Leaning forward, she dropped her free hand on his chest to hold herself up. "It's pretty obvious that you like her. And I mean _like_."

"I-I-I'm not sure what you mea-"

Ignoring his stuttering denial, she tilted her head to the side. "But, then you got your whole deal with Raven going on, too. So what does that make Jinx? The ex girlfriend you still pine for, or the one that got away?"

Piercing him with a stare that demanded answers, she leaned more of her weight on his chest, wanting to keep the pressure on him.

"I mean… you've never even mentioned how you met Jinx. Or how you got to know her." She leaned forward even further, her eyes growing wider as another question struck her.

"Do you – do you like Jinx _more_ than Raven?"

Finally, Ryouga had had enough. Sitting up forcefully, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back and away from him. He was unable to meet her gaze, however, and stared intently at the sleeping bag pooled around his waist.

"Terra, please."

Something about his words, the way his voice nearly broke when he said them, shocked the geokinetic into silence. She didn't even move as he released her shoulders, only to lay down once more, this time on his side, his back to her. The simple gesture spoke volumes, and suddenly Terra wanted to kick herself for prying so hard.

"It's… complicated…" he added in a whisper, his back still facing her.

Sighing sadly, Terra nodded in agreement. It certainly was. It all was.

Still staring at his broad back, Terra laid back down, rolling onto her side as well. She almost reached out, feeling an odd desire to put her hand on his shoulder, if only to give him a consoling pat… but it didn't seem like the right thing to do now. As odd as it seemed, with all of the time they had spent together lately, there was still so much about Ryouga that she knew nothing about.

Raven. Jinx. His past. His life in Japan. He mentioned names all the time, like Ranma, but it was mostly just anecdotes, or quick stories, nothing really meaningful.

With another long sigh, Terra finally let her eyes slide closed. Hopefully tomorrow would bring a better day.

* * *

White light flashed, blinding, then subsided a moment later. The glare gave way to the familiar interior of her home away from home, and she let out an enthused laugh of relief to be back.

"Welcome back, you three," the teleport tube operator offered with a friendly wave.

Supergirl waved to the older gentleman, wearing the standard purple and white outfit that all Watchtower support staff wore, and offered him her most winning smile. Stepping off the teleporter pad, she then spun around – her feet floating off of the floor as she did – to see her friends.

Mousse and Shampoo – or Weapon Master and Neji- Neju – uh… Shampoo – were both still standing on the individual teleporter nodes, and appeared to be taking a moment to catch their breaths. Permitting them a moment to recover, the Argoan took a moment to take in appearances.

Her own uniform: white t-shirt, blue miniskirt and red cape, was in immaculate condition. Not even a dirt smudge on her head band. Her companions, on the other hand, were several light years removed from 'immaculate'. Mousse's heavy white robes were smudged nearly black with smoke and burns, and stained red from a few small nicks and cuts. His hair was a mess and half of the weapons strapped to his back were smoking ruins.

Shampoo looked even worse, considering her preference for getting up close and personal, as opposed to Mousse's more distance oriented style. The Amazon warrior was pressing a hand to her dislocated and reset shoulder, and had a pretty livid bruise on her face above and beyond the same nicks, cuts and burns that Mousse was sporting.

That said, though, both of them were smiling bright as the sun.

"_Cyborg ninjas_?" the male exclaimed incredulously. "Who hires _cyborg ninjas_ to assassinate an ambassador?"

"Better question," Shampoo countered, "What kind of self–respecting ninja lets themselves get turned into robot mens?"

Supergirl shrugged. "You get all kinds. I gotta say, though, it was a _great_ idea asking you guys to come along," she gushed. "I mean, normally when I go to China, there's usually some people around that conveniently speak English. But this time? _No one!_"

The weapon master rolled his big, green eyes. "So _glad_ to know that our translating services ranked as more useful than our combat abilities, what with all of the – and let me repeat this for emphasis – _Cyborg Ninjas_ that burst out from everywhere?"

"Shampoo _know_," the Amazon concurred, her voice still bewildered. "Robo ninjas popping up everywhere… like _daisies_."

"Ha!" Supergirl barked triumphantly. "Weren't you the one saying 'Oh, but watching stupid, dull conference is _too-too_ boring!' You guys didn't even _want_ to come."

"Does that _always_ happen?" Mousse asked, aghast. "I mean, that one guy shot lasers _from his face_!"

"Oh, come on, it wasn't even like it was a _powerful_ laser," the blonde Argoan argued playfully.

"It cut a _car in half_!"

"It was a _compact_!"

"Alright, alright, enough," Shampoo cut in. The vivacious, lavender haired warrior stepped forward, a bounce in her step. "Crazy as robo-ninjas were… Shampoo admit that was still great fun!"

"Well, yeah," Mousse admitted with a chuckle. "And it's not every day that you get a 'thank you' from a diplomatic delegation. I bet we're gonna be all over the news tomorrow."

Hmm, the Argoan had forgot about that. There had been a few dozen camera crews on the scene. She just hoped they got her good side… and that she avoided any 'wardrobe malfunctions' this time. More importantly, though-

"Enough about work, though," she stated eagerly. "I'm _starving_! Let's hit the cafeteria!"

"Uh, I think I might hit the medbay first-"

Bright red lights and a blaring siren drowned out the rest of what Mousse was going to say. Instantly, the three warriors, as well as everyone else within sight, snapped to attention. Within moments, support staff started to move about, quickly making their way to their appointed emergency stations.

Supergirl, with Mousse and Shampoo trailing behind her, instead made their way to the Control Deck, where most of their fellow heroes would no doubt be heading as well. The trio zipped down one of the corridors, only to pause momentarily as they ran into another familiar face coming around a corner to meet them.

"Whoa, what happened to you guys?" Stargirl asked, clearly aiming her question at the pair of Chinese martial artist. The young blonde woman was also floating above the floor, her golden power staff resting easily behind her back as she fell into 'step' beside them. The girl's blue and white outfit, looking a bit like an old style flag, was just a bit more modest that Supergirl's own, and even had a mask that covered half of her face.

"We'll fill you in later," Mousse replied with a grin. "I'll just say that it involves a combination of cyborgs, and/or ninjas, and leave it at that."

"Ahhh, Cyborg-Ninja Tuesday, is it?" the cosmically empowered heroine snarked with a smirk. "Anyway, you guys know what's going on?"

"We only just get back," Shampoo supplied a bit sharply. "Know no more than Stick-Girl."

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's called a _Cosmic Staff_!"

The lavender haired Amazon's only response was a wry grin of her own. And before anything else could be said, they exited the corridor and into the massive chamber that was the Control Deck of the Watch Tower. Even from first glance, Supergirl could count a dozen other heroes present. Shining Knight, Vigilante, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Booster Gold and, of course, the Big Seven.

All of the big wigs were already up at the front of the room, standing before the massive, just ridiculously big monitor that hung at the center of the far wall, just in front of the enormous bank of windows that allowed them to see just a gorgeous view of the Earth in the background.

On the monitor was an alien being, and one that Supergirl didn't recognize in the slightest. It wasn't even remotely humanoid, looking like some sort of hovering squid… spider… thing. Whatever it was, though, it was obviously intelligent, as it was communicating with them from however far away, and even had some kind of translation program working as well. She could tell, because even though the squid-spider (she was probably going to be having nightmares for _weeks_ after seeing that) was communicating with a series of warbling oscillations of sound, it was followed a few seconds later with halting English.

"Superman… Please… Help us…"


End file.
